Mayor Miller must be a transit visionary
I ask transit planners to not waste money building light rail transit on Sheppard Avenue. I only see short-term gains with negative consequences for the future of Toronto.
The city planners, under the guidance of Mayor David Miller, are certainly not visionaries. I only see knee-jerk reactions to traffic problems and garbage problems.
As long as people keep pouring into the Toronto area, vehicular traffic will continue to increase along with increasing density population problems.
Restricting vehicular traffic along main roads is not the answer.
Light rail transit will only cause more congestion and harm businesses along Sheppard Avenue. Sheppard Avenue is also an escape route when accidents happen on Hwy. 401. Sheppard Avenue is already congested and building a light rail transit will only compound the problem. It will only be more costly in the future to correct the mistake of building of this light transit system.
We have to take a long-term view and build subways for future growth. Do not say we cannot afford it. We cannot afford not to build subways.
If the city truly wants to get more people to use public transit, it has to make the system user-friendly. Build subways with accompanying parking lots. People will be encouraged to drive a short distant to a convenient subway parking lot and use subways. I know that when I want to go downtown, I drive to Fairview Mall parking lot and take the subway. That's what I call user friendly and convenient.
Former mayor Mel Lastman was a visionary when he ruled in North York. I believe his insight in promoting the building of the subway on Sheppard Avenue proves my point. Happening along the Sheppard subway is a great concentration of housing for people. The building that is happening along the Sheppard subway line is tremendous. Many hundreds of construction workers are being employed, which in turn stimulates the economy. Look to the future.
I initially financially supported Miller but he has turned out to be a great disappointment to me.
Fiddling with problems will certainly not leave Miller with a positive legacy. We remember and appreciate people like the man who built the Danforth-Bloor bridge as visionaries of his time.
Miller must take a giant step and do things right the first time.
Jerry Derich
