2. Our prosperous city has grown,
but our network of transportation
options hasn’t grown in step.
Day in and day out, 2.48 million walk, get in a car, take a bus, streetcar, subway, GO train, or ride their
bicycle to work and play. They deserve the best range of options we can offer.
Toronto’s public transit system has evolved into one of the most cost-effective in the world – it does
more with its funding than any comparable system – but anyone who rides knows it can do better.
Joe has a doable, cost-effective plan for Torontonians who drive, take public transit, or ride a bike.
Cleaner vehicles, faster trains, better service, and more room for cyclists – it’s all part of the plan to
reduce congestion, on our streets and in our lungs.
4. Joe Pantalone is the only candidate who understands that bikes belong on our main streets. About 62%
of Toronto households already own a bike – nearly 400,000 are utilitarian cyclists. Joe plans to work
towards doubling the number of bicycle trips made in the City of Toronto, because a cycling city is a city
that’s ready for the future.
• Complete the Bike Plan by 2012. The plan sets out a network of bike lanes, and lays down the
groundwork to make Toronto streets and parks bicycle friendly. Upon completion, Toronto will be
home to a 1,000 km bikeway network.
• Expand beyond the Bike Plan with separated bike lanes, for the safety and convenience of both cyclists
and motorists. This will start with University Avenue and Richmond Street, and expand to other
appropriate avenues as determined in consultation with the community and staff.
• Create our f irst east-west bike corridor, a separated, east-west bike corridor on Richmond St.
• On-street bike parking: Through conversion of on-street parking , Joe will create 50 bicycle parking
corrals, each providing space for about 20 bikes, and create bike parking in Green-P parking lots as
well – because the more space you create for bikes, the more space you create for everyone.
• Go Bixi: Joe will expand the service area of Toronto’s new BIXI bike rental program, and add stations
to other neighbourhoods to widen coverage and meet demand. More coverage means more options
for more people.
• Better maintenance for safer cycling: Joe will ensure better year-round maintenance of bike routes,
so that cleaning and clearing takes the needs of cyclists into account. He will guarantee the city
develops a pavement repair reporting system designed to include cyclists, and direct road resurfacing
and reconstruction projects to provide wide curb lanes wherever possible to keep cyclists safe.
5. • Better traff ic signals for quicker cycling: Joe will ensure the city continues to improve the
effectiveness of bicycle detection at city traff ic signals.
• Road peace, not road rage: Joe will launch a public education campaign for all road users to raise
public awareness about our individual responsibility for road sharing.
• Safety f irst: Joe will work towards safety measures that help reduce the number of bicycle collisions
and injuries. He’ll ensure the city enhances safety and maintains bike access in all new traff ic calming
projects. And he’ll work with school boards to develop a Bike-to-School Program that puts safety
f irst.
• Complete streets: Streets are for people of every age, level of ability, and transportation preference.
Our streets need to give citizens clear paths to walk, and access for those using assistance devices
like scooters. Audible pedestrian signals for crossing at intersections, larger street signs, and clear
road markings will help people get around smoothly. Joe is committed to having a comprehensive
city-wide plan for complete streets by 2014.
7. • 120km of new, European-style high-speed rapid transit: Joe’s plan for better public transit features
affordable European-style high-speed rapid transit that can go above and below ground. They’re f ive
times less expensive than subways and can be built today – not in 20 years. The new low-f loor trains,
built right here in Canada, will help people with reduced mobility get on and off with ease.
• Construction enhancements, not construction delays: Until now, TTC staff planning expansion projects
were the same ones managing day-to-day operations. Joe will create a special unit within the TTC
solely responsible for construction projects, with one manager responsible for meeting today’s
demands, and another responsible for planning and meeting future needs. Joe will also appoint a city-
wide Construction Lead to make sure expansion projects get done on time, on budget, and in keeping
with the concerns of the community.
• Create our f irst east-west bike corridor, a separated, east-west bike corridor on Richmond St.
• Public voices for public transit: Citizens rely on the TTC every day of the year - they know what works
and what doesn’t, so they should have a say. Joe will create a hybrid board of politicians and citizens
– one who has expertise in construction, one in customer service, and one in international transit
systems.
8. • More food options: Toronto offers a diverse range of food options but you wouldn’t know it from our
subway stations, which mostly feature one vending option. As mayor, Joe will work to open up food
vending options at subway stops.
• Save the streetcar: Hundreds of thousands of Torontonians rely on the streetcar to get them to work
every day. As Mayor, Joe is not going to leave them stranded. But he will help relieve the pressure
on our roads by replacing slow buses with more environmentally friendly, faster trains that reach all
corners of Toronto.
• Cement a better deal with the Province and Ottawa: As Mayor, Joe is not going to let Toronto get
treated like an orphaned child. Other regions enjoy a higher percentage of provincial funding support
than Toronto, without nearly the same population, traff ic pressures, or revenue generated for the
Province and Federal Government.
