[URBAN NOTE] "The fate of OneCity"

[rfmcdonald]

Steve Munro thinks that the ambitious OneCity plan for mass transit needs a lot more work to fulfill its promise. Sample perspective:

If Council simply “receives” OneCity but does not send it for detailed review, it will squander an opportunity to become much better informed about transit options. People spend far too much time drawing lines on maps without having to answer difficult questions about cost-effectiveness or constructability, about the value of lines on a city-wide or regional basis, not just to their own wards and electoral prospects.

“OneCity” by name and intent is supposed to move Toronto past that sort of planning, and yet it includes a troubling number of dubious proposals meant to keep various Councillors happy. That’s fine, but only up to a point. A day will come, and fairly soon, when we should learn which of these schemes are actually worthwhile and which, though sounding good, contribute little or even draw attention and resources away from more deserving routes.

That review needs to be honest, not pander to individual Councillors even though we now live in a city where independent wisdom and advice are less than welcome. We cannot ask Torontonians to pay new, higher taxes for pet projects that serve few. That would only confirm the common suspicion that all taxes are wasted.