Before the Line 6 Finch West LRT could disappoint North Etobicoke residents, options for rapid transit were few. Now, that is looking to change for the better.
However, these proposed changes will take two decades to be fully completed.
In a community consultation meeting on March 5, the City of Toronto unveiled a plan to introduce a mixed-use transit-oriented community near the Woodbine Racetrack. This new plan includes a new GO Station currently under construction. The project also hopes to introduce new businesses, housing, cycling paths and nature preserves.
The broader North Etobicoke community, on the other hand, has been expecting these changes for some time, especially residents living in the Woodbine neighbourhood.
Twenty years is by no means a short time. This means that current residents will only see some improvement in the Woodbine community. At least future generations of residents will be able to enjoy these changes, provided they can afford the housing costs.
These new plans must be implemented quickly and efficiently. This will not only benefit the community, but also institutions like Humber Polytechnic as well. It could reduce commute times and increase registrations.
Samuel Baptiste, senior transportation planner for the city, said this plan will connect more transit lines and make transfers easier as well. “This is part of the city that for a long time has gone without rapid or, as we call it, high-order transit,” he said. “The LRT is the first step. Getting this future Woodbine GO Station will be the next step.”
He said that combining both the GO Station line and the LRT will make transit easier and enable more people to take rapid transit to Pearson Airport.
Baptiste said this planned study will run for a year, and the construction will take longer.
“Typically, with plans of these sizes, we’re talking about 15, 20 years,” he said. “So, it’s not something that’s going to happen right away. It’s going to take time.”
John Jemmott has been a resident in the Woodbine community for 15 years. He thought that this plan was one that was long overdue. He also floated the idea that the city must introduce more entertainment options along with these plans.
“I guess also there’s not a whole lot of opportunities for entertainment, and just staying around the area,” he said. “So, I basically never hang about in the area I live (in), so I end up going to other places, downtown, midtown, Mississauga, Scarborough.”
Although he was hopeful, he was also disappointed that this new plan was only being implemented now. “There will be some opportunities in the next couple of decades, that’s true,” he said. “Which is a long time, but I guess for the people coming in afterwards, it’ll be even better. I’m sure I’ll get to enjoy some of it.”
Jemmott said communities like Woodbine are not being vocal enough about their demands, and that may be why this plan was only being implemented now.
“Scarborough, I guess, has been a lot more vocal about their needs,” he said. “And so, they’re getting a lot of new options put in now. And to some degree, even though some new stuff has happened, it feels a bit of an afterthought.”
Jemmott was one among many who echoed these sentiments. Although Line 6 has certainly made it easier for some to access parts of North Etobicoke, it is by no means rapid. Despite promises of transit priority signals and faster travel times, many community members complain, unfortunately not loudly enough, that they need faster public transit.
The fact that the lands near the racetrack are being improved for transit-oriented communities is a good idea. However, much more needs to be done to make it easier for residents to access rapid transit.
Improving rapid transit should be the first step. More entertainment options should be the next step. Unused or languishing lands need to be repurposed for the community to use.
“North Etobicoke is one of the least served, I think, by rapid transit,” Jemmott said, reiterating Baptiste’s point. “I usually have to drive everywhere. It’s usually more convenient to drive. But when I do take transit, it’s not rapid transit.”
It is good that the city is finally paying more attention to a section of its map that seems to have gone unnoticed in terms of development. Their first efforts with the Line 6 were less than promising. If these plans are to come into effect, it will drastically improve access to transit for the Woodbine community.
This need not, as Jemmott said, be an afterthought. After all, with plans of tunnels underneath Highway 401 and rapid railways from Toronto to Montreal, the city can afford to improve the Etobicoke infrastructure.
It is up to the residents now to be more vocal about their demands. Demand better, if not for themselves, then for future generations.
