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The Scarborough Subway Extension Project has completed phase two and the City wants to know which alignment we prefer: Midland, McCowan or Bellamy?
The criteria used to narrow down the choice were travel time, development potential around subway stations and distance from Smart Track. There was also consideration given to proximity to natural heritage features, Neighbourhood Improvement areas and costs.
All three lines selected run east along Eglinton and turn north up to Scarborough Town Centre and on to Sheppard. The Bellamy alignment - Tory’s preferred option (2.9 km east of Smart Track) would have an extra station at Bellamy and Eglinton to connect with GO service along Lakeshore, for an additional $600 million.
The other two alignments on McCowan and Midland only have development potential at two or one station respectively, compared with Bellamy which has development potential at three.
According to these criteria, Bellamy is the best option. But it’s what we don’t know that makes all the difference.
Not yet considered in this process is the surrounding density, the number of people within walking distance of subway stations, the number of jobs in the vicinity or existing bus ridership. And we’re still waiting to find out what effect Smart Track will have on projected ridership.
More accurate ridership numbers for Smart Track and the Scarborough Subway will be available in the Fall, according to Chief Planner, Jennifer Keesmaat.
If we had considered all of these factors first, none of these alignments would pass muster because none of them have enough density or ridership for a subway to be cost effective.
The Sheppard subway is a perfect example of what happens when you “build it and they will come”. They didn’t and it costs us an extra $8 million a year to subsidize this line. An LRT it would have paid for itself by now. Let’s insist on a cost effective, rapid transit network for transit riders in Scarborough .
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