The City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) are examining ways to significantly improve transit service on Eglinton Avenue from Kennedy Subway Station to Pearson International Airport. Toronto’s Official Plan focuses on city-building and creating a Transit City by establishing key avenues for future growth. Modern environmentally-sustainable light rail transit service will support the growing travel needs of people who live and work in the Eglinton Corridor and beyond, and will also make the street livelier, more attractive, and more people-friendly. This is part of Toronto’s Climate Change and Beautiful City initiatives to make all of Toronto a more liveable and pleasant place to live and work.
What Is the City Recommending?
The bus service on Eglinton Avenue be replaced with modern electrically-powered light rail vehicles. Within the central section between Laird Drive and Keele Street, the light rail vehicles will operate underground. TTC is proposing an underground LRT through this section because the width of Eglinton Avenue is too narrow to accommodate LRT. For the rest of Eglinton Avenue, the light rail vehicles would operate at surface, in dedicated transit lanes separated from traffic. The proposed light rail transit would provide a fast, reliable, and comfortable way to travel on Eglinton Avenue and support the growth management objectives of the Official Plan.
Thoughts
People are generally supportive of the plan since it would be buried underground. The current stretch of Eglinton from Bathurst to the Allen Expressway is a current nightmare and such a relief is welcome news. It would also create bike lanes along much of Eglinton so that is a definite plus.
Others see the opposite. There are some concerns this light rail line will mimic the experience of St. Clair LTR (think overbudget fiascos and local business disturbance). The thought is with the limited road space and then adding light rail transit on it, along with and bike lanes and wider sidewalks and cars, would create even further congestion.
Both are solid points. Personally I am always in favour of green transit programs and I do think this project will bring about much needed congestion relief. I would have loved for the whole thing to be underground – or at least as much as possible.
Your thoughts?
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