You really shouldn't have done that cbeach, but not surprising, you in the government, Do as I say, not as I do. For starters, since you are a public servant, why don't you take transit like the so called masters want us to do, hey you've been brainwashed by them as soon as I seen the phrase "induced demand".
I take transit when it is convenient for me to do so. Which is admittedly rarely. But that's how it works.
I used the term "induced demand" as I know what I'm talking about when it comes to transportation planning. Broken down to its simplest form, it's supply and demand economics - the more a resource is available, the more people will use it. Limiting the supply of a product (in this case, road capacity) regulates its demand.
There certainly are numerous political viewpoints regarding what to do with induced demand (the anti-car brigade of course oppose it, people like me recognize it needs to be managed carefully), but as a function of traffic engineering it does happen.
Funny how you want to badmouth the current administration but I'm willing to bet that you voted for that wicked witch.
As a matter of fact, I did not vote for the Liberal candidate in my riding in the previous election. Not that it has anything to do with the topic at hand, nor is it relevant in any discussion.
So what kind of road projects have been done lately that have actually benefited the motorist, although some may have started before the 13 years of hell we have been under, let us see.
2004 - Introduction of HOV Lanes on Hwy 403 and 404 (yup that's right folks, there wasn't an HOV lane before the Liberals got in), as I am a HUGE opponent of HOV lanes, as they actually easily make traffic worse and due absolutely nothing to help truck traffic, it all fits into the green agenda that the fascist regime is obsessed with. I'll get to that later.
HOV lanes have issues (especially GPL to HOV conversion, which I strongly oppose), but the addition of new HOV lanes do result in a net increase in the highway's throughput. And while trucks can't use them they do benefit from the additional overall capacity. But that's why HOV are installed on commuter routes where the proportion of trucks is lower.
A GPL in a high truck percentage also has really crappy lane utilization.
HOV are a tool to use to manage limited resources - both financial and road capacity. It has its applicable uses, and there are places where it does not work. But commuter routes, those are by and large applicable uses.
And as far as the Liberals being responsible for HOV, well, that's the funny thing - HOV studies began in 1994. Under Bob Rae and the NDP. They continued unabated during the Harris-Eves Ontario PC years. In fact, the first contracts, like the Hwy 403 HOV and the Hwy 404 HOV and the tunnel connection to Hwy 401, were issued months before the 2003 election, while the Tories were in power. And construction has continued unabated through the McGuinty-Wynne years.
So, all three parties have supported it. The Tories and Liberals have actually built it. It is not solely a Liberal initiative at all.
ALSO, there was money floating around to create an HOV only ramp from Hwy 404 SB to Hwy 401 WB....it's funny how I was laughed at by you sometime ago for suggesting that an EC Row WB to 401 EB ramp should have been built.
No, I didn't laugh at you for that. I just said that the amount of traffic that would benefit would be minimal, as that movement is almost a U-turn. Based on signal timings at the ECR-Huron Church interchange, building that flyover would have saved maybe one minute for those few drivers at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.
The 404 HOV to 401 WB tunnel cost a fraction of that, and is used by thousands of vehicles per day. And given the congestion at that interchange, saves people a lot more time that a minute or two. Also, the funding situation for the Herb Grey Pkwy is far different than what existed for the 404 tunnel. Not a valid comparison, even taking the fact that they were about a decade apart.
And again, they were that far apart as the HOV project was done by the Tories (and that I admittedly AM laughing about).
2007 - Extension of Hwy 410 to Mayfield, which in 2009 was further extended to Hwy 10, this project was approved in the Ernie Eves days and was delayed for many years after the Liberals got elected.....indeed the Sandalwood overpass was open to traffic a good 4 years before the 410 came to exist underneath it.
Got delayed for many years? Phase 1 was completed 2004, the Phase 2 contract was issued in 2006. So delayed one year.
(edited - corrected the date)
2010 - ALTERATION of long term widening plans introduces HOV lanes to the badly congested Halton Region stretch....
No, HOV was planned for that all along. That project was initiated in 2002 - well into Ontario's work into HOV.
need I say more, of course I know you will come out of the woodwork and defend this, just like you adamantly defend the downloaded highways, hey if that's a good decision, why don't you defend the privatization of Hwy 407
I defend downloading because from a service delivery standpoint it makes sense. Taking former Highway 50 for example, in what way would it benefit residents, businesses, and other stakeholders along that highway to have the distant and high-level MTO taking care of their road? Especially since it does not serve long distance traffic? Or how does it benefit the province to waste time and money on those local issues, rather than the more local and accessible municipality? Just a drain on resources all around.
Yes, navigational issues could have been handled better. And overall funding could be improved. But it really serves both the province and the residents/businesses/etc. far, far better.
The 407 deal is utterly awful. But again, it, along with downloading and HOV lanes, are Tory initiatives.
2014 - Highway 404 extension....in honesty an extension to nowhere and not a priority whatsoever, a few people have this nice extension to reach Georgina easier....anyone can see that the Highway 427 extension was WAY MORE IMPORTANT, I mean think about it, York Region got tired of the MTO playing games that they decided to create an extension to link to an arterial just so they could ease off the traffic movements at the Hwy 50/Hwy 7 intersection and Hwy 27/Hwy 7 intersection.
Yeah, you have no idea what you're talking about. The 404 extension was definitely needed. And it's never a question of one vs another, it's never that simplistic.
And York built that so they could increase development.
2016 - Highway 407 East and Highway 412....this was a good project, but like the original 407, it is a toll. Even worse, the MTO is basically charging the same prices that the 407 ETR charges.....of course they need to, as the public sector is growing while the private sector is shrinking in this province....more taxes have to come from somewhere, or shall I quote what Kathleen says "revenue tools" If you want me to talk about a shrinking private sector, do you want me to mention how extreme costs of doing business in this province caused Heinz to shut the century old plant in Leamington? There are countless of other examples that have closed down in Ontario in recent years.
That rambling rant being what it is there, it's funny you mentioned Leamington, as you forgot the Highway 3 widening in that area done since the Liberals entered office.
Again, they have not done well on a lot of things (especially energy). But as I originally said, transportation is one area (maybe even the only area) where they've done exceptionally well.
Let's not mention the ongoing projects, any widening includes HOV lanes now, and don't get me started on the 401 widening in Mississauga, that just angers me to no end.
Widening through the interchange that causes the biggest backup on Hwy 401 west of Toronto? Yeah, that sucks.
And yes, any widening includes HOV. As it has been since well before the current party took power. That project was initiated in 2001. Well into the HOV era.
If you want to talk transit,
Nope.
How much has the outlying region grown since the cancellation of Spadina, by at least 3 folds. This has happened mainly due to immigration and yet the feds always seem to jump away when we try to ask them for money for projects. Do you honestly think the City of Brampton back in 1974 wanted all these immigrants to dramatically change how the city functions? The feds are responsible for the massive growth so they are responsible for this transportation crisis we face.
Immagants! I knew it was them! Even when it was the bears I knew it was them!
For comparison's sake, in 2002, the last full year of Conservative's mandate, in the GTA MTO had 31 capital construction jobs. In 2015, the last complete year under the Liberals, they had 53. That's just standard delivery, not the alternative delivery models like 407, Herb Grey Pkwy, etc. And the economic picture of the province was far rosier in 2002 than 2015.
And further comparison, the last full year under NDP (1994) had 34 contracts issued in the GTA. The Liberals clearly have made highway funding a priority. They've sucked at a lot of areas, but transportation is not one.