Riding the ghost line to Scarborough

New maps are appearing in the subway, and they’re missing one thing. Yep, the Scarborough LRT, from Kennedy to McCowan. That odd blue line that was neither subway nor train has vanished.

For years, while politicians dithered and built subways everywhere except Scarborough, I warned this would happen. Anyone who ever rode that line knew the trains were rickety and the tracks were unreliable. The first sign of snow and the entire line was shut down. But nothing was done. We built a line to Vaughan, where well-heeled suburbanites drive SUVs. But we failed to build one to Scarborough, where thousands of workers relied on transit to get to their work. And now here we are, with all those people having to rely on jam-packed shutting buses that add an hour to their daily commute.

I fear the fate will be the same for the Eglinton Crosstown. It still hasn’t opened and I’ll e surprised if I ever see it. Again, while the line is snug and warm underground in downtown Toronto, east of Laird it’s back above ground. You’ll wait in a cold, windswept wasteland for your streetcar.

It would be really nice if just for once those of us who live in Scarborough got decent transit for a change. And yes, I’d pay for it. I believe we should pay by distance on the TTC. The one-fare-fits-all model doesn’t work. It isn’t fair and it isn’t sustainable as transit grows. The only reason downtowners, who may only travel a few stops, should pay the same as Scarbereians travelling downtown to work is that the downtowners have the luxury of warm stations.