Eglinton East bus lane is good, but LRT is better
Re Rise in TTC ridership creating distancing issues, June 11
As a Scarborough resident, I’m looking forward to the dedicated TTC bus lane that will follow the route of the planned Eglinton East LRT.
But I’m dismayed there isn’t a motion to further plan for the LRT itself.
This line would improve the lives of 40,000 people, some of whom live in the most racialized, impoverished communities in the city and which are now recognized as hot spots for COVID-19.
Many of them work in low-paid jobs that are now recognized as essential. They count on transit to carry out their essential activities and deserve to be able to get around safely and quickly.
They need the jobs and development that the LRT would bring.
Now that we know the link between poverty and race and susceptibility to COVID-19, and given how critical transit is in addressing poverty, one would think that the city would move to build the LRT.
When the provincial government took over the planned Scarborough subway extension, it freed up more than $1 billion from the property tax levy for that project.
That money was dedicated to building rapid transit in Scarborough and that’s what it should be used for.
The city should build the Eglinton East LRT now. Moya Beall, Scarborough