Study Predicts Traffic Nightmare For The GTA
The report paints a dire picture for the GTA’s highways and roads considering projected population growth and the lack of transit funding.
An additional 100,000 vehicles are expected to hit Toronto streets over the next 25 years and the TTC will have to accommodate another 50,000 riders, according to a report commissioned by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario. The study was released Thursday.
Other areas of the GTA should also expect to see a substantial increase in traffic, including an additional 146,000 commuters in Markham, 80,000 in Vaughan and 154,000 in Brampton.
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Experts predict the population of the the GTA will nearly double over the next 25 years and the study’s authors say municipal governments don’t have the cash, resources, or even a plan to deal with the booming expansion and the problems it will bring.
The report calls on the provincial and federal governments to provide long-term funding for public transit before the gridlock and pollution get even worse.
“We probably need road expansion and probably within the city itself otherwise there will be severe congestion and (the city) won’t achieve its aspirations for increase in employment in the city,” the study’s lead author Richard Soberman explained.
Experts suggest the problem could be even worse than what was outlined in Thursday’s report. It was based on population density forecasts from the province’s Places To Grow policy, which assumes that people will choose high-density communities and public transit over homes in sprawling suburbia and cars.
“If Places To Grow is not realized and growth continues to evolve, more or less, as it has over the last 10 to 30 years or so, the transportation-related challenges will become even more acute and will occur sooner,” Soberman said.
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The report highlighted the current cash crisis for public transit – since 1992, the population of the GTA has increased by about 33 percent, but during that same period provincial spending on transportation has decreased by about 24 percent.
Downloading has also placed an incredible financial burden on municipalities and unless action is taken immediately, the GTA will no longer be able to compete with other North American cities, the report predicts.
Here are some of the major recommendations included in the transportation report:
- The development of a comprehensive transportation plan for the GTA should be the first order of business for the new Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA).
- The provincial government should put regulations in place ensuring that the GTTA is governed by non-elected individuals so that it can make decisions based on long-term needs rather than short-term political considerations.
- The GTTA should control the allocation of a substantial portion of both provincial and federal funding, giving it the leverage it needs to bring about transit service and fare integration in the GTA.
- There must be stable, multi-year funding commitments from Ottawa and Queen’s Park. Predictable and guaranteed funding is a pre-condition for the development of meaningful regional transportation plans.
- The first step towards integration should focus on ‘seamless’ transit connecting the Toronto Transit Commission, York Region Transit, Mississauga Transit and GO Transit, with a smart card universal fare.
- The province should declare public transit an essential service, prohibiting strikes and lockouts, and requiring binding arbitration in disputes.
- The Environmental Assessment process has become “one of the surest means of ensuring that nothing gets done,” says the report. The provincial government should streamline the process to reduce costs and accelerate decision-making.
- Municipalities within the GTA should give more serious consideration to public-private partnerships in order to expand transportation infrastructure at lower cost.
The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario
Ontario Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal
