(Toronto Star) The derailment that sent 5 people to hospital on Monday has thrown the future of the beleaguered rail line into doubt, causing headaches for commuters and raising alarms about the TTC’s ability to maintain and replace its aging infrastructure.
(CityNews) "There have been reliability issues for years. It’s been under-invested in. But this is still completely unacceptable. A shock that an accident like this could happen,” says TTCriders.
(CP24) TTCriders noted that Monday night’s “terrifying accident” serves as a reminder of the “urgent need to invest in maintaining our public transit system.” All levels of government must invest in maintaining a safe, reliable system.
(Global Toronto) The Scarborough RT derailment is unthinkable for those who use the transit line daily. TTCriders says that transit riders want to see an independent and thorough investigation provide answers about how and why the derailment happened.
(CTV Toronto) “No one is blameless; city staff, all levels of government, all political parties have had a hand in this situation where the RT is no longer reliable and there is no rapid transit replacement ready". TTCriders says that this derailment should serve as a wakeup call to the city.
(Toronto, ON) – Transit advocacy organization TTCriders released the following statement about the Scarborough RT (Line 3) derailment on July 24, 2023:
"Everyone needs access to cell service on the TTC, not just 911 service, but access to texting because it's about safety and also about navigating the system, getting real time updates if there's a security incident or just a delay," says TTCriders spokesperson Shelagh Pizey-Allen.
Cell service is coming across the TTC subway, but not all riders may be able to access it! A consortium of 10 civil society organizations, including TTCriders, a group that represents the subway system’s riders, is calling on the CRTC to ensure that Rogers does not delay access for other carriers.
Wheel-Trans users who have relied on door-to-door service for decades will now be eligible for this service only under limited conditions. “Conditional” users will get picked up at home by a Wheel-Trans vehicle, then dropped off on the side of the road to complete their trip using conventional TTC streetcars, subways, or buses, if their conditions are not present.
The Toronto Region Board of Trade recently gave the TTC a 'B' grade for reliability. TTCriders calls for a reversal of service cuts and more transit-only priority lanes for buses and streetcars to improve reliability across the TTC.
Mayor Chow can prioritize public transit in Toronto by tackling these key issues: service, reliability, the Scarborough RT closure, Wheel-Trans accessibility and overall funding through a commercial parking levy.