John Tory scores failing grade on public transit plan: advocates
Posted September 29, 2022 11:48 am.
Last Updated September 29, 2022 12:01 pm.
A transit advocacy group has ranked John Tory last out of Toronto mayoral candidates based on each one’s public transit promises ahead of the upcoming municipal election.
TTCriders launched their ‘Mayoral Transit Promises Tracker’ on Thursday and the incumbent Tory scored the lowest out of the 10 candidates who answered the group’s survey.
According to the group, Tory did not answer the survey questions but instead offered a written response. TTCriders said they were only able to ascertain his support for two of the 28 questions based on that response.
“We gave them a very complete answer to the questions,” said Tory when asked about his grade while speaking to reporters at Lawrence Station on Thursday. “We have a solid record of maintaining this system during incredibly difficult crisis times and expanding this system consistently.”
The tracker ranks each candidate based on their responses to a 28-question survey, tracking four key promises including building more bus and streetcar lanes, implementing lower fares, adding TTC funding, and offering solutions following the closure of the Scarborough RT in 2023.
Transit advocacy group TTCriders launched their “Mayoral Transit Promises Tracker” on Sep. 29, 2022, ranking the mayoral candidates’ transit pledges.
Candidate Gil Penalosa scored a perfect 28 out of 28, answering “yes” to each question. Candidates Philip D’Cruze and Ferin Yusuf Malek scored 27 out of 28.
“The TTC needs a champion who will rebuild ridership with bus and streetcar lanes, better service, and lower fares,” said TTCriders member Khasir Hean. “It’s not too late for candidates to improve their score.”
The group applauded Penalosa’s recent bus lane promise saying they will support pledges for more bus lanes from any candidate.
“Gil Penalosa’s promise to build 62km of separated, high-speed bus lanes and another 30km of bus-only lanes is a welcome plan that will build a better TTC and a fairer city,” the group says.
Penalosa says his proposed plan would be mostly completed before the end of his first term if he was to be elected. It would cost $3.2 billion.
Last week, TTCriders criticized Tory’s plan for transit, saying it is not really a plan and instead just a pledge to push ahead with transit already in the works for Scarborough and the waterfront. Tory appeared to double down on his promise to push forward with existing transit plans on Thursday.
“My main focus is on taking the plan we have and making sure it gets implemented,” said Tory. “People forget that we signed a $28-billion transit plan that is under construction today.”
The $28 billion transit expansion plan for the GTA is being led by the Ontario government.
Tory also touted the introduction of kids riding the TTC for free and the two-hour window of “hop-on hop-off” riding, which were introduced while he was mayor.
TTCriders say they sent the 28-question survey to all 31 mayoral candidates but only released the scores for those who answered the questions.
The promises tracker makes up one part of TTCriders’ “Vote for Transit” campaign, which asks Toronto residents to vote for transit champions on the TTCriders website.
Certified candidates running in the Toronto election are able to install campaign signs as of Thursday.
Toronto’s municipal election is on Oct. 24.
