Elections are funny things.
They turn on issues no one ever thought much about before the election. So a previous Toronto Mayoral race turned on a bridge -- and the opposition to bridge building won.
What about Rocco Rossi's tunnel? Will it be the hinge on which the election turns?
I think it will.
Now I think the idea of a tunnel to finish the Allen Road is brilliant -- and it's so obvious I am amazed no one thought of it before.
But my view (and my support of Rocco) isn't the point.
Let's consider the election impact.
What frustrates suburbanites (meaning people in Scarborough, Etobicoke and North York)? Traffic delay -- that's why the "war on cars" concept has traction. And the TTC doesn't give a viable substitute to a car. If I have to leave my office in North York, go downtown for Court and then finish the day teaching at Humber College -- well, I defy you to do that by subway and bus in anything like a reasonable time. Suburbanites, even if they'd prefer the TTC, generally have to drive.
And suburbanites have been supporting Rob Ford. But with the tunnel there is a clear reason to turn from Ford.
Pantalone is a credible force on the Left -- and his base will be enraged by the tunnel concept -- and so will rally against it. But in so rallying they will be focusing on Rocco's plan -- and in truth, Rocco's support won't bleed to Pantalone.
George Smitherman has to respond somehow but support or not will again focus on the tunnel plan.
All in all, the candidates will be arguing the tunnel and its merits -- which means the tunnel will be the hinge.
Unless Rocco has more up his sleeve???
5 comments:
I guess you could say the Star is in the can for Smitherman, but this article doesn't sound too favourable on the idea:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/860307--rossi-promises-traffic-tunnel
"The tunnel would have to be built under the existing subway tunnel, while entry and exit points would require building traffic cloverleafs and therefore the demolition of parts of downtown."
“You would have to bomb the downtown core and find another $30 billion or $40 billion to build it,” said Vaughan, whose late father, Colin Vaughan, successfully campaigned against the Spadina Expressway.
Fellow candidate George Smitherman said the plan sounded like an April Fool’s joke. “Announcing a plan to mimic Boston’s Big Dig (a 2-mile tunnel that cost $22 billion instead of the expected $4 billion) without any idea how to pay for it, shows the kind of campaign-by-soundbite Mr. Rossi is running.”
Eric Miller, a transportation planner and director of the University of Toronto’s Cities Centre, called the idea “a complete non-starter.” Gridlock on the Gardiner would back up traffic in the tunnel, creating a new bottleneck without adding capacity to the road system, he said.
“It’s not going to move people any faster,” he said
What do you say to refute these comments Mr. Morton? I'm not necessarily against the idea, but I don't find a persuasive case for it, especially with no real costing.
Btw, wasn't Rossi on the wrong side of that bridge debate in 2003?
Is he making a similar misjudgment here (politically, not policy-wise)? I bet he thought the bridge to the Island was a big political winner in 2003 too.
I'm reserving judgement on the tunnel idea until I have a chance to think about it, but I do like that kind of bold thinking. There is not enough of that.
As for the Toronto Star article quoted:
- Rocco was pretty been clear in his remarks that it starts with exploration of the idea and true costs
- It is only partially compatible with the Big Dig. That was a much bigger construction, much more highway and the demolition, temporary replacement during construction of an existing major arterial highway, burial of the highway right at waters edge, new technology. Given all that, I can't see how it would cost $30B or $40B to build, even with inflation.
- the gridlock comment from Eric Miller is kind of bizarre actually. Gridlock will be no different throughout the city as a result of a new north-south highway because of how bad the only downtown east-west highway is? Has he ever driven on the Allen and tried to get off at Eglinton before? No one is going to take the Allen from the 401 to get to the Gardiner but lots of people will take it part way. In fact, with new construction you have the opportunity to build some better on-ramps than the existing access points to the Gardiner. Lots of risk and concern about the Allen extension but that one is not one of them.
- As for the comment about being on the "wrong side" of the bridge issue, not sure what that means. Miller (299,385 votes) was against it, but Tory, Hall, Nunziata, Jakobek (together 368,238 votes) were for it.
This is NUTS! It proves he's incapable of running a municipality. This isn't a process you use to make a major decision like this. Where's the consultation with the public? Where's the consultation with the city engineering department? Where's an analysis of the problems and a resulting plan? None of this. Just one big stupid election promise that will help bankrupt City Hall. What a stupid, stupid, stupid way of doing this. There's no way this guy should be given the levels of control at City Hall because this isn't even close to how things should be run. Dumb!
I suspect that Rossi and Co.'s plan is simply far too expensive to ever see the light of day. I also suspect unfortunately, that they know it.
This appears to be a disingenuous proposal designed purely for political purposes.
James's post has suggested that it is good politics but that is all it is.
Voters have been subject to this kind of BS before. It might work.If he wins though I guarantee that this project will never be built. No doubt excuses blaming others for the failure will be provided.
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