There are only so many ways to get into and out of Toronto without a car, but Metrolinx has a grand plan that hopes to make public transit comprehensive throughout the GTA by 2041.
Metrolinx recently drafted a plan that proposes a transit network so robust that driving in the GTA could eventually become a last resort. Alas, it's a long way from reality right now.
The master plan establishes new routes as well as ways to better utilize existing networks, along with guidelines for how transit stations should be incorporated into urban communities.
Some of Metrolix's projects already underway include the Union Station Revitalization to be completed by 2019, the York Viva Bus route by 2020, and the $8.4 billion dollar Crosstown LRT, which is set to be in operation by 2021.
In addition to these existing projects, the plan calls for way more HOV and HOT lanes (over 1,000 kilometres) and major upgrades to the Toronto area cycling network, particularly as pertains to transit station access. Fare integration across transit providers is also a top priority.
The plan will go in front of the Metrolinx board for approval today. The big question out of all of this is how to pull it all together. Toronto has been the subject of many grand transit plans over the years, but making things happen seems to be a persistent issue.
Add to that the fishy business surrounding Metrolinx and the Ontario government recently, and you don't exactly have a situation in which people are overly confident about the ability of the transit agency to make good on best planning practices.
by Lisa Power via blogTO
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