[URBAN NOTE] Chris Selley of the National Post on the failed futurism of Toronto

[rfmcdonald]

Chris Selley writes about Toronto's failed efforts at innovation.

“We can’t adopt a business-as-usual approach,” John Tory told reporters Wednesday morning after meeting his transition team at North York City Centre.

He meant it can’t be business as usual on traffic, on gridlock — the theme of the meeting, and of his campaign — and he’s right. Mr. Tory’s signature people-moving project, the SmartTrack transit plan, is seven long years away even in theory, and in practice, well … let him be sworn in at least. Suffice it to say there are unanswered questions.

In the meantime, and for a long time, we have been neglecting tools that could make life on the roads better immediately. This week, police announced a crackdown on one of Mr. Tory’s pet peeves: Illegal parking during rush hour. As a contributor to overall gridlock it’s probably less serious a factor than he makes out — but it’s significant, it’s infuriating and it’s highly symbolic.