Scarborough is Getting a Subway

8/11/2019 Scarborough is Getting a Subway

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n

Rider AccessibilityRider Accessibilityand theand the

Scarborough SubwayScarborough Subway

Brenda ThompsonJune 2014


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INTRODUCTION

On October 8, 2013, Toronto City Council voted to replace the Scarborough RT with a

subway instead o an !RT" #any Scarborough residents supported this decision" #any

did not" $e can all agree that invest%ent in rapid transit is long overdue" &ut will the

#cCowan subway plan serve Scarborough residents who depend on public transit'

Throughout this long and arduous debate, the pros and cons o subway and !RT

technology have do%inated the political discourse with very little thought given to the

needs o local residents who depend on transit" &y e(a%ining the #cCowan subway

route in ter%s o accessibility, this report will endeavor to spea) or the transit rider in

Scarborough"

*or the purpose o this report, rider accessibility is about how ast and convenient it is

or so%eone to connect to rapid transit in their neighbourhood" *or e(a%ple, the closer

you live to a subway station the%ore accessibility you have" The ideal would be orrapid transit to be a ive %inute wal) away"

2


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SCARBOROUGH RT CON!RSION

"#$%B "&$&B

Taken from Scarborough Rapid Transit Options, July 16, 201, Report from the !ity "anager and !#O, Toronto Transit !ommission

On the let is the !RT plan which was approved by Council and unded by the +rovince

or 1"8& in 2010" On the right is the #cCowan subway plan which replaces the !RT,

approved by Council in October o 2013 at a cost o 3"3&" The province has agreed to

allocate 1"-8& ro% the !RT plan toward the subway and the ederal govern%ent is

contributing ..0 %illion, leaving the City with an 1& shortall which will be covered

by a 1"./ property ta( increase over three years" Construction o the !RT would have

been co%plete by 2020" &ecause the subway option still has to go through an

environ%ental assess%ent, construction will not be co%plete until 202-" ccording to

the City o Toronto StaReport Scarborough Rapid Transit Options, uly 12, 2013,

The !RT line ocuses %ore on local travel needs4""whereas the subway oers a %oree(press service that increases its appeal to regional riders"5 $ith only three stops, the

current subway plan has only2-,000 residents6e%ployees within wal)ingdistance,

whereas the !RT has -7,000"

3


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Scarborough Rapid Transit Options, July 16, 201, Report from the !ity "anager and !#O, Toronto Transit !ommission

t is interesting to co%pare the people within wal)ing distance to the pro9ected pea)

hour ridership in 2031" lthough the !RT provides accessibility or twice as %any

people in Scarborough it is not esti%ated to generate as %any rides as the subway

option" This is because the subway option is e(pected to attract a higher nu%ber o

riders ro% outside o Scarborough"

-

$RT "c!O%&'

S()%&*

Route length 9.9+" 7.6+"

New stations 7 3

Residents/employees

within walking distance47,000 24,000

!o"ected peak hou!

!ide!ship in 203#

$,000 9,%00 ,000

'apacity pe!sons/hou! #%, 000 30,000

'ost (#.$) (3.3 )

'ompletion date 2020 2024


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S!!N D!'ANDS O( US!(U) *UB)IC TRANSIT

uman Transit o- !learer Thinking about .ublic Transit !an #nrich Our !ommunities and Our $i/es, Jarrett Walker

The %ain priority o public transit is to ta)e us where we want to go" $hen thin)ing

about the #cCowan subway plan it is i%portant or Scarborough residents living close

to the route to as) :oes it stop near %e and near %y destination and does it connect

to the places want to go by a reasonably direct path'5

TH! 'cCO+AN SUB+A, ROUT!Starting at ;ennedy station and traveling


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Between Bri-ley and Dan0orth 1 no subway sto/

Dan0orth and Thic2etwood 1 no subway sto/


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Dan0orth beco-es 'cCowan

The irst subway station will be at #cCowan and !awrence ? -"3 )% ro% ;ennedystation" @istorically, TTC station stops range ro% 3-. % to 2". )% apart" To go

through such a high density section o


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O/en S/ace and Hydro right o0 way

ter !awrence, #cCowan continues to be sparsely settled with single a%ily residential

ho%es up to


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'cCowan and !lles-ere

Ao subway stop at this busy intersection either" Riders traveling


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'cCowan RT station to STC ter-inal

t is >00 %eters ro% #cCowan Station to Scarborough Centre Ter%inal Eabout a .

