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TTC share of Toronto’s budget no big surprise

February 13, 2007, 12:51 AM by Pauley

Toronto city budget planners have penciled in $717 million of their $1.41 billion capital budget for transit upgrades — nearly half the total budget.

Some are calling it outrageous (”We’re no longer operating as a city. We’re now operating as a transit authority with a little bit of stuff on the side,” said one city councillor). However, from what the mayor is saying, it’s overdue: TTC’s system hasn’t been able to expand to keep pace with ridership growth because they’ve been just barely breaking even maintaining the current lines.

Sounds, the way I’m reading it, like the extra money wouldn’t have needed to come all at once with a little more funding in the past, but it’s been choked off. Now the TTC needs to play catch-up, and that requires funding that can’t wait any longer.