Eglinton Crosstown station name sparks huge debate
It was seen as a Solomon-like compromise. But the tortured Metrolinx board discussion about what to call one stop on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT may be just a prelude to the larger question about the ultimate moniker of the transit line itself.
The street-level stop in Scarborough that’s in dispute will be called Hakimi Lebovic. The original recommendation had been to call it Lebovic, after the avenue that runs south of Eglinton, while the preferred choice of the TTC and local politicians was Hakimi, the avenue that runs north from the same intersection.
The resolution ends one of the most contentious public debates in nine years of Metrolinx board meetings, where (at least in public sessions) multibillion-dollar transit projects and problems are routinely decided with nary a murmur of dissent.
When the Crosstown stops were initially discussed at the regular December board meeting, the 15 minutes allotted on the agenda stretched to 40 as board members tried to reconcile the station and stop names with their real geographic locations.
Forest Hill station at Bathurst St. was seen by some as too far from Forest Hill Village. The Dufferin St. stop, named for the Fairbank neighbourhood, was considered too obscure to be recognizable by some transit riders.
The board sent staff back to reconsider. But with a deadline to provide names to Crosslinx, the company building the line, a meeting was held Thursday to decide the matter.
In the end, Forest Hill and Fairbank were approved on the understanding that the relevant street names, Bathurst and Dufferin, would be clearly visible at the stops. But the board decided to split the difference and double-barrel Hakimi Lebovic. Noting that many of the LRT station entrances don’t front directly on Eglinton, one board member mused about the overarching Eglinton Crosstown handle.
“It is an issue for consideration and further discussion,” said Metrolinx chief planning officer Leslie Woo.