October 29, 2012

What would you do with 32 extra minutes in your day?

TORONTO

What would you do with 32 extra minutes in your day?

That’s the question posed by the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance, which says on average commuters will save that much time daily if The Big Move regional, multi-modal transportation plan is funded and built in the next 25 years.

“With a commute time amongst the worst in North America, our transportation system is not working, and we do not have to accept it the way it is,” said John Tory, CivicAction chair in a news release.

“It can be so much better, and we want people to talk about how they would benefit from greater investment to make it better.”

Metrolinx, a provincial agency that owns much of the transportation infrastructure in Toronto and Hamilton, is slated to submit an investment strategy to the province and the region’s municipal governments by June 2013 with its recommendations on how to pay for an improved network to serve the GTHA.

CivicAction is calling on leaders from all sectors across the GTHA to talk to their communities about what matters to people and what actions they want governments to take to invest in a better regional transportation system.

Over 40 rising and established leaders, representing a variety of interests such as labour, non-profit and business, are CivicAction’s Champions Council.

“Everyone needs to be part of the conversation — road and transit users, taxpayers, businesses, students,” said CivicAction chief executive officer Mitzie Hunter in a news release.

“We’ll take their feedback to governments to drive action that will deliver the transportation network we need to prosper and thrive.”

Metrolinx says if no comprehensive system is built the average commute time will be 109 minutes, compared with 77 minutes if it is built.

DCN NEWS SERVICES

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