Quote:
Originally Posted by Beedok
We should be building transit in all cities to serve those who can't afford alternatives as the necessary base. Expansion beyond that should be about getting people out of cars and onto transit though. (I do feel like Ottawa gives better transit to middle class commuters in the far flung suburbs than to people who need it. Not sure how Toronto compares, but I've seen some complaints that low income areas are under served.)
|
You may have gotten this impression from reading the Ottawa thread, but I assure that this is not true. Some are venting that transit resources should be focused on the small area that is 'Old Ottawa'. Ottawa is a post war city and implementing that idea would result in a collapse of transit ridership. The old parts of the city generally receive more frequent service than in the suburbs although I understand the frustration that service could be faster and still more frequent. The problem relates to Ottawa's narrow streets in the older parts of the city, which means that congestion and transit reliability is a problem. But the only real solution to this is to build subways. For a city the size of Ottawa, this will be impossible to finance. Furthermore, neighbourhoods close to downtown, which are often heritage districts, are mostly single family homes and this kind of density cannot justify subways.