The Great Canadian Transit Thread - Page 362

Beedok · #**7221** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 12:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwils01

Seen something weird here today.
An articulated bus from Saskatoon Transit was filling up at the Petro-Can station here in the Sault.
They must have got really lost.

Always one of my biggest worries when you hop on a bus that seems to be going to the middle of nowhere.

Innsertnamehere · #**7222** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 3:34 PM**

Brampton council rejects downtown LRT
(Toronto Star, Sam Grewal, Oct 28 2015)

Brampton city councillors voted early Wednesday to reject a controversial transit project that would have seen an LRT route run along Main St. through the city’s downtown.

At about 1:30 a.m., council voted 7-4 to reject the Main St. plan that Queen’s Park had approved.

Cries of “shame” and promises of retribution rang out from the thinning crowd as furious residents filed out of the meeting.

Opponents had said the proposed corridor along the Main St. route lacked potential for ridership and future growth.

“It’s baffling to me that we are actually considering saying no,” Brampton resident Nikita Brown said before the decision, referring to the $300 million to $400 million that the province had earmarked for Brampton's share of the $1.6-billion Hurontario-Main LRT project.

Council’s decision means the LRT will now stop at Steeles Ave. instead of continuing north into downtown Brampton along Main St.

Almost 500 people had turned out earlier for the debate, which was held at the Rose Theatre to accommodate a crowd that couldn’t fit into Brampton City Hall's council chamber.

“I believe we made the best decision tonight to stop it at Steeles,” said Councillor John Sprovieri. The motion that passed, killing the Main St. route, allows Brampton to consider alternatives.

Sprovieri said a decision on an eventual LRT route, which council will now begin working on, should be ready in time to pick up construction when the project crosses Mississauga and gets to Steeles.

Councillors who opposed running the LRT up Main St. have proposed an alternate route along Steeles and then north to Queen St., where it could continue east from downtown to the Bramalea GO Train station. Some want it to run east on Queen all the way to the end of the Vaughan subway extension, which is currently under construction.

As the project now stands, the Hurontario LRT will run north-south through Mississauga along the city’s Hurontario spine, turning around at Steeles....

MetroLinx CEO Bruce McCuaig said the provincial money that would have funded the Brampton portion of the defeated LRT plan will now be available for other transit projects across the province.

But he made it clear that any alternative transit plan Brampton now decides on could still be considered by the province for funding. “That would have to be evaluated,” he told councillors.

Read it in full here.

1overcosc · #**7223** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 6:18 PM**

Brampton is now the only city in the country to reject an LRT it would have gotten for free. They have earned a new place in the Halls of Stupid.

It's a shitty decision for the rest of the region too.. no more connectivity between Mississauga and its central core and the Kitchener RER line.

More reason why we need some sort of regional government in the GTA. Nothing for the betterment of the region will get done if each city only cares about themselves like this. Perhaps remove all transit planninga and management from local municipalities entirely and give total control to the province?

TorontoDrew · #**7224** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 6:37 PM**

They could have turned their tiny historic downtown into a pedestrian only area with an LRT. But hey, it's the 905 so lets save the streets for cars. This only hurts them nobody else. Less money for the province to spend now. Maybe they can redirect some of those funds towards the DRL.

Nouvellecosse · #**7225** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 6:54 PM**

The article says that Brampton council still plans to build it's portion of the LRT, but they didn't like that particular route so they're going to decide on another one before construction would have been ready to start anyway. What's wrong with that?

MalcolmTucker · #**7226** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 6:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

The article says that Brampton council still plans to build it's portion of the LRT, but they didn't like that particular route so they're going to decide on another one before construction would have been ready to start anyway. What's wrong with that?

They traded a sure thing for a future hypothetical. Perhaps they should have rejected the Main St. route it before money was spent on an EA.

TorontoDrew · #**7227** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 7:32 PM**

What he said ^.

Innsertnamehere · #**7228** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 7:57 PM**

plus they no longer will receive provincial funding. Which means they will have to come up with a huge chunk of cash, which in other words, won't happen.

swimmer_spe · #**7229** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

plus they no longer will receive provincial funding. Which means they will have to come up with a huge chunk of cash, which in other words, won't happen.

Sounds like Transit City fiasco all over again.

ssiguy · #**7230** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:22 PM**

Give the money to London.

London wants rapid transit and preferable LRT and it has higher ridership and much higher ridership per-capita than Brampton anyway.

Nouvellecosse · #**7231** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

plus they no longer will receive provincial funding. Which means they will have to come up with a huge chunk of cash, which in other words, won't happen.

The article doesn't say that. The article says that the province will be willing to consider funding for the new proposal once the details are finalized. It doesn't make any promises yet obviously, because there isn't a specific project yet to commit to.

swimmer_spe · #**7232** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:43 PM**

Why is it that s soon as a new government is formed, the old plan for transit gets thrown out?
Federally, Provincially, municipally... Doesn't matter.

This is the biggest reason we have such horrible traffic congestion.

Innsertnamehere · #**7233** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

The article doesn't say that. The article says that the province will be willing to consider funding for the new proposal once the details are finalized. It doesn't make any promises yet obviously, because there isn't a specific project yet to commit to.

the province has explicitly stated that if the current plan is not the one selected, that they would not be funding the line.

As the money comes from the "GTA" fund, it will stay within the GTA.

Nouvellecosse · #**7234** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:46 PM**

Then why does it say in the article "But he made it clear that any alternative transit plan Brampton now decides on could still be considered by the province for funding. “That would have to be evaluated,” he told councillors."

Innsertnamehere · #**7235** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 8:52 PM**

metrolinx spokesperson:

https://twitter.com/femwriter/status/659240939848790016

Quote:

Disappointed #Brampton Council didn't support work done past 6yrs on #HMLRT. Funds will be returned to prov. Work moves forward to Steeles

Globe and mail article

Quote:

It’s a high-stakes gamble. The province had given Brampton until the end of this month to make a decision, all the while making clear that the pledged funding was for their preferred route only. Planning and approvals for a new transit line would be expected to take at least five years. And the money that had been coming Brampton’s way will no longer be available.

Nouvellecosse · #**7236** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 9:19 PM**

Well that reiterates that the funds allocated for the previous proposal will be returned to the province which the article mentioned, but what I was questioning was where it said that the province refused to consider funding for whatever new route they choose.

Innsertnamehere · #**7237** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 9:25 PM**

The globe and Mail article states pretty clearly that the funding will not be available. Read the paragraph I posted in my previous post, I'm confused as to why this isn't clear.

"The money coming bramptons way will no longer be available"

Nouvellecosse · #**7238** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 10:52 PM**

The Globe article makes it clear that the specific money for the project they declined will be taken back by the province, but the first article you posted from the Star makes it clear that the province will be willing to consider new funding an alternate project.

MalcolmTucker · #**7239** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 10:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

The Globe article makes it clear that the specific money for the project they declined will be taken back by the province, but the first article you posted from the Star makes it clear that the province will be willing to consider new funding an alternate project.

Yeah, never say never. But so far out you may as well say never.

Beedok · #**7240** Posted **Oct 28, 2015, 11:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

the province has explicitly stated that if the current plan is not the one selected, that they would not be funding the line.

As the money comes from the "GTA" fund, it will stay within the GTA.

GTHA right? Please. Hamilton's route got truncated for lack of funds last I heard, and that extra ~3 km will make a major difference.