[URBAN NOTE] "New poll shows Toronto divided on transit plans"

[rfmcdonald]

blogTO's Derek Flack describes the differences between Toronto's different historic municipalities over plans for a subway. Predictably, the two options being offered--light rail transit and subway--are equally popular across the city, with the geographic periphery outside the subway system more strongly in favour of subways than the core.

A new poll confirms that Toronto residents are divided when it comes to how they think the city should proceed with the expansion of our transit infrastructure. Complied by Stratcom, who also recently asked after the mayor's approval rating, the survey finds that an equal number of respondents — 43 percent — favour Ford's underground transit plan as do those who support the decision made by city council to focus spending on a more LRT-heavy strategy. The remaining 14 per cent answered that they were not sure whether or not they agreed with council. The poll's margin of error is +/-2.7%, 19 times out of 20.

While the divide shouldn't come as a surprise, it does counter Doug Ford's repeated claims that the vast majority of residents want subways. Although that number reaches a majority in Scarborough (52.1 per cent believe council was in error), it lags behind the 70 to 80 per cent the mayor's brother has cited, though it's always been anyone's guess where he gets his numbers from. In North York and Etobicoke, 45.3 and 46.9 per cent of those polled believe council got it wrong while 38.0 and 39.7 per cent believe the right decision was made.

But then, as Flack notes, subways aren't a realistic option: there just isn't funding for this option. Light rail may well be relatively popular in the end.