Scarborough residents are tired of being ignored
Community leaders want to be included in making transit-related decisions
With the Scarborough RT officially slated to close in 2023, attention is back on how public transit works in the east side of the city.
And if you ask the riders, they have a lot to say.
The Star asked residents from Scarborough to share voice notes about what using the TTC is like for them. One called it the worst, yet “most reliable” option they had. Some barely used the RT to begin with. Another wondered if the TTC could deal with the sewage smell inside Kennedy Station while they were at it.
But something community leaders in the area have wanted for a long time is for decisionmaking with public transit to really include them.
Masooma Ali said growing up in Scarborough and seeing the way decisions like transit plans are made is what inspired her to become an urban planner.
She’s noticed that people of colour and people with lower incomes often get their needs met last, and when they do have the opportunity to contribute to a consultation, it’s not always what they’d expect.
“(Leaders) will come, and they will listen, but they will ultimately do what they think is best,” Ali said.
“There (have) been so many different options that have been promised to Scarborough over the years that haven’t come into fruition,” Ali said, but she sees how this could be “a moment of great change” if community members are involved.
She pointed out the fact that the SRT is so outdated — it was built in 1985 and is still chugging long past its 25 years life span — and yet Scarborough residents have fought hard to maintain it because it is all they have.
“It really speaks to the situation of transit in Scarborough,” she said. “It’s not a great system, but it’s still better than the alternatives that exist.”
Jamaal Myers, a long-time transit advocate, has noticed that much of the transit solutions that come out of city hall over the years aren’t necessarily based on what would really serve Scarborough.
The SRT only serves 6.4 kilometres and the subway replacement plan would add a kilometre and a half.
Meanwhile, Scarborough in full stretches nearly 190 square kilometres.