THE MIRROR e | Thursday, September 19, 2013 |
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opinion
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Prepare to deal with busy traffic W
Write us
ith summer vacations over, students back in school and the establishment of new routines at home, September means busier times for most of
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us.
And with the increased traffic volume on our roads that comes with the fall season, there comes a greater need for vigilance and proper planning for all of us making our way around the city. We know Toronto has traffic congestion challenges. The longest commuting times in the country are in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area, according a StatsCan report released in late June. Traffic congestion has been identified as a major economic impediment by the Toronto Region Board of Trade, costing billions to the greater Toronto economy. The need for a sustained commitment from all levels of government to funding transit infrastructure is acute. And the discussion about our view what’s happening on our roadin Toronto is not confined Drivers must ways to congestion. There’s safety, too. pack patience, A pair of recent schoolchildren pedestrian deaths, including plan ahead the tragic losses of a 14-year-old North York girl and a five-yearold girl in Scarborough, spurred the Toronto District School Board last week to request chair Chris Bolton to enter into discussions with the city, police and other school boards to talk traffic safety. Trustees have directed that those representatives look at ways to reduce traffic risks to students (an increased use of crossing guards is already one suggestion). That means there’s a lot happening on our roads. So for motorists, trip planning is important. Leave yourself plenty of time to get your destination. Remember, beyond traffic congestion caused by any ongoing roadwork, there are some new capital projects underway in the city as well that will impact travel times. For example, a second tunnel borer machine is about to start digging below Eglinton Avenue West as part of the Eglinton Crosstown light rail project – a project that, once completed, should play a part in alleviating congestion. But while the tunneling lasts, one should expect traffic delays. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with construction projects and road closures. The city ohas an updated web page detailing road closures and their durations. Check it out at http://bit.ly/1goY61f In the meantime, if you’re heading out on the roads, be alert, practice patience, and plan ahead.
column
Start thinking about 2014 municipal election now
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hen the Borough of East York – and that includes Leaside and Thornecliffe – was part of Metro Toronto, its citizens had the highest satisfaction level with delivery of services and governance of any of the six municipalities. Can the same be said today? We have had the evidence for that on an almost daily basis as problem after problem with the city is paraded out in our local media. Erosion Superficially, community life goes on as it always has. Yet the social and economic fabric that has created the quality of life that we have enjoyed for so long is being eroded. So now that we seem to be stuck with this huge mega-city, we have to ask – was this new city worth losing 200 years of identity, self-government, and low
joe cooper watchdog operating costs for? More importantly, what is the real relationship that our communities will have with the mega-city now, and in the future? The original rationalization for amalgamation given to us by Queen’s Park was that the city would become more efficient and save money, which would be realized in lower taxes. That has not happened and will more likely never happen given the simple fact that large municipal governments cost more money to run than small ones. This is why the historic trend for the last 100 years around the world has been to avoid creating big cities. What has been worse for all of us are the well-known barriers that have been set up between ordinary citizens and their municipal
government. Yet lobbyist and well-moneyed special interest groups get easy access to city hall. When East York was a borough you could talk to the mayor personally and speak directly to the council when it was in session. Try to do that today. Pre-election year The point of all this grumbling on my part is that this year is a preelection year. More than ever you are going to need to take a very close look at who is promising to represent the community’s interests at city hall after 2014. This is going to be particularly true for the position of mayor. I think it can be easily said that since amalgamation the primary attitude expressed by city hall about East York has been at best indifference. At worst we have seen the systematic wiping out of our identity as boundary lines and corporate
symbols are blurred or removed. Right now there are several people planning to run for mayor in the 2014 election. East York perspective They are only a handful at this time because it is still too early in the race to legally declare their intentions. Once the race begins in earnest I am going to be presenting you with the results of an interview with each of the leading mayoralty candidate. My primary question to them will be – “What will your administration do for East York to make it a strong and healthy community and preserve its unique history and character”? I think you will find the answers to be interesting. Joe Cooper is a long-time East York resident and community activist. His column appears every Thursday. Contact him at eym@insidetoronto.com
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