The Dream of an Integrated Transit System in Toronto
“I think there should be no municipal government at all” said a first year Munk student whom I met after the Munk In the City workshop.
“Well...The multi-layered framework is there for a reason. The municipal governments take care of small things” I disagreed with him in my mind.
But soon I tilted toward his opinion as he went on.
My fellow explained that he has to commute from Scarborough to downtown Toronto for school everyday. He ranted that the transit in Scarborough is sketchy and the wait time is SOOOOO long. Plus he has to pay double fares when he transfers because Scarborough and downtown Toronto run two different regional transit systems.
His comment was so intriguing that made me wonder about this possibility.
My experience with the Scarborough transit wasn’t pleasant either. The first time I visited Scarborough with a group of friends, we waited 40 minutes for the bus (One came after 20 minutes but it was PACKED. The driver ruthlessly rejected us boarding even though there was still space at the back).
“The Toronto region is a single integrated economic and social unit, but the fragmented transit system make it hard to transit between regions and municipalities”.
The Greater Toronto Area(GTA) has over 5 million populations. It consists of 5 regions including City of Toronto and four other regional municipalities. Unbelievably, there are 12 public transit systems operating in the GTA, plus a regional transit system that runs trains and buses, all governed by Metrolinx.
The fragmented regional transit network has been a pressing issue to all riders who take public transportation. Crossing municipal boundaries and switching between transit systems are confusing and not easy.
As Toronto suburbs continue to sprawl, more and more people live far away from the city core. The rapid growth in the suburb population signals the increasing need to address the fragmented transit network. According to David Gordon in his article Canadians increasingly live in the auto-dependent suburbs, over 80% of residents live in suburbs in the Toronto region.
Toronto riders desire a simple and consistent public transit system.
Referring back to my fellow MPP1’s reasoning, if we were to scrap all municipal governments, would there be a chance for establishing an integrated transit network? I don’t have an answer and I believe neither does the Metrolinx.
References:
David L.A. Gordon. (2022, September 6). Canadians increasingly live in the auto-dependent suburbs. The Conversation. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/canadians-increasingly-live-in-the-auto-dependent-suburbs-104304
Eidelman, G. (n.d.). Urban Policy Lecture Slide 3.
Metrolinx. (n.d.). Fare Integration. Metrolinx Fare Integration. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/fareintegration/default.aspx
Public transportation | greater toronto. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2022, from http://www.greatertoronto.org/public-transportation/
UReachToronto. (n.d.). Greater Toronto Area (GTA). UReach Toronto. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.ureachtoronto.ca/greater-toronto-area-gta/
