Don't post signs, take action on gridlock
Those familiar with the morning and afternoon commute in that area of the city might more accurately describe the congestion as being more akin to gridlock, a consequence of years of high-density condominium development.
The Yonge and Sheppard area is a real-life, real-time example of the city's plan to continue to develop higher densities along the city's subway lines in a bid to create more mass transit users.
Why, then, is this group of councillors floating the idea of warning people that if they buy a condominium there they'll face serious traffic obstacles?
Aren't these the same councillors who have been active in the approval of high-density developments along the Yonge corridor? Didn't their votes in favour of these developments lead to this situation?
Suggesting these warnings is sort of like posting signs at the entry points to Toronto telling people they are entering a high-taxation zone, as if it happened by accident, or through means beyond the city's control.
What these councillors - and others across Toronto - must do instead of deflecting responsibility (not to mention the attendant complaints from gridlocked residents) is work as effectively at promoting transit as they have been at promoting development.
If the Yonge and Sheppard corridor is choked with traffic every morning and afternoon (and there are other pockets in the city in which similar problems have arisen) then clearly city officials have failed at enticing motorists out of their cars and onto subways.
Toronto cannot continue to grow along these subway and bus transit corridors - as contained in the city's official plan - without a more effective and aggressive strategy to get these new residents out of their cars and onto the TTC.
The answer lies in a dual approach, because high-density development and mass transit usage must be discussed in tandem and implemented in tandem.
Posting signs to warn motorists of traffic congestion is an abdication of the councillors' collective responsibility. Confronting the issue, maintaining a keen focus on the dual challenges of development and transit use and providing real options to these new residents is where leadership is most needed and most effective.
