- The GTA has recently been declared as the area with the longest commute to work in Canada and it is a top concern for residents.
I am a GTA commuter.
I have lived in Thornhill this past 20 years and in North York the previous 25 years. Since 1978, I have been a regular TTC subway rider. While public transit has been “the better way” for me than commuting by car, I have also run to work, rode my motorcycle to work, taken the bus, and I occasionally drove my car to the office.
I have lived in Thornhill this past 20 years and in North York the previous 25 years. Since 1978, I have been a regular TTC subway rider. While public transit has been “the better way” for me than commuting by car, I have also run to work, rode my motorcycle to work, taken the bus, and I occasionally drove my car to the office.
Today, people have many options for commuting. These include : walking, running, cycling, scooter or motorcycle, car and car-pooling using public roads as well as toll-fee highways (407etr), bus, street car, subway, commuter train.
What does this tell you? That people use the option that best suits their needs and circumstances at any given point in time.
What does this tell you? That people use the option that best suits their needs and circumstances at any given point in time.
There is no one silver bullet that government can find that will satisfy all commuters. Gridlock and long commutes have been top citizen issues for as long as I can remember. If government was able to provide the answers, then these issues would have long ago become artifacts of history.
Its time for a new approach and it involves dismantling the government monopoly in transportation services and opening the flood gates to private sector ideas.
Step 1: Identify the deterrents and constraints to private sector investment, and remove them. This must include elimination of the many unnecessary transportation regulations that discourage and curtail the creative thinking and capital investments that are needed to address our complex and chronic transportation issues. Some people may resist this. However, with every decision there are usually tradeoffs and we must make these decisions with a careful consideration of these tradeoffs and our top priorities.
Step 2: Notify the corporations who possess the know-how and resources to address our transportation issues, and proclaim boldly that Ontario is open for business.
Since the industrial revolution, almost all of our most significant technological achievements have come from entrepreneurs who have been motivated by profit to find and keep happy customers. Government has had its chance – now its time to let capitalism come to the rescue .
Since the industrial revolution, almost all of our most significant technological achievements have come from entrepreneurs who have been motivated by profit to find and keep happy customers. Government has had its chance – now its time to let capitalism come to the rescue .
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