[GREN-Exec] FW: [Priorities] new Toronto transit report by Pembina

[John Jackson]

Thought you might find this report interesting after our discussion last
night. It is comparing LRT with subways but it still has a lot of useful
car-LRT comparisons and arguments for LRT.


John

-- 
John Jackson
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______________________________________



------ Forwarded Message
From: Cherise Burda <cheriseb at pembina.org>
Reply-To: <priorities at list.web.net>
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 10:00:56 -0500
To: <priorities at list.web.net>
Subject: [Priorities] new Toronto transit report by Pembina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 5, 2010
 New analysis shows Toronto¹s proposed subway plan leaves commuters¹ best
interests behind 
 TORONTO ‹ The subway extension proposed by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford would
provide less service per dollar invested than the existing light rail rapid
transit plan for Toronto, and wouldn¹t deliver transit service to the
communities that need it most, according to a comparison of Toronto¹s
transit options released today by the Pembina Institute.
 The Institute¹s report, Making Tracks to Torontonians, examines the costs
and benefits of the proposed subway extension, compared to the light rail
transit (LRT) plan that is already underway with funding on the table.
 ³It¹s great to have a mayor and council that are committed to investing in
Toronto¹s transit network,² said Cherise Burda, Ontario policy director with
the Pembina Institute, a national sustainable energy think-tank. ³Taxpayers
in this city need to be confident that they¹re investing in the option that
is the most fiscally responsible and will deliver the best commuter service
for the most people.²
Highlights of Pembina¹s analysis:
The analysis compares the four funded light rail transit projects with the
proposed subway extension. The study finds:
o   The LRT projects would deliver more than twice as much service for every
dollar invested compared to the proposed subway extension.
o   The LRT projects would bring rapid transit service to six times as many
low-income residences as an extended subway.
o   The four LRT lines would bring rapid transit to the doorsteps of 290,000
Torontonians (within a six-minute walk) ‹ while this is true for only 60,000
people by extending the subway.
o   The light rail projects would attract 126 million rides each year,
getting up to 140,000 vehicles out of traffic; the proposed subway extension
would attract half as many rides (65 million) and leave up to 70,000 more
vehicles stuck in gridlock.
o   The LRT projects result in cleaner air and less climate change
pollution, reducing vehicle emissions by more than 200,000 tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalent by 2031, compared to just 75,000 tonnes of reductions
under the subway plan.
o   The proposed subway plan wouldn¹t begin operating until 2020, while the
planned LRT service is scheduled to start running in 2014.
³The main difference with the current light rail plan is the way it connects
people with the places they need to get to,² Burda said. ³Low-income
commuters and people living in underserved areas will have an affordable,
reliable way to get to work and around the city. Rapid light rail transit
offers an efficient alternative to driving, while revitalizing the
neighbourhoods it runs through. It really is a win-win solution.²
³As Metrolinx and TTC discuss the options, this analysis brings some numbers
to the table ‹ not just costs, but where and who transit will serve.²
-30- 
Contact: Cherise Burda 416-824-0256 cheriseb at pembina.org
Key findings of the report have been graphically illustrated in a map,
created by the Toronto Environmental Alliance, that shows which
neighbourhoods benefit from the subway expansion and LRT plans. The report
and map will be released Wednesday, January 5, 2011, 10:30 a.m. at City Hall
Media Gallery 1st floor, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West .
Making Tracks to Torontonians is also available at the Pembina Institute
website, http://www.pembina.org/pub/2151



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