%inute wal)" $hy would anyone want to try and carry luggage across a busyintersection, through a par)ing lot when the !RT would have allowed the% to wal)

directly ro% the rapid transit line to the bus ter%inal or into STC'

'cCowan and 'ilner

There is no station planned or this intersection either" station would provide a

connection with the 132 #ilner bus which goes along #ilner up to #alvern" tcurrently has a ridership o 2,200 per day"

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HO+ COU)D +! !NSUR! TH! SUB+A, O*TION ISACC!SSIB)! TO SCARBOROUGH R!SID!NTS3

&uild another subway station at the intersection o


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HO+ 'UCH +OU)D IT COST3

There is also the Fuestion o what to do with the right o way or the Scarborough RT"

nstead o selling o this public asset, it could be used or electriied, all day, two way

service ro% ;ennedy station to #alvern, #ar)ha% and Aorth +ic)ering"

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$O!&TO' '7R&STR(!T(R# !OST

#glinton and "idland Sub-ay station 8110 9200,000,000

#glinton and )rimley or

anforth

Sub-ay station 8110 9200,000,000

anforth and Trudell Sub-ay station 8110 9200,000,000

"c!o-an and #llesmere (nderground -alk-ay to

"c!o-an sub-ay station

8:

"c!o-an and "ilner Sub-ay station 8110 9200,000,000

"c!o-an RT stationcon/ersion

ntegration -ith ST! andbus terminal

830,000,000

*dditional cost on top o+ (3.3 illion - (4$0 $40,000,000


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DORS!T *AR4 AND C!NT!NNIA) CO))!G!

:orset +ar) E population 2-,3.>

:orset +ar) has inadeFuate co%%unity inrastructure" Co%%unity inrastructure

enco%passes a variety o physical and social co%ponents that i%prove peopleGs Fuality

o lie" One o the reFuire%ents or good co%%unity inrastructure is %obility either

through $heeltrans or public transit"

Centennial College E enroll%ent 1.,000

&oth :orset +ar) residents and Centennial College students would have had access to

new rapid transit with an !RT" &ut with a subway going along #cCowan instead o the

Scarborough RT right o way, service or residents o :orset +ar), will be reduced ro%

rapid transit to buses and Centennial College students will graduate long beore %ore

reFuent service co%es to their al%a %ater" Construction o a subway %ust include a

viable plan to i%prove transit service or these co%%unities"13


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BRING BAC4 TH! 'A)!RN )RT

!glinton Buses

Toronto Transit ommission! "idership and cost statistics for #us and streetcar routes! 2012

ll three o these bus routes serve


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RA*ID TRANSIT *RO5!CTS IN TORONTO

This %ap shows unded and ununded uture rapid transit pro9ects included in

TorontoGs current Oicial +lan Review" lthough it is listed as a uture rapid transit

pro9ect, the Scarborough #alvern !RT IAJ beca%e less o a priority ater then #inister

o Transportation, ;athleen $ynne announced -& in cuts to Transit City in 2010and

#ayor Rob *ord announced his transit planwhich put %oney allocated or !RT=s

toward putting %uch o the
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/budget-slashes-billions-from-toronto-transit-expansion-1.908922http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-mayor-s-transit-plan-gets-ont-support-1.1015722http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/budget-slashes-billions-from-toronto-transit-expansion-1.908922http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-mayor-s-transit-plan-gets-ont-support-1.1015722


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Thereore Scarborough Transit ction has the ollowing reco%%endations to Toronto

City Council

Reinstate the !RT plan to replace the Scarborough RT

Documents

Scarborough is Getting a Subway