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News and Articles>
A STREETCAR NAMED UNDESIRABLE
National Post --
Oct 22, 2004 --
by Krystyna Henke
On Sept. 29 Toronto City Council voted 36-7 in favor of exclusive, dedicated streetcar lanes on St. Clair Avenue, a six-lane European flavoured midtown street with restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and specialty shops. Most of the neighbourhood associations here, all five of the business improvement areas (BIA), and three of the four councillors, whose wards are directly affected, declared themselves opposed to the plan that they believe will hurt both businesses and residents on St.Clair Avenue.
The right-of-way streetcar plan will permanently eliminate cars from the middle two lanes, ban left turns at all 130 non-signalized intersections, and reduce parking and sidewalk widths, resulting in severe traffic congestion and significant loss of sales to small businesses. The consequence will be evident as the multiethnic street culture on St. Clair Avenue disappears.
While about 11,000 signatures had been collected by those opposed to City Hall's plan, Toronto Mayor David Miller took no notice and set the petitions aside as insignificant.
Deputations to City Hall also proved futile.
Supporters of City Hall's right-of-way were allowed to jump the queue at hearings, leaving media with the false impression that there was only marginal opposition. Upon questioning, some of these speakers admitted that, as professional consultants in a position to bid on contracts, they had a financial interest in seeing the right-of-way go through. As the day wore on many councillors got up and left, missing many of the heartfelt testimonials and well-crafted arguments from the affected community.
While the City dismissed opposition to its plan as being anti- environment and pro-car, the Corso Italia BIA had commissioned Brown and Storey, one of Toronto's leading design firms, to develop an alternate plan. It included a bicycle lane, left the sidewalks intact, and offered a streetcar-right-of-way during peak hours. The Corso Italia plan would benefit all the stakeholders on the street: businesses, shoppers, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and streetcar riders - but it was dismissed by Councillor Joe Mihevc as being "too pedestrian- friendly."
At every step along the way, from the environmental assessment and the public meetings and workshops to the community deputations at City Hall, including the final debate among councillors, the democratic process has been defiled. Toronto officials tried very hard to achieve the impression of a democratic process at work. But their euphemistically coined "consultations" have been merely cosmetic, creating a semblance of democracy.
The people of St. Clair have been disenfranchised, robbed of their voices and their rights as citizens to negotiate a plan that would serve the interests of all. The contributions of a well-informed, intelligent and engaged community have been consistently ignored, or dismissed. This is a travesty of democracy that bodes ill for our city's future.
Krystyna Henke, a St. Clair area resident, is a former columnist and editor of “De Nederlandse Courant,” a newspaper serving the Dutch immigrant community in Canada.
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