Paul Bedford: A voice from Toronto in an unlikely place

Paul Bedford is Toronto’s former Chief Planner and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.
He’s just  contributed a column – Choices and Consequences – to the  Toronto Sun about the need for serious transportation funding.  Given the sceptical editorial position (and that’s being polite) of the Sun regarding taxes, that’s an acheivement.
Here’s an excerpt:
We’re all in this together and must embrace collective solutions for our transportation needs 
How can we break the transportation logjam? …
According to Metrolinx, to fix our transportation crisis and dramatically improve how we move people and goods on roads, transit, bike lanes, and sidewalks throughout our region will require a minimum of $50 billion of new capital investment in commuter rail, subways, streetcars and buses over the next 25 years. …
What most people find difficult to believe is that even with this investment, the existing daily commute will only be reduced by about three minutes. This is because our region will add another 3.5 million people and 1.5 million cars by 2031, which is the equivalent of Greater Montreal right now.
Generating $2 billion per year over the next 25 years can only be achieved from a combination of regional user fees and tax levies totally dedicated to transportation. …
Everyone needs to understand that raising $50 billion is simply not possible through government efficiencies, private sector involvement or making developers pay increased fees. To portray these ideas as meaningful funding solutions is misleading and nothing short of a hoax when they have already been proven to be totally inadequate….
To achieve this goal, Metrolinx should be empowered to borrow against the future revenue stream of $2 billion per year and flood the region with dramatically increased and dependable service on all subway, streetcar, bus and commuter rail transit networks on the first day that new revenue tools are initiated.
This is a very personal issue. According to the Canadian Automobile Association, the average total cost of owning and operating a Chevy Cobalt in Toronto is $ 8,539.94 per year and $13,833.85 for a Dodge Caravan. For many suburban families it is necessary to own two cars. Developing a regional transit network capable of serving a future population of 10+ million would give people new travel choices and enable many GTHA residents to save a substantial sum of money if they could meet their transportation needs with one car.
We are all in this together and must embrace collective solutions that serve our transportation needs. Now is the time for politicians at all levels and all parties to get real. Nothing is free. Subway or other transit plans with no identified funding sources are no plans at all and will simply lead to more years of inaction that will create devastating consequences to our economic health and quality of life.