I thanked the Mayor, did you??

[RockerGuy]

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see I have said it many times, we can be friends and not agree on something, you in the other hand, get pissy and trow comments like the one I quoted just because I don't agree with you, you also see it as me insulting you or challenging you, so you may not want to get involved in the conversation next time.

Be like me and zx600, we disagree on everything, but we are the best of friends

 

[Baggsy]

If I was a union leader, I'd be very, very, very, very, very, very, very quiet until after the next election.
Otherwise, Ford's prospects for re-election go through the roof.

 

[ariesmars]

Rob ford should have the TTC start charging customers for exactly how far they go on the TTC

+1 But yeah, low income families will suffer.

He would have made the DVP a toll road if he had to, he was clear on that point even during his campaign.

Yeah, I read that a councillor wanted to levy a toll on only 905 drivers; since it's their cars that clog the DVP in the morning. Eventually, it will have to happen; maybe not a toll only on 905'ers; but, it will become a toll HW one day.

Everything we pay for is under-priced because society doesn't take the cost of production/consumption on the environment into account. Externalities. The price we pay for a plastic bag is probably dramatically less then what we actually should be paying for them.

...And tax cuts are a form of government spending. I don't know where Ford will find money to balance his future budgets and fund his projects; but, I'll wait and see.

 

[afong56]

If I was a union leader, I'd be very, very, very, very, very, very, very quiet until after the next election.
Otherwise, Ford's prospects for re-election go through the roof.

pure supposition. the unions will do what their memberships mandate them to do. if you think the anti-union vote is the reason ford won in the first place, you'd be wrong.

That all went away before Miller. What happened between then and now is called fiscal downloading. Blame Chretien (who managed to keep the federal deficit under control this way), followed by Harris (who didn't get the same control of the provincial budget using the same strategy).

What Miller managed to do was to empower the city to find it's own sources of revenue so that our own budget could be balanced. He would have made the DVP a toll road if he had to, he was clear on that point even during his campaign. Luckily he found much more sensible revenue streams than that, in the LTT and the VRT. Because he was sensible and responsible that way.

Now I don't like the way unions have the power to enrich lazy idiots at my expense, and I would like to have seen Miller deal with that differently, if it was possible. I say IF, because the union thing in Ford's hands hasn't played out yet, and if we assume that they will be crippled or rid of when he's done then we may be able to judge whether there ever really was another option for Miller or not.

So far, that checklist of Ford 'accomplishments' is all just theatrics. We still have more expenses than revenue (worse than before), and now we have no vision for the city either. You see why I'm not hopeful for 10-15 years down the road.

qft. well said. 10-15 years down the road is exactly when i'm most worried about the legacy ford will leave on the city. look at the carnage that still hasn't been completely fixed after the harris debacle.

If he wanted to make life impossible for drivers he could have. He didn't because that would be idiotic. Everything he did was towards balancing the budget, and planning for the future.

The concept that you (we) were getting something you hadn't earned, as shown by the deficit spending, doesn't seem to enter your consciousness. It's all "I want, I want, I want" along with "This shouldn't cost me any money". But that was the past and it can only have lasted so long. I want my politicians to be living in today, and preferably not at the expense of the future.

i hear the whinge all the time from people who live in toronto about their property taxes. get a grip. the reality is that the 905 has almost universally higher tax rates, and that the mva on most toronto properties is too low by a fair margin.

if torontonians think they pay too much, they should get an accurate mva and then pay the rates that oshawa does. THEN they'd have something to whine about.

 

[mxs]

you are hard headed like turbodish but without the facts or reason or intelligence or looks or anything substantial to add

Nope, I just happen to disagree with you and others on the topic. It's really that easy, without any turbodish drama. I am not sure what do you want me to add. If there was a list of wins he has accomplished, I wouldn't mind posting it.

 

[Irocian]

It always the low income families can't afford it theory. Yet when the price goes up the ridership still goes up so they find a way. Cut out the booze and smokes and you can travel to work which is more important? If youtake a cab you pay for distance why should the TTC be any different? Far better service in U.K and you pay for how far you go and its works for years and years.

Your carbon "footprint|" is far bigger he further you go so shouldn't you pay more to use it don't use the low income can't afford it as plenty of them visit my Beer store and spend every week when instead they should be buying needs not wants.

 

[Myztyk]

Something wrong with this country!!!!
Take a close look at the rest of the world. Really!
The only thing wrong with Canada is that it's too cold for 8 months of the year.

You mean the rest of the world that's taking all the jobs because we pay our unionized employees too much money? Just want to make sure I fully understand you.

Only shining star on that front is thanks to concessions agreed to during the recession, we're actually seeing some job growth in that sector again. Of course it will all disappear once the union leaders decide they need a bigger piece of the action.

Sadly for Ford, he's not going to get a chance to prove his chops on union contracts for a piece yet. Miller signed some nice deals prior to his evacuation.

That all went away before Miller. What happened between then and now is called fiscal downloading. Blame Chretien (who managed to keep the federal deficit under control this way), followed by Harris (who didn't get the same control of the provincial budget using the same strategy).

