Changing Perspectives...

Upon completion of my Spadian Subway extension story, I have a new opinon.

When I started out, I began by thinking a subway extension is a great idea. Anything to expand our transit system and make it bigger and better. We get called the wanna-be New York City but have a subway system the size of a pinky finger in comparison. It seems like the most logical thing to do. There are over 65, 000 York University students alone, and lets not forgot the crazy traffic on the 400 highways coming into the city from the North West.

That was until I found out a few other details:

-The subway expansion will cost almost $3 billion dollars
-It will take 8 to 10 years to be completed
-It will cost $80 million dollars per subway station...they are planning for 8.

And the most interesting detail of all:

At the moment, it is a mere 15 minute bus ride from Downsview Station to York University AND buses come and go from both ends nearly every 5 minutes! I timed it myself, while sitting on a bus with one crazy driver who almost threw me from my seat when turning corners. (I wonder if they race to get the best time?)

Here I was thinking these poor York students have to wait forever just to get on a crowded bus with 50-75 other smelly, sweaty people and commute 30 minutes just to get to the subway. (Hey, I live downtown, I don't know how transit works outside of a 6 block radius of campus.) Clearly, I was wrong.

Call me crazy if you will, but I don't think that 8-10 years of insane construction, $3 billion dollars, and the assumption that the city and the university will just continue to grow is really worth it the hassle in the end. Oh, and did I mention that they are currently in the process of building Bus-Only Lanes from Downsview Station to York to make the trip even faster?