The City of Toronto gravy train found

[oldjones]

Todays' radio news had lotsa folks in the street stuff about how great it will be to stroll the tunnel and not have to wait for the ferry. Shows what modern humans value: Waiting for elevators, crowding into them, walking in a long, enclosed underground/water tunnel so they can wait for another crowded elevator. All this with machine-supplied air and light, because it's all indoors.

But waiting fifteen minutes for the two minute boat-ride…. Barbaric!

 

[larry]

To go where other than the airport??

There is an east -west runway that goes from the harbour side of the island to the Ontario Place side. There is nowhere to go without crossing a runway.

naturally the bridge would need to be built where ped/bike traffic could get further than the nearest runway. it's a great park that the islanders have kept virtually private. let's say the bridge doesn't actually allow car traffic (golf carts would be ok). that would be enough. anyone who's tried to take a ferry with children on the weekend knows how terrible that is.

summary: the islands are a great park. they belong to the citizens of toronto. we should be able to use them easily. a nice bridge would be a tourist draw too.

 

[oldjones]

Tell you what, why not just fill in the Western Gap and join the Airpot to the mainland? As sailorsix pointed out you still can't get across the airport to the park. A quick glance at the map would tell you a bridge—any bridge, no matter how limited—from cityside to Hanlon's where the park starts would be a hugely expensive build and a real hazard in the harbour. So you have to look at the only other practical possibility, the Eastern Gap which as I'm sure you know was created by a storm two centuries ago, when the 'island' really was joined to the mainland. All you have to do is convince Redpath and the various cement, aggregate and shipping companies that they don't need to run ships in and outta the harbour (talk to the yachties and the Federal Port Authority too) and you'd have your bridge.

But I think it'd be easier to convince the feds to abandon their silly [air]port authority and turn the whole thing over to the City. Meantime, get your pontoon boat running from Cherry Beach ferrying cyclists and joggers over to Wards. Or get the Docks in on it and run it from Poulson. And the Authority has a swell ferry terminal nearby they'd likely be happy to rent, now that The Border's not shooting.

 

[groggy]

naturally the bridge would need to be built where ped/bike traffic could get further than the nearest runway. it's a great park that the islanders have kept virtually private. let's say the bridge doesn't actually allow car traffic (golf carts would be ok). that would be enough. anyone who's tried to take a ferry with children on the weekend knows how terrible that is.

summary: the islands are a great park. they belong to the citizens of toronto. we should be able to use them easily. a nice bridge would be a tourist draw too.

Wrong on many points.
ped/bike traffic is easily accessible by city subsidized ferries, no need for a bridge here
the runway bisects the islands, you can't get from the airport to the park without crossing it and you can't cross it
car traffic is restricted to services and emergency crew already, that won't change
islanders have not kept the park private in any manner, even their social activities are public, check out gala day

 

[larry]

Wrong on many points.
ped/bike traffic is easily accessible by city subsidized ferries, no need for a bridge here
the runway bisects the islands, you can't get from the airport to the park without crossing it and you can't cross it
car traffic is restricted to services and emergency crew already, that won't change
islanders have not kept the park private in any manner, even their social activities are public, check out gala day

ok. one more shot at it and that'll be enough. the bridge could go over the eastern gap. or fill in the gap and build a land road. nothing to do with the feed to the airport. the ferry ride is so like a cattle call, i don't go much. once the don valley area gets filled with people after the pan-am games, and ford will be gone, this can be reopened. maybe a tunnel, ferry and bridge will result. choice.

 

[fuji]

The ferry puts a reasonable limit on the number of people going over to the Island. Honestly, I was there this past weekend, and you really would NOT want more people on the Island than that.

If we made it more convenient to get to the island we'd have to start charging a fee or something to keep the numbers down. Personally I think "who is willing to queue for the ferry" is a fairer restriction.

That said there should be a separate line for people who are willing to queue over to Ward Island, or Hanlan's, and walk to center. I just want to get out in the fresh air and hate getting stuck behind the families that only want to go to the petting zoo. I almost never go to Centre Island myself if I can avoid it.

 

[Mervyn]

ok. one more shot at it and that'll be enough. the bridge could go over the eastern gap. or fill in the gap and build a land road. nothing to do with the feed to the airport. the ferry ride is so like a cattle call, i don't go much. once the don valley area gets filled with people after the pan-am games, and ford will be gone, this can be reopened. maybe a tunnel, ferry and bridge will result. choice.

Many a time I have seen a completely packed ferry loading up for centre Island , while the other ferries and much less crowded.. the island is not that big, it's a nice place to walk

 

[fuji]

Does ANYONE believe Rob Ford is going to find any "gravy"?

It's plain to me that the gravy is all in exorbitant union contracts, not unnecessary services or programs.

But Ford has been locking those contacts in at high salaries and giving the ttc jobs for life.

 

[oldjones]

Does ANYONE believe Rob Ford is going to find any "gravy"?

It's plain to me that the gravy is all in exorbitant union contracts, not unnecessary services or programs.

But Ford has been locking those contacts in at high salaries and giving the ttc jobs for life.

And now Ford's talking about a 3% Property Tax Hike next year to make up for the cancelled taxes and provide some of the 'gravy' he'll need to balance his budget after cutting the services he said he'd never need to cut.

But not cutting driveway snow-plowing in his hometown of Etobicoke, is he?