How Toronto plans for failure

By Christopher Hume
Urban Issues, Architecture

Published On Sat May 08 2010

Of all a city's functions, none matters more than planning. It touches every aspect of civic life - economic, social and cultural.

But as Toronto's civil service is currently organized, planning gets little respect. In fact, the department reports to a deputy city manager, who reports to the city manager, who reports to city council.

For the last three years, the deputy city manager responsible for planning has been a man named Richard Butts. His background is in garbage collection and as he readily admits, "I am not a planner."

Judging from his record, that much is obvious. The most recent example is now unfolding on the waterfront; it concerns a sports complex proposed for the Lower Don Lands. Though it would undo many years of planning, Butts has made it clear he's prepared to ride roughshod over Waterfront Toronto's award-winning scheme.

{moderator: I want to clarify that the original article below is by Ken Gray. The reply is by an unknown David, who posted it on the citizen web site. FOTO did not write either one them}

Ottawans lined the streets of downtown today to watch the first light-rail
train travel through the city's core.

Onlookers gawked as the vehicle quickly travelled along its designated lane
behind stylish protective barriers to keep cars and trucks out of its
way. Lights changed automatically down the transit corridor to allow the
vehicle through. Gates blocked north-south car traffic as the train sped
through intersections in Ottawa's small, compact downtown.

At the south end of the line in Barrhaven, Mayor Larry O'Brien, bedecked in
engineer's hat and blowing a wooden train whistle, cut the ribbon that sent
the first train down the tracks on the $884-million north-south route. Beside
him were local MP Pierre Poilievre, Transport Minister John Baird and

{moderator: I want to clarify that the original article below is by Ken Gray. The reply is by an unknown David, who posted it on the citizen web site. FOTO did not write either one them}

Ottawans lined the streets of downtown today to watch the first light-rail
train travel through the city's core.

Onlookers gawked as the vehicle quickly travelled along its designated lane
behind stylish protective barriers to keep cars and trucks out of its
way. Lights changed automatically down the transit corridor to allow the
vehicle through. Gates blocked north-south car traffic as the train sped
through intersections in Ottawa's small, compact downtown.

At the south end of the line in Barrhaven, Mayor Larry O'Brien, bedecked in
engineer's hat and blowing a wooden train whistle, cut the ribbon that sent
the first train down the tracks on the $884-million north-south route. Beside
him were local MP Pierre Poilievre, Transport Minister John Baird and

Re: Emergency strike fund already gone, Jan. 20.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board is to decide soon on whether Ottawa's public transit system is "essential" and thus worthy of special protections from work stoppages in labour disputes.

I suggest that the service is really two systems, one essential and the other not. The all-day routes are designed to serve the full-range of trips for what is mostly a car-free clientele. The transit industry, itself, calls these patrons "transit-captive."

The other system is the rush-hour-only express-bus routes designed primarily for those working downtown and living on "the fringe." These are people who mostly have access to cars and to ride-share opportunities through their workplaces. They rarely use transit for other kinds of trips. The transit industry called them "transit-choice."

Re: Emergency strike fund already gone, Jan. 20.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board is to decide soon on whether Ottawa's public transit system is "essential" and thus worthy of special protections from work stoppages in labour disputes.

I suggest that the service is really two systems, one essential and the other not. The all-day routes are designed to serve the full-range of trips for what is mostly a car-free clientele. The transit industry, itself, calls these patrons "transit-captive."

The other system is the rush-hour-only express-bus routes designed primarily for those working downtown and living on "the fringe." These are people who mostly have access to cars and to ride-share opportunities through their workplaces. They rarely use transit for other kinds of trips. The transit industry called them "transit-choice."

Re: Emergency strike fund already gone, Jan. 20.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board is to decide soon on whether Ottawa's public transit system is "essential" and thus worthy of special protections from work stoppages in labour disputes.

I suggest that the service is really two systems, one essential and the other not. The all-day routes are designed to serve the full-range of trips for what is mostly a car-free clientele. The transit industry, itself, calls these patrons "transit-captive."

The other system is the rush-hour-only express-bus routes designed primarily for those working downtown and living on "the fringe." These are people who mostly have access to cars and to ride-share opportunities through their workplaces. They rarely use transit for other kinds of trips. The transit industry called them "transit-choice."

Lack of strong commuter rail line will hurt future prosperity: MP
Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2008

While major Canadian cities are reshaping their futures with new light-rail projects, Ottawa has embraced a transit vision that will set the city back a decade and undermine its competitiveness and future prosperity, several experts say.

They point out that, in the past year, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have unveiled transformative commuter rail plans that will strengthen their ability to compete for global investments and economic opportunities.

Organization

http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/Environment/utsp/otrainlightrailproject.htm

City of Ottawa — Transportation Utilities and Public Works Department, OC Transpo
Status

Started 2001, extended to 2005
Overview

The O-Train was Ottawa’s first experience with light rail transit. The O-Train travels an 8-km track past five stations, two of which connect to the city’s bus rapid transit system (the “Transitway”), over two bridges and through a tunnel beneath Dow’s Lake. The line serves Carleton University, a major employment centre, and a shopping mall in a densely populated neighbourhood.

The O-Train was initiated to assess the technical feasibility of using an existing rail corridor for rapid transit, to validate expectations about ridership, performance and cost, and to allow proper analysis of possible larger-scale implementation.

Budget:

* Capital costs: $21 million
* Two-year operating costs: $8 million

Results:

Last Updated: Friday, November 23, 2007 | 12:02 PM ET
CBC News

A new transit plan put forward by a committee of Ottawa councillors earlier this week would make downtown congestion worse and is unlikely to get federal and provincial funding, says local transit advocate David Jeanes.

"They're going for a major expansion of bus transitways, even though nothing has been done to solve the capacity and congestion issues that buses are causing downtown," he told CBC in an interview aired Friday on Ottawa Morning.

"The federal and provincial governments understand that and they're very unlikely to agree either to their existing money being spent on this way or any future money to be
spent on a bus tunnel — a completely unproven concept — deep under downtown Ottawa."

The new plan passed by the joint transportation and transit committee Wednesday includes:

Happy Birthday O-Train
Josh Pringle
Monday, October 15, 2007

The O-Train turns six years old today.

Friends of the O-Train is marking the anniversary of the start of light rail operations in Ottawa with a birthday cake this morning at the Carleton Transitway Station.

Since the O-Train started rolling on October 15, 2001, more than seven million riders have boarded the light rail network.

The group is calling on the City of Ottawa to extend the O-Train north from the Bayview Station across the Prince of Wales railway bridge to Gatineau and south to Leitrim Road.