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Toronto's Public Transit System Analysis

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Toronto’s public transit system is a mess, and it is about to get much worse. Congestion on Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) buses and subways already stops many Toronto commuters from even considering taking public transit, despite the gridlock on city roads. In 2013, an average of 900,000 daily commuters crowded onto overcrowded buses and subways, according to a TTC operating statistic, further burdening a system that severely failed to keep up with Toronto’s population growth. (TTC Operating Budget, 2013) In ten years, the ridership on the Yonge-University-Spadina line jumped from 583,000 people per work day to 711,000. (ibid). With the population of the GTA projected to double, over the next 20 years, another million vehicles will join …show more content…

“Toronto’s air quality, though improved in recent years, continues to suffer because of excess smog and air pollutants….It will only become worse as three million people settle in the region over the next two decades.” (Lorinc, 2012)
The average daily commute time for Torontonians in 2013 was 82 minutes per day and it is expected to increase to 102 minutes by 2031, says transit analyst Jennifer Huang. According Study On Transit In Canada, during a 40-year career, the average Toronto commuter will spend more than one whole year commuting. (Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communications, Study On Transit In Canada, 2012) Toronto is a world-class city and it cannot be expected to fix this problem on its own. The resolution is far too expensive, and it is one that cannot be left to local politicians. Across Canada, other communities are facing similar issues, as they attempt to upgrade and expand their transit systems to address the increasing challenges of climate change, air pollution, mounting congestion and growing populations. They do not have the money to maintain current levels of service let alone expand their transit systems. (FCM, 2007) Fixing this problem will require a co-ordinated effort by all three levels of government, but it cannot be done unless the federal government takes the …show more content…

Compounding all this has been a refusal by both the Ontario government and the GTA’s municipal councils to impose congestion charges “(user fees/service charges/toll booths/vehicle registration tax) or other measures that would deliver sustained funding for transit expansion. Municipal shares of both operating and capital subsidies for public transit in Canada come primarily from property taxes, supplemented in some cases by special levies on gasoline sales, parking and hydro

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