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• ‘Essential’ transit pricier, study says [ Globe and Mail ]
• Declaring TTC an essential service may lead to higher payroll expenses: report [ National Post ]
• TTC would face drug tests under proposals [ Globe and Mail ]
• Port Authority refuses to rule out new ferry [ Globe and Mail ]
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• Councillors consider weeding out unruly yards [ National Post ]
• A curvaceous addition to the waterfront [ National Post ]
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• • Poverty show axed [ Toronto Sun ]
• Asbestos contamination signs pop up near explosion site [ CBC.ca ]
Friday’s headlines
Read more articles by Monika Warzecha
6 comments
No new ferry indeed. It should have a draw bridge.
Rait’s Castle.
I started writing a defense of the island airport from the point of view of a self-employed artist, but it got a little long so I finished it on my own (poorly used) blog space. I hope it’s kosher to just link to it from here rather than clog up your space.
http://joshuahind.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/in-defense-of-porter-airlines-and-the-island-airport/
‘Mr. Vaughan argued that “if Porter wants a bigger ferry they should pay for it.”‘
Actually, they do. Porter passengers pay $15 per person to use the terminal facilities at City Centre, which includes the ferry. The article may be simply bad reporting, but it is unclear what “public money” would be used to purchase the larger ferry.
There is also the money that the TPA would make in disposing of the current one, perhaps to replace one of Parks and Rec’s ferries, some which date to the 1930s.
Given Toronto’s rather decrepit state these days, I can tell you that the Porter/ferry experience is probably one of the best assets the city has for visitors.
That said, perhaps a compromise would be as follows – call it the IKEA solution (more on that in a moment):
– allow the new, larger ferry
– anyone would be allowed to board the ferry
– on the other side, passengers would continue through to the terminal. Others would get off and take a new protected-access path to skirt the airport and connect with the rest of Toronto Island.
This kind of thing has been working great in New York where IKEA opened a giant store on the Brooklyn waterfront. Many were opposed to the size and character of the store in its postindustrial location, but the store pleased a lot of people by running a free ferry to Manhattan and letting ANYONE use it. Area residents therefore get a benefit – an awesome free commuting ferry from an area with no subways – and IKEA got their store. (In case of crowds, they put store customers on first but it has not been much of a problem).
uSkyscraper,
Copying New York is a good idea. As soon as Toronto finishes emulating New York in the seventies, we will get right at it.