Issues of Transit and Attendant Problems in Toronto
Transit problems in Canada are not localized to one region or one city. Rather, in recent times such problems have produced calls for politicians to begin to redress some of the issues that have become liabilities for the economic well-being and health of those affected (Agrell, Perreaux, Stueck, & Wingrove, 2011). For example, the Toronto Board of Trade has noted that Canadian municipalities have fallen well behind on transit issues when compared with other cities, and this has created a need for transit experts to explore alternative answers (Agrell, Perreaux, Stueck, & Wingrove, 2011). This situation is perhaps more dire than one might expect in his or her daily commute because there
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Transit users are those who also walk, and in metropolitan areas in particular, lower-income populations tend to use transit if it is accessible (LaChapelle & Frank, 2009). Moreover, effective public transit promotes other health-related benefits for others in high-density areas, who experience less car pollution (LaChapelle & Frank, 2009). This perspective is an ecological argument that understands active living and health behaviour outcomes as main indices for evaluating public transportation and infrastructure (LaChapelle & Frank, 2009). That is, understanding the relationship between a built environment and positive health behaviours and condition is one of the pressing areas for policy research in Canada (LaChapelle & Frank, …show more content…
The goal is then to change the conversation to some degree and move it toward what Foth, Manaugh, and El-Geneidy (2013) have called the crucial question of “equitable public transit” (p. 1). One of the underpinning points of their study is that one must consider how the future of transit is tied to understanding how the city is changing, how networks are underdeveloped, land-use patterns shift, and residents relocate all as a result of transit access and affordability (Foth, Manaugh, & El-Geneidy, 2013). The projected lasting effects on neighborhoods and the activity patterns of the city therefore need to be calculated under the auspices of this notion of what is equitable and healthy (Foth, Manaugh, & El-Geneidy,
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is not the best method of transportation in the city of Toronto, because it’s unreliable, inconvenient, and unsanitary. First of all, the TTC is unreliable because of many delays. The TTC buses often come late and there are many subway breakdowns and signal problems. These problems can cause longer wait times and result in the rider being late. Additionally, the TTC is inconvenient because it is difficult for the rider to get to his or her destination without a few transfers. In addition, there are very few direct routes and limited area coverage. For example, there are some areas where passengers have to walk long distances just to get to the bus stop. These problems can result in many transfers and cause
Canada became an emerging country after the Second World War. There was a need for Canada to identify themselves as a distinct nation from Britain and the United States. The Trans Canada Highway became a visible nationalistic figure that set apart Canada from other countries. The Trans Canada Highway was a significant structure built in 1949 through 1961 that emerged as a result of a newfound unity and nationalistic view in Canada. Although there were many different political, personal and economical standpoints on the building of the highway, the finalization of the construction of the highway brought a unique unity that could be appreciated by all Canadians.
... motivation for wealthy individuals to return to the inner-city core but it also provides impetus for commercial and retail mixed-use to follow, increasing local revenue for cities (Duany, 2001). Proponents of gentrification profess that this increase in municipal revenue from sales and property taxes allows for the funding of city improvements, in the form of job opportunities, improved schools and parks, retail markets and increased sense of security and safety ((Davidson (2009), Ellen & O’Reagan (2007), Formoso et. al (2010)). Due to the increase in housing and private rental prices and the general decrease of the affordable housing stock in gentrifying areas, financially-precarious communities such as the elderly, female-headed households, and blue-collar workers can no longer afford to live in newly developed spaces ((Schill & Nathan (1983), Atkinson, (2000)).
The city of Virginia recently put a tax on the Elizabeth River Tunnel. The tunnel connects Norfolk and Portsmouth and didn’t develop tolls until February 2014 (Kelly 2014). This new toll forces residents, commuters, and visitors to pay a tax starting from one dollar to four dollars. The recent tunnel tolls added to the mid-town and downtown tunnels in Hampton roads are causing commuters and citizens to make some drastic lifestyle changes. Students and employees are considering changes to their employment and the universities they attend to save time and money as a result of the cost of commuting. If the average toll is two dollars a day, then people are spending about 60 dollars a month. What was once a relatively easy trip for many has become costly in both time and money. Because the addition of the tolls have divided the population into those who agree, and those who disagree; the media has played a large role in promoting the argument against the addition of the tolls. The 60 dollars people spend every month can go towards more than a toll; especially if a person is having very hard times. The tunnel tolls have caus...
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
The ambiance of a district also sways the wellness of the individuals that reside within the province. It is proven that citizens who have “greener” communities (more parks, grassy areas, trees) are more likely to be healthier and have a greater life expectancy (2). This could stem from a feeling of security which allows for the people of that area engage in exercise more often than people from areas where it is unsafe to walk the streets alone even in the daytime. Lack of r...
