Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly hosted a roundtable meeting with road user groups, business owners and experts Friday to start a conversation about how to solve Toronto's problems with gridlock and congestion
The meeting was held a few days after city staff released a report that recommends council vote to tear down the Gardiner Expressway's 2.4-kilometre elevated segment east of Lower Jarvis Street and build a ground-level boulevard with eight lanes and a new connection to the Don Valley Parkway.
Kelly co-chaired the problem-solving discussion with councillors Denzil Minnan-Wong, chair of the public works committee, and Michael Thompson, chair of the economic development committee, and Mayor Rob Ford was noticeably absent.
On Thursday, Kelly said the meeting was open to all members of council, including Ford, but he told CP24 on Friday that it was "private event."
Ford was busy meeting with Toronto Community Housing residents in Etobicoke on Friday morning, and one of his policy advisors was asked to leave the meeting when she attempted to sit in and observe.
"We are extremely disappointed by this,” said Ford spokesman Amin Massoudi. “The deputy mayor himself said yesterday that this was an open meeting and the mayor was welcome to attend.”
Ford called it "sickening" and accused Kelly of playing political games.
After the meeting, Kelly denied Ford's claim and said he wasn't aware the mayor's staffer was asked to leave.
Minnan-Wong said the mayor would not have been turned away if he showed up because several council members attended and took notes during the meeting.
Representatives from CAA, The Daniels Corporation, Toronto Construction Association, Ontario Motor Coach Association, iTaxiworkers Association and Toronto Trucking Association were among those who attended the meeting.
Kelly said Ford could be included in the conversation if and when the group meets again to identify concerns and brainstorm about potential solutions.
"I have to say that depending on what the next steps are that may involve his worship as well," Kelly told reporters.
More space needed for taxis: stakeholder
Beck Taxi operations manager Kristine Hubbard was invited to explain how congestion is hurting her industry and what could be done to make it easier for cab drivers to get around and to avoid holding up traffic.
One option is to provide additional spots where cabs could idle as they pick up, drop off or wait for passengers, Hubbard told CP24 reporter Cristina Tenaglia.
Hubbard said there are 5,000 licensed taxis in Toronto, but there are fewer than 200 legal spots for them to sit.
“If traffic and congestion are a concern, these (cab drivers) are just having to cruise around with nowhere to stop, and that’s a problem,” Hubbard said.
Kelly said he invited stakeholders whose business is transit or is heavily reliant on transit.
Coalition opposes removal of Gardiner section
CAA and several groups or companies, including Canadian Courier & Logistics Association and Redpath Sugar, have formed a coalition to try to save the Gardiner's eastern section.
Faye Lyons of CAA South Central Ontario said the coalition wants the city to keep the Gardiner the way it is and spend money to maintain it.
Tearing down the elevated section would reduce the Gardiner’s capacity, increase congestion on Toronto’s arterial roads, put the safety of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at risk, and place more pressure on a strained public transit system, the coalition says.
The group says it is concerned because the recommendation for removal relies on transit options that haven’t been built, including a downtown relief subway line, Waterfront East LRT, Yonge North subway extension and an extension of the Broadview Avenue streetcar line.
The report is being considered at Tuesday's public works and infrastructure committee meeting and city council's regular meeting April 1.
Lyons is urging the city to stop wasting time.
"The Gardiner has not had the funding required to keep it up to standard, so we are at a tipping point where they do have to make a decision," Lyons told CP24.
Gardiner becomes campaign issue
The aging expressway is more than 50 years old and it has become an issue in this year’s election campaign. Both Kelly and Ford want to keep the raised section.
The city has already approved a $662-million, 13-year budget (2013 to 2025) to rehabilitate the entire 18-kilometre expressway. The budget includes the reconstruction of the portion east of Jarvis.
In 2013, after several incidents of falling concrete, council ordered interim repairs or safety measures, including netting, and delayed the full reconstruction until 2020, pending the completion of an environmental assessment by city staff and Waterfront Toronto.
That environmental assessment produced the recommendation to tear down the section east of Jarvis. The other options include maintaining the existing deck or replacing it with a new elevated structure.
If the city chooses to tear down the elevated section east of Jarvis, the staff report recommends widening Lake Shore Boulevard by two lanes to make it an eight-lane at-grade boulevard between Lower Jarvis Street and Logan Avenue.
No design has been approved and the removal option needs to be studied further to identify things such as the impact on congestion and travel times. The report suggests commutes would grow by at least five to 10 minutes.
It would cost an estimated $417 million to remove the elevated section. Repairing the existing structure would cost $23 million less, although the boulevard would be cheaper to maintain in the long run, the report says.
Tearing down the Gardiner would open up some prime real estate for development. The report says about four hectares of land could be developed, and the sale of public land would help to offset the cost of the project.
With files from CP24 reporter Cristina Tenaglia.
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