Let’s stop complaining about Pan Ams
Toronto, it has often been said, is a “world class city.” As the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games approach, let’s hope that Torontonians will act accordingly.
Disappointingly, media coverage of the impending Games has mostly focused on the event as a source of traffic gridlock, and on other feared pitfalls likely to be far less serious than we imagine. Certainly the Games present Torontonians with inconveniences, including road closures, but they also offer the city unique benefits. A truly world-class metropolis wouldn’t get caught up in whining about temporary traffic problems.
Toronto is a cosmopolitan city that thrives on new cultural experiences. After the winter from hell, shouldn’t we be making the most of what promises to be an especially memorable summer? Yet there has been a steady stream of foreboding, including media reports of mannequin-filled cars in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and residents supposedly fleeing the city in fear of the havoc the Games will wreak.
It’s not clear how many visitors will in fact descend upon Toronto (estimates hover around 250,000), but whatever happens, the city need not be significantly disrupted.
The games will showcase 51 different sports distributed over 16 host municipalities. The events taking place in Toronto are spread across the city. A quarter-million people dispersed over a 100-kilometre stretch from Hamilton to Scarborough will hardly make an impact on our city’s own great daily migration. Every working day Toronto’s population grows by more than 450,000 as commuters from outside the city enter it and more than 800,000 people move from one part of the city to another.
Meanwhile, it is not unusual to have 60,000 fans flock to the Air Canada Centre and the Rogers Centre for simultaneous events while thousands attend meetings at the Convention Centre and shows at the Princess of Wales Theatre or Roy Thomson Hall. How many people — mere blocks away — even notice such surges?
Some level of event-related congestion is simply part of living in a diverse, multicultural city with lots to offer. The alternative is to live in a hollowed-out urban landscape.
Toronto commuters already have the longest daily commute in Canada, at 32.8 minutes, but with a little advance planning the Games needn’t make matters worse. All commuters need do is look at a schedule of events and plan their routes accordingly. Unlike last year, the Gardiner Expressway is open as the city has suspended road construction during the Games. Even the dreaded 235 kilometres of HOV lanes can translate into much faster commutes for people who travel in groups of three.
As a business owner in the downtown entertainment district I would suggest that the period surrounding the Games presents an opportunity for residents to rediscover the downtown core. Visit our cultural landmarks, eat at some of the 200 restaurants now participating in Summerlicious, take in the exciting events of the Games themselves.
So forget the negative media assess- ments and embrace the rare gift of the Games. Like other great cities, Toronto can absorb a number of major events simultaneously without skipping a beat. That’s how we’ve achieved such a rich cultural life. My call to action for Torontonians: Get out of your cars, come downtown and explore your city. With a modicum of forethought and planning, you will see and enjoy it like never before.