[URBAN NOTE] "'Waterfront reset' examines way to extend transit to new neighbourhoods along the lake

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's Ben Spurr writes about proposals to extend rapid transit networks to the booming neighbourhoods on the Toronto waterfront.

In the next 25 years, the lakeshore area south of Queen St. is expected to add nearly 280,000 residents and 190,000 new jobs.

The number of public transit projects being built along the waterfront to serve them? Zero.

It’s a future city planners hope to avoid. That’s why on Wednesday night, the city launched public consultations on the “Waterfront Transit Reset,” a joint effort between the TTC, Waterfront Toronto and the city planning office to jump-start transportation expansion along the lake.

Consultation documents obtained by the Star in advance of their release online show the options being considered include an LRT in its own right-of-way on Lake Shore Blvd. West and a pedestrian tunnel from Queens Quay to Union Station that could include underground bike lanes and public art.

The goal of the reset, approved by council last November, is to provide options for a continuous east-west connection to serve areas such as Liberty Village, South Etobicoke, Fort York and CityPlace, all of which have seen unprecedented waves of development in recent years but no transit to match.