Recently, Mayor Olivia Chow announced changes to the city’s public transit system to meet increasing commuter demand.
“Faster, more trains, less crowding. Yay. Two minutes and 20 seconds instead of every three and a half minutes, a train is going to come,” said Chow.
The TTC says it will restore service on Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) to pre-pandemic levels. The changes include the addition of six more trains during peak hours. That’s in addition to increased service on the 72 Pape, 73 Royal York, and 94 Wellesley bus routes.
Metrolinx has also announced it will add more rush-hour trips on the Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, Barrie, and Stouffville GO lines.
However, experts warn that as more people return to offices, the strain on the transit system could be intense.
“The transit system is creaking. I mean, it’s aged. There are issues around go slow zones. There’s issues around the bus systems, especially in places like Scarborough and North Etobicoke,” said Matti Siemiatycki, a University of Toronto professor in geography and planning. “It’s hard to get around this system on public transit.”
Toronto commuters see long commute times
According to data from Statistics Canada released earlier this year, Toronto commuters face the longest average commute times in Canada.
Torontonians see travel times averaging close to 35 minutes, up nearly two minutes from the previous year. Meanwhile, the national average is just under 27 minutes.
Siemiatycki says there needs to be more reliable service so that commuters choose public transit over their cars.
“If we have a car-based recovery, it’s going to be a nightmare. Our roads are going to be packed. There’s going to be gridlock everywhere.” said Siemiatycki.
The city says it has plans to tackle the increased road traffic. Officials say they are adding 100 traffic agents, better planned construction road closures, reducing delays at intersections, and increasing transit reliability.
However, the city’s plans to improve transit and reduce congestion could face some challenges.
Starting Wednesday, a major construction project will close the southbound off-ramp from the Don Valley Parkway to Richmond Street. The closure is expected to last until next spring. For Siemiatycki, he says the city has a responsibility to ensure these construction projects are done quickly and efficiently.
“Enforcement is critical to make sure that the roads that we do have, the space that we do have is being used the most efficiently,” says Siemiatycki.
Siemiatycki also says the city’s recovery will require a collective effort, including businesses adjusting employee hours and promoting carpooling to help reduce pressure on the transit network.
The TTC says this marks only the beginning of a phased expansion across the network with more service adjustments expected in the coming months.
