Transit plans for Greater Toronto move on

The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority has pinpointed seven projects to move ahead on quickly, while it works towards a more comprehensive regional transportation plan for the heavily congested area.
The seven proposed projects are intended to “quickly improve service for commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” said a release from the GTTA Board on August 24.
Amounting to $100 million, most of the seven projects relate to the purchase of more trains, double-decker buses and hybrid articulated buses. In terms of new infrastructure, however, one of the projects is to construct a $5.6 Markham/Cornell Transit terminal in the northeast of the city at Highway 407 and Don Cousens Parkway. There are also schemes to help customers plan their trips, to calculate their journey’s carbon footprint, and initiatives to promote cycling.
In the same announcement, the GTTA Board said it had agreed to “move ahead” in evaluating a proposal to have a new inter-regional bus terminal in the region of Union Station. A site at 90 Harbour Street, at the foot of York Street in the former Ontario Provincial Police Headquarters Building has been identified as a potential location for the bus terminal. The GTTA has a six-month plan to evaluate the business case, site plans and planning rationale.
The bus terminal plans include proposals to have a pedestrian walkway between the terminal and Union Station.
Rob MacIsaac, chair of the GTTA board, said: “Even as we work towards a comprehensive Regional Transportation Plan, when we see opportunities to improve the system in the short-term, we will act on them.”
The seven projects will now be submitted to the province of Ontario for funding, and are estimated to need less than two years to complete. The GTAA is a crown agency of the province.