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Waterfront East and Scarborough RT Updates

The draft Terms of Reference for the Environmental Assessment of the eastern waterfront transit plans goes to the TTC for approval next Wednesday.

This draft is the product by much work in full public meetings as well as a community consultation group.  I must commend the team who worked on the draft for their openness to changes, expansion in scope and generally inclusive approach.  The stage of building a ToR can be extremely tedious, but it is vital to ensure that all of the alternatives are considered in the EA itself.  This is a refreshing change from the St. Clair project.

Assuming that the TTC approves the draft, it will go to the Ministry of the Environment for review over the next few months.  While that is underway, some preliminary work will continue collecting information needed for the study and also presenting some technical workshops so that the community can better understand the work behind transportation planning and design.

Meanwhile, the Scarborough RT study is not included on this week’s TTC agenda although it was originally planned for a June presentation.  I suspect that recent events at the TTC coupled with the relatively tighter timelines on the Waterfront studies have pushed the SRT report off into the summer.

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Everything Old Is New Again

My friend Ed Drass just sent me a puff piece from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) about the impending opening of their new inter-terminal shuttle.  Read all about it here.  [This link is no longer active.]

What amuses me immensely is the propulsion technology.  The cars are pulled along by a “rope” to which they are attached.  There is only one unit on each of two tracks and so collisions are impossible.

We technically savvy railfan types will recognize this as a blend of elevator and cablecar technology.  Just think of the tourism potential if they hadn’t built an automated system!  In my mind’s eye, I see GTAA staff, in a period conductor’s uniform with the title “gripman” (or maybe “gripperson” to be more 21st century about it).  The cars could have lovely wooden trim, bench seats, and running-boards for the adventurous riders.

Might be a bit chilly for those interterminal transfers in February, but maybe we could have a summer and a winter fleet.

Hmmm … this sounds like the sort of high-tech transit the Urban Transportation Development Corporation would lap up.  A new world-beating technology!  Just in time to replace the Scarborough RT!

[We will return to our regular, curmudgeonly programming later this week with a look at next Wednesday’s TTC meeting.]

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Rick Ducharme Resigns From TTC (Updated)

[Updated June 8, 7:30 am]

The TTC has accepted Rick Ducharme’s resignation effective immediately.  Gary Webster, the General Manager of Operations, has been named interim Chief General Manager pending a formal search for Ducharme’s replacement.  I’m not sure that “congratulations” are appropriate under the circumstances, but I wish Gary Webster well. 

He is the best choice of potential internal candidates for the position, and I hope that the Commission will let him do his job.  We cannot afford to lose another seasoned member of TTC management who actually understands how the system works.

I am not going to duplicate the many comments from other sites and leave it to readers to track down media coverage.  However, I have started on a long post with questions for everyone:  the union, the Commission, Council and the Mayor on what their positions really are and what the future holds for the TTC.  Stay tuned. Continue reading →

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To Scoff or Not To Scoff? (Updated)

Three comments originally posted here were on the subject of the TTC strike on May 29th.  I have moved them to the post specifically dealing with that issue.  If you want to comment on the strike, please do so there as it makes my editing job simpler.  If you want to talk about fare collection issues, please comment here.  Thanks. 

Sometimes, events unfold in unexpected ways.  What seemed like a bit of late afternoon trivia has turned into front page news. Continue reading →