 |
August 22- August 29,2004 |
The TTC wants to collaborate
Original St. Clair Avenue West improvement plans might change following meeting
By Niccolò Marras
Originally Published: 2004-08-08
The latest meeting at the Piccinnini Centre between the businesspeople of Corso Italia BIA and the TTC-City Hall Task Force might end up causing major results in the St. Clair dispute. It might even end up forcing the abandonment of the infamous project no. 6 (the one with barriers on St. Clair) in favour of another project prepared by architect Philip Goldsmith that does not include barriers, inspired by the examples of Milan, Turin, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh.
Developments will come within the next few weeks.
This was a different battle from all the previous meetings. On other occasions, 200-300 people attended, and there was no real debate. Every side restated its position: the TTC project continued along its predefined path without being influenced by criticism or remarks from the public. These were discounted because, as the opinion went, they came from "a few combative mosquitoes". The experts from the Task Force constantly repeated the same concepts, but never "showing any study on the economic and social impact, since they pretended to be following a democratic consultation of the public while they were instead implementing a done deal, a project that had been decided elsewhere."
Last week, the tune was different. The 25 opponents engaged the two experts 'in close combat', and the experts were not protected neither by security staff that might keep the most agitated at bay (it's happened before) nor by a moderator who might impose order and set a calmer tone.
At the beginning of the meeting the Task Force was represented by three members: Mitch Stambler (TTC), Joanna Musters (City Hall), and Jim Gough (Marshall M.M.). After a while, Musters had to leave, and the other two had to withstand the rage of the opposition without any defense.
The meeting had been called to inform Corso Italia BIA members how project no. 6 would influence their businesses; how traffic would be handled on that stretch of St. Clair; how sidewalks would be reduced; how many parking spaces would be lost; how cargo loading and unloading would be organized; how would left-turning be handled, etc.
Page 1/...Page 2
|
| Home / Back to Top |
|
|
 |
|
|
</ td>