I applauded when I read this. Someone who actually understands that Chretien didn't quite walk on the water many Liberals seem to think he did. Like it or not, the problems we have today are by no means only the sins of the provincial government at the time.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Paying by distance makes sense when I was in shanghai last year it works that way you get a swipe card that will only let you on at the station you pay for and off at the right station. You can't get out of the station if you try and go further it could reduce cost for short trips and make things more fair. Shanghai also has a subway system that is way easier to use it is very clear and every train car has a live map on it showing you exactly where you are all the time. Almost fully automated clean and easy to use even for someone who doesn't speak the language.

 

[nfq]

Paying by distance makes sense when I was in shanghai last year it works that way you get a swipe card that will only let you on at the station you pay for and off at the right station. You can't get out of the station if you try and go further it could reduce cost for short trips and make things more fair. Shanghai also has a subway system that is way easier to use it is very clear and every train car has a live map on it showing you exactly where you are all the time. Almost fully automated clean and easy to use even for someone who doesn't speak the language.

When I see this:
Shanghai

New York:

Chicago:

Boston:

London UK:

Then I see the TTC:

Makes me shake my head that we live with transit like this in a "world" class city.

 

[Chaos]

Makes me shake my head that we live with transit like this in a "world" class city.

It's humbling, no doubt.

 

[RetroGrouch]

To be fair, Toronto does not have the population density as the other cities. And I don't hear anyone else regarding Toronto as a "world-class city", only Torontonians do. I view Toronto as being on a similar level as Seattle or Pittsburgh.

 

[nfq]

To be fair, Toronto does not have the population density as the other cities. And I don't hear anyone else regarding Toronto as a "world-class city", only Torontonians do. I view Toronto as being on a similar level as Seattle or Pittsburgh.

I agree with you there. Let's compare at least to another large city, like Montreal.

Toronto

Population (2006)
- City 2,503,281 (1st)
- Density 3,972/km2 (10,287.4/sq mi)
- Urban 4,753,120 (1st)
- Metro 5,113,149 (1st)


Montreal

Population (2006)
- City 1,620,693 (2nd)
- Density 4,439/km2 (11,496/sq mi)
- Urban 3,316,615
- Metro 3,635,571 (2nd)

and look at their subway system:

 

[ZX600]

Be like me and zx600, we disagree on everything, but we are the best of friends

I am punching you in the face next time i see you and then I'll buy you a coffee

 

[ZX600]

It's humbling, no doubt.

Population
Shanghai 23 million
New York City 20 million
Chicago 9.8 millions
Boston 4.5 million
London 8 million
Toronto 2.5 million

I agree that we could always have more, but lets put things in context

Also I lived in Montreal, the subway systems covers mostly downtown and the stops are very close to each other, it isnt as good as it looks in that map, trust me.

Very comparable to Toronto and in some cases worse, at least on my experience.

 

[Chaos]

Population
Shanghai 23 million
New York City 20 million
Chicago 9.8 millions
Boston 4.5 million
London 8 million
Toronto 2.5 million

I agree that we could always have more, but lets put things in context

fair point. I suspect though some of your numbers are including outer areas. I know the city of Boston is quite small. Greater Boston has 4.5 as you quoted.

 

[Myztyk]

Population
Shanghai 23 million
New York City 20 million
Chicago 9.8 millions
Boston 4.5 million
London 8 million
Toronto 2.5 million

I agree that we could always have more, but lets put things in context

Also I lived in Montreal, the subway systems covers mostly downtown and the stops are very close to each other, it isnt as good as it looks in that map, trust me.

Very comparable to Toronto and in some cases worse, at least on my experience.

Are those numbers comparable? New York is the Metro Area for sure. The burroughs aren't more than 10m. Which would make the Toronto comparison a little closer if you cited the GTA population of 5.5M.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

One of these days Toronto will actually get a mayor who tells the truth, that having property taxes lagging behind by 10 years is a great way to have your infrastructure collapse.

 

[ZX600]

Are those numbers comparable? New York is the Metro Area for sure. The burroughs aren't more than 10m. Which would make the Toronto comparison a little closer if you cited the GTA population of 5.5M.

Manhattan 71,201 residents per square mile
Toronto 17, 449 residents per square mile
GTA 2.244 residents per square mille

 

[ZX600]

fair point. I suspect though some of your numbers are including outer areas. I know the city of Boston is quite small. Greater Boston has 4.5 as you quoted.

If you look at the subway map, the subway reaches out to cover mostly the Greater Boston Area, hence why I included those numbers and not just the city's

I would say however that probably Boston has an outstanding subway system for its population compared to Toronto. Never been there but it looks like that from the numbers

 

[Myztyk]

Manhattan 71,201 residents per square mile
Toronto 17, 449 residents per square mile
GTA 2.244 residents per square mille

I didn't say density. I said population. If you want to have an argument don't change the fact base you're referring to.

NYC is one of the densest (if not THE densest population per square mile) in NA.

Mexico City might be bigger...but way more spread out.

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