Tuesday, June 07, 2005

New streetcar, what new streetcar?

The Save Our St. Clair Group - understandably and predictably - are launching a lawsuit to stop the contruction of a decidicated streetcar right-of-way on St. Clair West.

TheStar.com - Group aims to derail new streetcar

I'm not in any way surprised that the environment minister gave the go ahead for the project - without granting the additional environmental assessment requested by the group:

"We believed the ministry's decision was political," said Margaret Smith, spokesperson for SOS.

She got that right. I suspect Minsiter Dombrowski would have rather hidden out in Timbuktu for the rest of her term than incur the wrath of David Miller and his cabal. Now we are headed for court.

There is plenty of evidence that the EA process was a sham. The TTC and the ROW proponents were a private corporation (we wish!) they'd likely already be up before a comsumer priotection tribunal.

The EA propaganda pushed the idea of light-rail - but in reality, there will be between 5 and 20 years of excruciatingly ineffective streetcar "service". An expose in the Globe and Mail few weekends back showed how the TTC had misrepresented the success of the Spadina "LRT". This is called 'bait and switch'.

More bait and switch came in the at the council meeting where the plan was approved. There were resolutions to look at providing more replacement parking - as well as asking Toronto Hydro to bury the electricity lines along St. Clair. Well - guess what, neither is going to happen. No money - surprise, surprise! The streetcars suck up all the money - and there is nothing left for anything else.

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