We're asking the Province to compare the Scarborough subway to the LRT option

“We need the province to step in and do this study comparing a one-stop subway with the LRT because Torontonians deserve to know which is the best public transit option for our city and for Scarborough“ says Brenda Thompson from Scarborough Transit Action. “It’s never been done, and it’s time to do it.”

The city of Toronto just did a study of the subway. On March 28th, City Council rejected a motion by Councillor Matlow by a  margin of ten (27 - 17)  to do a side-by-side comparison of the subway and the LRT alternative.

The province is allowed to do this study when there is a “potential for a negative impact on a matter of provincial importance that relates to the natural environment.”

According to a recent study:  The net greenhouse gas effect of the Sheppard Subway Line  from University of Toronto’s Civil Engineering Department,  subway tunnel construction releases huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) that can take anywhere from 18 to 33 years to offset.  This is because subway construction uses large amounts of concrete and metal rebar, as well as energy.  LRTs require much less concrete because they are above ground.

“With such low ridership projections it is unlikely that construction of a six km tunnel with only one-stop would offset these significant emissions in a timely manner”, says STA member Vincent Puhakka.

“Spending $3.56 billion for an extension that will actually eliminate  access to existing RT stations and funding for the Eglinton East LRT is pure folly,” says Brenda Thompson. “When the city goes this far off track, the province needs to step in and bring back sensible, environmentally responsible transit planning” .

Here's our letter.  You can also read it below.                                 

Kathleen Wynne, Premier Legislative Building Queen's Park Toronto ON M7A 1A1

The Honourable Glen Murray Minister of the Environment and Climate Change 2nd Floor Macdonald Block, 900 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M7A 1N3

Dear Premier Wynne and Minister Murray,

We are asking that you require that the one-stop Scarborough Subway Extension (SSE) project be evaluated in comparison with the five-stop Scarborough RT and with the seven-stop LRT that was originally planned to replace the Scarborough RT.  

As you are aware, the Environmental Assessment for the SSE  is scheduled to commence shortly.  Ontario’s Transit Project Assessment Process provides for the Premier and the Minister to take action if there is “potential for a negative impact on a matter of provincial importance that relates to the natural environment.”  Accordingly, we believe:

• the SSE has the potential to exacerbate, rather than reduce, Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions
• that building the seven-stop LRT instead, would reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions arising from transportation.

There are numerous grounds for concern about the potential for negative environmental and social impact of the SSE:  

• Design, construction and operation of  the proposed 1-stop subway will not help reduce GHG emissions in a timely fashion.  A recent study: The net greenhouse gas impact of the Sheppard Subway Line  by University of Toronto researchers measured the emissions generated by using large amounts of concrete and metal rebar as well as energy in subway construction and found it will take anywhere from 18 to 33 years for the line to offset its emissions.  The study’s recommendations include laying line above ground when possible, so as to reduce the polluting inputs. Similarly, the SSE is expected to take an enormous amount of concrete and other materials, because of the complexity and depth of its design and will run under capacity for decades. In contrast, constructing and operating a seven-stop LRT, built mostly above ground, would generate significantly fewer emissions during construction and attract more riders therefore offsetting its emissions much sooner than the SSE.  
• Costs of the SSE have increased to such an extent there is no money left for other priority transit lines for Scarborough. At just the five percent design stage the SSE has consumed almost the entire envelope of money that the three levels of government had earmarked for higher order transit for Scarborough, which has left the 18-stop Eglinton East LRT unfunded.  With so many unfunded transit projects in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario, there is no guarantee that if the SSE is built that any other rapid transit project will appear any time soon in Scarborough.  If the seven-stop LRT were to be built, there would be money left in the envelope to build the Eglinton East LRT.  This would create a genuine network, linking a large part of Scarborough with rapid transit, further reducing the need for car travel and therefore, reducing emissions.
• Unnecessary delay in providing rapid transit alternatives to personal auto travel.  Construction of the SSE is not expected to start until 2020 and won’t be running until 2026 at the earliest, whereas the seven-stop LRT would only take four to five years to build.   
• LRT would carry more riders at peak times, 8,000 persons/hour, compared to just 7,300 persons/hour for the SSE.  Also, the latest city report shows an an almost 50% drop (from 4,500 down to 2,300) in the SSE’s ability to attract new riders.   
• With its above-ground design, the LRT option would encourage more dense development along its stops, more jobs and greater walkability.  It would maintain current RT station locations, as well as adding two new ones, which allow greater interface with the existing transit network and thus, more opportunities for people to use transit instead of their cars.  But the SSE, with just one stop, will eliminate stations that are currently used by more than 12,000 riders per day and reduce connections with other transit.  

Yours sincerely,

Scarborough Transit Action

TTCriders

1LoveMalvern Transportation Working Group

Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre

Climate Fast

CodeRedTO

Council of Canadians (Toronto chapter)

CUPW Local 602

De La Salle College "Oaklands"

Graduate Students' Association at Scarborough, University of Toronto Scarborough

Greenspiration

Matrix Management Corp.

Reena Foundation

Scarborough Civic Action Network

Scarborough Residents Unite Neighbourhood Association Scarborough Transit Action

Socialist Project

The Caring Alliance

The Council of Canadians

Toronto Environmental Alliance

Transport Action Canada

University of Toronto Graduate Students Union

Cheri DiNovo, Urban Transit Critic NDP

A H Harry Oussoren

A. Wilmot

Aakash Harpalani

Abbie Allan

Afifa Darabuddin

Akhter Ahmed

Alan  Trufal

Alan Barthel

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Andrew Paton

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