The Big Move is at your doorstep, or should we say, in your pocket book? This is no trivial matter. If you drive 40-50 thousand km per year throughout the GTA, the cost will be approximately $2,500 per driver! Not a small sum, by any means!
What can Peel residents realistically expect as a consequence of this increase in their taxes? Can we expect regular Go Bus service along our major arterial routes, Hwy 50 & Hwy 10, which will seamlessly intersect with frequent, ultra-fast, and destination-oriented LRT and train routes (i.e. Pearson, Union, etc.)? Can the commuting Caledon public expect proper Go Bus shelters with bike racks? Will this result in safer, semi pedestrian-friendly, well-illuminated intersections along Hwy 10 and Hwy 50?
Certainly higher, unrelenting taxes merit a quantitative and qualitative increase in the level of public transit throughout the region. Such as trains that run frequently, punctually, and at least 18 hours a day, combined with ubiquitous, interconnecting LRT and bus lines. The big question also remains; will this result in substantially less gridlock? The experts conclusively agree that this concept is beyond argument. Let’s hold them to their word – there has to be a modest level of accountability when you discuss numbers this large (i.e. $30-40 billion).
So what exactly will all these extra tax dollars get us?
Now is the time to let your concerns be known. The Big Move has just moved into your pocket book, and it isn’t likely to leave. Let’s not take our eyes off the prize. Perhaps a real work Czar could administer this colossal undertaking and hopefully eliminate the need for our own version of the Carboneau Commission. From time-to-time we have all witnessed 6 people jawing and 1 working, this shouldn’t be about creating jobs, but building a better way for all our children to prosper and enjoy a more user-friendly environment. