We all know the negative impact of Toronto’s poor transit infrastructure but what about the positives?

Toronto experiences immobilizing traffic, packed subways and underserviced bus routes. Getting from A to B in Toronto is always hard. People hate it and have made major lifestyle choices to avoid it. The most exciting change is people leaving the suburbs and moving to the city’s core. That demand has sped up the city’s densification and created a dynamic downtown.

The rapid development is not without its flaws — there needs to be greater diversification of uses and a wider range of residential formats — but it’s a start. The myth of suburban utopia is beginning to collapse.

Imagine what Toronto would look like if additional high capacity highways had been built, more integrated GO Transit system developed and subway expansion continued at the rate of population growth. Picture the sprawl, picture the wasted space. Toronto would not have the energy it has now, nor would Torontonians.

Now, I don’t support that the paralysis continues within the City. People have moved here and now transit has to move them. I look forward to the new Council committing to the Downtown Relief Line, continued modernization of the existing subway lines and development of more light rail projects. This will ensure Toronto’s transformation continues.

(Image credit: Robert Taylor via Creative Commons)