Old Town group seeks allies for crosstown bus

By Kimberly Spice –

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) does not see any need to enhance services on Parliament St.—but the Old Town Toronto Network (OTTN) hasn’t exhausted their bus dreams yet.

The OTTN is gearing up for an effort to lobby neighbourhood associations to support the idea of a summer bus service to the Queens Quay area during its April 14 membership meeting.

A north-south bus route ending at Queens Quay and Bay would enable Parliament residents to have direct access to newly-designed waterfront destinations such as Sugar Beach and Sherbourne Common, in addition to connecting them with the popular ferry docks. However, plans for better service along the 65 Parliament bus route never passed the discussion stage after an environmental assessment and ridership study by the TTC showed there was no need for any changes.

OTTN president Edward Nixon believes that if associations work together as a group, take action, and win the support of the ward councillor, the request might just get off the ground.

“To have any legs it has to be endorsed by the neighbourhood associations and the BIA and then we go to councillor McConnell and then go to the TTC,” Nixon told The Bulletin. “If you can get an incremental win it can support a conversation about higher levels of transit in the future.”

The TTC is not optimistic about the proposed enhancements.

“We’ve done environmental assessments and ridership counts and at this time ridership does not warrant an expansion of service in that area regardless of whether there be extra buses or a streetcar line, similar to that of Spadina,” said TTC spokesman Kevin Carrington, who added that funding is a major issue. “I am aware that the residents of that area are passionate about transit and they want to see service similar to that on Spadina and their right of way streetcars.”

Nixon is not discouraged: he presumes that the new summer service, if implemented, will be successful but that success can only be achieved if the public knows about the new route.

“It depends on people being aware of it,” Nixon points out. “You put on a bus service and don’t tell people about it some people may never take it.”

Information about TTC initiatives can be found at www.ttc.ca.