The Omnifarium - Toronto

The Mobility Express?

Fri, 01 Jul 2005, 15:07

Urban planners have known for decades that building new roads is often not the best way to solve traffic problems. In fact, in many cases, it has been shown that new roads can make existing traffic problems worse.

A couple of days ago, the mailman delivered a glossy brochure published by the CAA called "The Mobility Express 2005 post-survey report". In it, they continue to advocate certain improvements to roads and public transit within the city of Toronto. While some of the improvements make a lot of sense, such as extending the Spadina subway line north to York University, extending the Bloor line westward into Mississauga, and extending the use of synchronized traffic signals (SCOOT), the majority of the proposals are just plain silly. The most goofy and, not surprisingly, the least popular are those dealing with new expressways.

The least popular proposal of them all, especially among people living near the Humber Bay, is a bridge over the Humber Bay just off the Western Beaches. The report argues that it would create a more direct route into the city. But how much time would it save drivers? Maybe 30 seconds? Sure, the city could alleviate congestion in that one area, but only to move it further downtown.

The next goofy proposal is to replace Eglinton Avenue West in Etobicoke with an expressway. It may help shorten the drive to the airport for some people living in Etobicoke, by a few minutes. But otherwise, the estimated $610,000,000 cost would certainly be better spent on other more important local traffic solutions, such as the Eglinton West subway line (abandoned shortly after construction started).

The Scarborough Highlands Expressway is another goofy idea. This expressway would occupy a hydro corridor running from Highway 401 at Morningside Avenue across to the Don Valley Parkway south of Eglinton. It would never be further than 6km away from the 401! The report claims that it would divert a significant number of cars from the crowded northern section of the DVP. Maybe so, but it would then dump all those cars into the crowded southern section of the DVP!

But the grand prize for goofiness goes to the proposal for the "Gardiner Offshore Extension". Get this, they actually propose a 2 billion dollar, ~24km long bridge located offshore about a kilometer south of the Scarborough Bluffs! Savvy commuters living in the bedroom communities east of Toronto already know that the best way to get to their jobs downtown is the Lakeshore East GO train. What's the point in improving the drive into the downtown only to face gridlock and skyhigh parking prices once you get there!

Quite simply, the CAA proposals for Toronto are just too ludicrous for words. The two or three good ideas are just overwhelmed by the really silly ones.

Hans

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