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Support for right-of-way improvements

SCRIPT continues to get an amazing number of supportive e-mails and phone calls from people who support improving local streetcar transit by a right-of-way. Here are some samples (shortened by [...] in some cases to highlight the main points).

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RL writes:

I use the TTC and I drive or ride along St.Clair West and I see no reason there cannot be a trouble-free dedicated right-of-way for streetcars while still permitting cars to move easily AND still have on street parking. The City has to get SERIOUS about public transit!

Christopher writes:

I often go out of my way to head up to St. Clair to do my shopping. The street character is great, the shops are always interesting, and I prefer to support the independent businesses, for it is they who usually are the ones who give back to the community. The streetcar gives me an opportunity to sit back and look at the shops, and that is how I discovered the fantasic La Paloma Gelateria at St. Clair and Landsdowne; not by speeding by in a car. One of the greatest annoyances of the trip is the slow and unreliable streetcar ride, which I accept simply becuase that's the way it is. It saddens me to see that many businesses are opposing a plan to make it easier to let me get to their shops. Simply, if the businesses don't feel that they should support me as a transit rider, I will no longer feel any need to support them.

Ruth writes:

The streetcars are irregular and very overcrowded. This is most frustrating especially during very cold periods.

Paul writes:

I'm very surprised that a number of local businesses are against the streetcar right-of-way. It's the best chance they have to get people into the area and onto the sidewalk. Personally, although I live quite close to St. Clair, I rarely go there, largely because the streetcar is so unreliable and the street is such a mess generally - doesn't work for transit riders, pedestrians, drivers or cyclists. I'm much more inclined to go to areas where the transit does work - Spadina and Queen, Bloor in the Annex, Eglinton and Yonge. It's too bad, since St. Clair has lots of potential. The right-of-way isn't the only thing the street needs, but it sure is a good start.

Marie writes:

I live in the area of St. Clair and Scarlett Rd. I work at St. Clair and Dufferin. In my opinion, the TTC has failed the residents in my area of the city for not installing a reliable direct route along St. Clair. With the system as it stands now, I have to make 3 exchanges by transit in order to arrive at my destination (normally a 20 minute drive by car - considerably longer if I had to use transit). I would gladly be in support of your cause and I myself would take the streetcar, only if the TTC did something to improve the system.

Greg writes:

I just found out about your advocacy committee in the article in The Villager. Congratulations on taking on this issue [...] I was distressed to hear the negativity in some parts of the St. Clair community about the proposed improvements. It seems a lot of Torontonians are in favour of transit improvements ... just so as they don't occur in their neighbourhood.

Wendy writes:

I feel quite strongly that the right-of-way is necessary, not only to slow the traffic down on St. Clair, but to also allow for the quick passage of police and emergency vehicles to move unimpeded across St. Clair.

Although the ususal complaints about excessive traffic in the neighbourhoods north and south of St Clair will pop up, mostly these issues can re rectified.

Al left us a voice message:

I work at St Clair & Yonge and live at Runnymede. I currently take the subway, but I would take the St Clair streetcar instead if there were a right-of-way... I'd like to see a design like the one on Queen's Quay because it allows access for emergency vehicles.

Linda writes:

As a TTC rider I wanted to offer my support to getting a designated street car lane on St. Clair. I can walk faster than the street car from the St.Clair West station to Yonge St. However, the cold weather makes it unpleasant. Let's get that street car lane and stay warm!

David writes:

I would like to voice my support for the project. As a matter of fact, as a new business owner on St Clair West, I believe that the streetcar improvement project will be beneficial for businesses. If the already very wide sidewalks are narrowed by 1/2 metre or so, there should be room for on street parking.

Lucinda left us a voice message:

I really like the area around Oakwood & St Clair but it just takes too long to get to the subway. If there were a right-of-way I would consider moving into the area.

John writes:

Congratulations on getting great, informative articles published on the cover and in the local newspaper. We need to make the public aware of this issue [...] with a perspective focusing on the economic and convenience benefits of a right-of-way (more foot traffic = more people in your store; speedier car traffic = people driving past your store), etc., though I am a strong supporter of the environmental positives too.

Kate writes:

I support the exclusive right of way for the streetcar on St. Clair Avenue. This is a route I use often. Frequently, streetcars are held up by cars [...]

Let's get the streetcars moving, and then people will use them. [...] The only way I will spend money at stores is if I can get to them quickly by public transit. So those businesses should be eager to get my dollars by supporting the exclusive right of way for streetcars.

Carolin writes:

Most motorists driving along St. Clair during rush hour are not looking at the store fronts of the shops they pass, they are to intent on watching traffic and are simply using St. Clair to try and get home as quickly as possible.

It is the TTC users who calmly stare out the streetcar windows as they ride along St. Clair, admiring your window displays and reading any sale notices that [merchants] might have posted in [their shop] windows.

Sheila left us a voice message:

[...] I do most of my shopping on Bloor but am a bit bored with it. I would come up to St Clair to shop more often if it were more inviting. A well-designed right-of-way would enliven the street... I usually opt for the subway rather than the St Clair car even though St Clair is a more direct and prettier route for me. The streetcar is just too unpredictable.

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