Eastern Canada - $17.5B transit plan proposed for Toronto

I was pretty excited about this article from the Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/News/article/225858) about some extensive transit system upgrades. But after reviewing the plans for GO transit (http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=1385), I can't help but feel disappointed about the lack of bike commuter support or enhancement on the GO.

I've been riding to work (downtown Toronto) from Markham (approx 36km one way) and since I can't take my bike on the train back, I am forced to ride both ways. I am only able to do this once a week as I usually need to recover a bit before a longer weekend recreation ride. Ideally, I'd love to be able to ride into work in the mornings, take the train back and potentially ride to work more often. I just thought allowing bikes on the GO would make bike commuting for the folks in the burbs a bit more accessible.

Why do I feel like we are years behind what Europe is doing?

The good news is that the new TTC street cars appears to have proper bike racks (http://www.thestar.com/article/225710).

I guess you must know this already, but here is a link to Go transits bike info

http://www.gotransit.com/PUBLIC/faq/default.htm#Bicycles

I wish the TTC would let us on anytime with our bikes, and that we could go anytime on the Go, Via and greyhound. IT would make bike riding more easy and nice for people, therefore increasing the numbers of people who ride. HOwever, i do understnad how bikes might get in the way at rush hour. But a good plan could have made that a non-issue, perhaps.

HOW else does toronto make or break the great potencial for bike riding this landscape has to offer?

Jeez, I leave town for one day....

I'm not sure of the benefits of extending the Yonge line to Highway 7. The line is already saturated during rush hour and most trains are full by the time they get to Lawrence. Collecting more riders from farther out is going to make it impossible to get on and off the train once it gets close to downtown.

What I'd like to see would be to double the public transit on Yonge by making one surface lane each way a dedicated rush hour bus lane or diamond lane (bus, taxi, bike). That way you could take either the upper or lower route downtown. And when that gets too full, add an elevated train (or elevated bikeway!).

I'm not sure of the benefits of extending the Yonge line to Highway 7. The line is already saturated during rush hour and most trains are full by the time they get to Lawrence. Collecting more riders from farther out is going to make it impossible to get on and off the train once it gets close to downtown.

What I'd like to see would be to double the public transit on Yonge by making one surface lane each way a dedicated rush hour bus lane or diamond lane (bus, taxi, bike). That way you could take either the upper or lower route downtown. And when that gets too full, add an elevated train (or elevated bikeway!).

A better idea might be to put 1.5m bike lanes along both sides of Yonge Street, between Steeles and Lakeshore, then people who want to bike, can head straight down Yonge on bikes, taking more pressure off the subway, and still being as fast, if not faster then driving.

Yeah, i think that bike lanes, esspecially on long and heavily traveled routes by transit, bikes and autos would be a gret thing to have in our 'fine' city. A better bike plan over all woujld be a huge benifit for this place.

Federal funding for the TTC might help...especially since nobody seems to know where that $17.5 billion is going to come from.

Count on the provincial liberals to make some big promises in the near future.