North York Mirror
Hundreds of people have signed a petition demanding the inclusion of a station at Oakwood Avenue when the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown light rail transit line opens in 2020.
Around 400 people have already added their names to the petition for an Oakwood LRT station since January, when it was first circulated by local city councillor Josh Colle’s office via social media and door-to-door canvassing of residences and businesses around Oakwood Avenue.
“People remain enthusiastic about getting a station for Oakwood,” said Colle, who represents Eglinton-Lawrence. “There’s a lot of potential in the area.”
According to transit planning agency Metrolinx, design work has already begun for six stations on the line: Keele-Eglinton, Caledonia, Dufferin-Eglinton, Allen Road-Eglinton West, Bathurst and Chaplin.
A presentation at a public meeting hosted by Metrolinx on June 27 showed a Crosstown station map that included Oakwood station between Dufferin and Eglinton West stations.
If approved, Oakwood would join 12 planned stations for the underground portion of the Crosstown line, which will run 10 kilometres through a tunnel running below Eglinton Avenue from Keele Street to Laird Drive where it will continue east above ground to Kennedy station in Scarborough.
Colle said he’s received vague assurances from Metrolinx, which is co-ordinating construction of the Crosstown, on the inclusion of a stop at Oakwood, but nothing concrete.
“We’re hopeful Metrolinx will live up to the impression it made on the community regarding a station for Oakwood,” said Colle Friday, July 20.
Metrolinx spokesperson Mark Ostler could not confirm whether an Oakwood stop is part of a provincial review of the final number and locations for the Crosstown stations.
The evaluation, going on now, is based on several factors including cost, usage, overall ridership and development potential, said Ostler.
He said further public consultations for station designs and locations are expected for the fall.
Construction has already begun for the 19-kilometre Crosstown LRT, which will run west from Black Creek Drive to Kennedy station in the east along Eglinton, where it will connect to the Scarborough LRT, also scheduled to begin operating in 2020.
To view the petition to include an LRT station at Oakwood Avenue, visit www.ipetitions.com/petition/we-stop-at-oakwood/