Even though, I had no way of knowing if the poor neighborhoods I transitioned were consequences of the Federal Housing System, it became visible to me that the areas I considered poor were intersected more by freeways and transits than the suburban regions. For example, both the Martin Luther King Avenue and the West Oakland neighborhood were crossed by the 880 freeway, whereas Montclair and Piedmont were not. Thus, the fact that the Oakland regions were intersected by the freeway roads could have resulted on the discrepancy between poor and rich neighborhoods. For instance, the 880 freeway creates a barrier between Oakland and other sections of the cities. As a result, this wall off already poor minority neighborhoods from central districts and suburbs, which paradoxically entails the most economic and social opportunities for workers. Furthermore, Wilson claims that freeways can also move economically secured citizens in other well-established neighborhoods (Wilson, 2011). Consequently, the freeway in the Oakland region may have created segregation through the movement of more secure citizens, leading to less diversity and poor public and tax investment on Oakland. That said, the 880 freeway could have specifically led to concentrated poverty in the Oakland regions as opposed to suburbia areas by causing segregation and by limiting economic and public investment in the
In this essay, I will discuss the topic of urban public transportation and how it relates to the Church and Wellesley BIA. The nature of transportation in Toronto is a highly complex topic. As discussed in the article Transportation: The Bottleneck of Regional Competitiveness in Toronto, there are many concerns with transportation in regards to international transport, roads, highways, rails, bike lanes, buses etc. (Keil, Roger, Young, 2008). These transportation variables all have a greater economic, health, and environmental impact. The article goes on to describe that mobility in Toronto suffers because its management is uncoordinated, and there is a gap in regional interaction (Keil, Roger, Young 2008). The scope of this essay will be to
“The poor public transportation prevents many public-university students from taking full advantage of their education. They have long waits before boarding their buses and miss many of their morning classes and, occasionally, exams.”
Public transportation is an essential part of a city. A good public transit can encourage a city’s economic activities and can provide its citizen a convenient life. Does our Phoenix public transit work well? Does it provide sufficient service to the citizen? From my experience, the answer is no. This November I tried to attend the popular State Fair in Phoenix. However, I found that there were not any buses or metros could take me to the fair directly. It means I need 2 hours or more spend on the public transits. As the sixth most populous city nationwide (“Phoenix Quick Fact” 1), compared with Los Angeles and other big cities in America, Phoenix’s public transportation is indeed subpar. Due to Los Angeles has 154 bus lines and 30 metros (“Schedule”), New York has 316 bus lines and 28 subways(“Maps & Timetables”), while Phoenix only has 98 bus lines, and the number of metro line is only one! (“Route Schedules & Maps”) The problem is
Social mobility has become essential in order to progress in life. Advancing your social class or social status has become very difficult to achieve without private transportation. While public transportation may be enjoyable for a short time, it can become quite challenging to complete the weekly errands or trying to find a job. It is for this reason that many people in the low-class have found themselves stuck in a cycle of poverty (Ehrenreich 2012). While the Rapid strives to provide safe and easy transportation for their riders, this does not always happen. Some might perceive transportation as merely a way to transport an individual from point A to point B but in fact, there is so much more that transportation can offer an individual. And unfortunately, there are many individuals in our city of Grand Rapids who are stuck in a poverty cycle due to the lack of transportation. Citizens who use public transportation, such as the Rapid busing system, for their means of transportation, have inequality of social mobility because their social lives and activities must revolve around what is accessible by walking or public transportation. This inequality can hinder the individuals’ daily activities, their social class and their social
One study by the Dukakis center found that due to gentrification, car ownership near rail stations increased in some cases resulting in lower use of public transportation overall (Nuscas).This finding points to the possibility taxpayer money could be used better spent since: Congestion will persist due to induced demand Ideally, if people that usually drive begin using rail transit, this would lead to a
The spatial structure of the city has a huge impact on how transport networks function. In the case of South Africa with the effects of apartheid planning still looming in the background the ordinary citizen is the one that is affected by this in the end. Public transportation in South Africa has faced a lot problems in the past, some areas in the country are better off than others. The current government is still perpetuating elements of apartheid style planning in the new South Africa. To this day people are still being pushed to the fringes of the city, increasing the pressure on the state to provide better access to public transportation for these newly developed communities (Lucas, 2011:2). The government faces the challenge of providing safe, efficient, accessible and affordable means of public transportation. With high levels of urbanisation and inward migration from other African countries taking place, it is becoming a major problem for the state to provide adequate services for its people. The physical structure of South African cities could be argued to be the main source of all the issue facing the country’s public transportation system. The physical structure of the country and the way in which transportation planning was approached in the past could be seen as the stumbling block that prevents meaningful change in improving public transportation in the future. In attempting to answer the question this paper will be evaluating which mode of public transportation is more superior, either buses or mini buses (taxi). The paper will start off with a short history of public transportation in South Africa, followed by the social, economic and environmental factors that would be used to assess which mode of ...
Should students take advantage of the public transportation more seriously than owning a car? The public transportation can solves to numerous problems; the bus transportation can be a universal antidote for bigger issues such as global warming. By taking the bus can save students’ time and money, rather than students who have a car have deal with traffic and expensive parking fee. Students who own a car might experience sitting in such a long traffic, where during the traffic cars may produce noxious gases relieving particle of air that can contribute the affect to human health. The public transportation is the best solution for an enormous population of students, so students’ needs to get on the transit a try. The transition system in the
Most people take the urban public transportation system for granted. It is used in every aspect of our daily lives: work, education, medical necessities, recreation, etc. It is also important for the transportation of goods and services, which aids the growth and maintenance of our economy. Urban public transportation is the critical component of our quality of life and economic stability. The MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is Boston and Eastern Massachusetts’s major transportation service. The MBTA has played a central role in the development of Boston and surrounding cities and towns for more than a century; providing service from 175 cities and towns into Boston. On an average weekday over 1.2 million trips are made on the subway, buses, commuter lines and other services in the mass transit system. With an international airport, a ship port, the highways, and the rail lines to connect regional cities and towns to national and international destinations and markets, Boston’s urban public transportation system has made the region’s growing role in the global economy possible.