Almost half of Toronto residents approve of Mayor John Tory’s Smart Track plan but only a small minority view it as the city’s most urgent transit priority, a new poll has found.
The Forum Research telephone poll of 807 Torontonians found that 44 per cent of respondents approve of the $8 billion SmartTrack plan while 31 per cent disapprove and 25 per cent say they don’t know enough about the idea to have an opinion.
SmartTrack, which Tory has vowed to build in seven years, proved to be most popular among downtown residents (50 per cent) and those making between $80,000 and $100,000 a year (51 per cent) while those living in Scarborough (38 per cent disapproval) and those making between $40,000 and $60,000 a year (41 per cent disapproval) were less likely to like the idea.
Support for the idea overall did not translate into an appetite for building it ahead of several other pressing transit projects, however.
The poll found that 29 per cent of respondents believe that building a downtown relief line should be the number one priority compared to 19 per cent who say they want to see the Scarborough subway extension completed first and 12 per cent who think finishing the Eglinton Crosstown line should be job number one. About 11 per cent of respondents said they view SmartTrack as the city’s most urgent transit priority while eight per cent said the Union Pearson Express is their top priority and five per cent said they would prioritize a LRT along Finch Avenue.
“Despite the fact that the Mayor’s signature SmartTrack plan has the approval of most, the citizens of Toronto still see a downtown relief line for the junction of theYonge and Bloor lines as the most urgent transit need in the city,” Forum Research President Dr. Lorne Bozinoff said in a press release accompanying the poll.
The poll was conducted on Friday and Saturday and is considered accurate to within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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