Over the past century, countless politicians have devoted themselves to finding more public space for a product that’s poorly suited to its advertised task, namely, to move people.
asserted
that → devote → people
In Toronto, that’s resulted in the private automobile largely replacing existing technologies that move more people more efficiently and for less money: streetcars, buses, trains and bicycles.
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that → result → money
The demonstrated futility of trying to fix traffic congestion by providing ever more room for cars hasn’t stopped candidates for public office from trying to sell voters the same flawed bill of goods.
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futility → demonstrate → goods
But we need to recognize that in the increasingly constrained geography of our cities, extra space for cars requires sacrificing cheaper and potentially faster ways of getting around.
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space → need → ways
The size and weight of the private automobile means it was never a good choice for cities.
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it → mean → cities
Vehicles now averaging about 1,800 kilograms typically carry a single 80-kilogram occupant.
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Vehicles → average → occupant
They need huge amounts of precious public space for parking, and the proliferation of larger vehicles, such as pickup trucks, hasn’t helped matters.
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proliferation → need → matters
Yet in spite of all the research advising we reduce our dependency on cars, some politicians insist on taking us down the wrong road.
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politicians → advise → road
Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford, for example, is calling for the removal of various busways and bike lanes.
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Bradford → call → busways
When he says 38,000 cars per day travel along Bloor Street West in Etobicoke, he presents it as a reason to restore motor lanes instead of to promote more efficient alternatives.
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he → say → alternatives
In an area with a growing population where new residents mostly live in towers, more roads and more cars will inevitably mean more congestion (especially as many such towers are designed with limited parking).
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towers → grow → parking
Today, 80 per cent of those who use the stretch of Bloor in question do not travel by car, according to city data.
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who → use → data
Most take the TTC.
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Most → take → TTC
Bradford has failed to learn from decades of doomed efforts at fixing congestion by giving over more space to cars.
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Bradford → fail → cars
In the relatively small portion of Etobicoke between Bloor and Lake Ontario, there are already three parallel multi-lane motorways: the Gardiner Expressway has eight lanes, the Queensway has four and Lake Shore Boulevard has four (increasing to eight downtown)
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Boulevard → be → eight
Yet Bradford seems to believe a sliver of road allocated to bicycles is the problem.
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sliver → seem → bicycles
Bradford’s “solution” resembles something out of the ’50s.
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solution → resemble → 50s
Indeed, former Metro Toronto Chair Fred Gardiner thought sidewalks were the problem back in 1953.
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sidewalks → think → 1953
“I would cut five or six feet off many sidewalks, shove the poles back and create two new lanes for traffic,” said Gardiner, as reported in the Star.
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Gardiner → cut → Star
He added that there are “millions of dollars invested in useless concrete in this city in sidewalks that are hardly used at all.”
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that → add → sidewalks
For a decade, the community-based Avenue Road Safety Coalition has been calling for wider sidewalks with the aim of converting a six-lane speedway (from St. Clair Avenue to Bloor) into a road that respects the safety of all residents.
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that → base → residents
A detailed plan proposed by city staff garnered solid community support — only to be scuttled by a small, loud, affluent opposition bloc.
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plan → propose → bloc
The project remains in limbo.
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project → remain → limbo
Although people who walk, bike and take public transit need only a modest share of the road, trying to secure that share compels them to fight never-ending battles against outmoded ways of thinking.
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trying → walk → thinking
Motorists only need to keep on driving — anywhere, anytime, in any size vehicle — and know that when roads get clogged, some politician or traffic engineer will eagerly champion their demands for more public space.
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politician → need → space
Meanwhile, 50 people crammed into a bus or streetcar are afforded about the same priority as a single car with a lone occupant.
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people → cram → occupant
Bradford might not have learned from Toronto’s past mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we have to make them all over again.
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we → learn → them
It’s time we focused on moving people, not cars.
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we → ’ → people
The Aporia
