UTTRI associated faculty Professor Steven Farber and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Matthew Palm co-wrote the Opinion “Toronto must vote in favour of bus-only lanes,” Toronto Star, July 20, 2020.
Further to the City of Toronto news release July 8, “Implementation of priority bus-only lanes to be accelerated across the city; Eglinton East identified as first priority,” identifying six corridors, the matter will be considered at the July 28 council meeting.
Experts on transportation equity, Farber and Palm state that “wealth and race strongly impacts who has continued to need transit during the pandemic,” and that council approval of priority bus-only lanes would signal “a transformative and progressive era in Toronto’s transportation system.”
They also identify other benefits of priority bus-only lanes such as:
- providing better and safe service during COVID-19 to the “transit dependent” in currently underserved areas.
- reducing traffic and thereby improving air quality, due to higher ridership of more efficient and reliable bus transportation.
Bus-only lanes are cost-effective, quick to implement, and will have an expansive coverage that benefits riders in several of the most racialized and underserved pockets of our suburbs.
Read the full Opinion “Toronto must vote in favour of bus-only lanes,” Toronto Star, July 20, 2020 [paywall]