Hard Times for Toronto Car Owners

[marmar]

from the Toronto Sun, via MassTransitMag.com:



Hard Times for Toronto Car Owners


By Sean Patrick Sullivan, The Toronto Sun


Cash for tenants who don't use their parking spaces, dense neighbourhoods planned around foot traffic, and pay-as-you-drive vehicle insurance were ideas shared by delegates yesterday at a Toronto conference on creating a more sustainable transportation system.

Encouraging the public to use more environmentally sustainable forms of transportation is essential, especially in Canada's most populous area, Ontario's Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield said.

The population of the Golden Horseshoe is expected to grow by 3.8 million over the next 25 years.

That growth could mean a 45% increase in commuting time for that part of southern Ontario, and a 42% increase in car emissions, Cansfield said. "If we don't deal with this problem today, we'll have a far worse problem tomorrow," she said.

One of the challenges facing those who aspire to limit the number of vehicles on the road is the consumer, as hikes in gas prices are usually accompanied by calls for government intervention -- not for better urban planning and public transit.

It doesn't help that automakers push cars as sexy and all-powerful.

"Who could compete with a $13.5-billion marketing budget?" asked JoAnn Woodhall, a transportation planner for Waterloo Region in Ontario. "They place cars in deserts, on top of mountains -- impossible places." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/web/online/Top-Transit-News/Hard-Times-for-Toronto-Car-Owners/3$3545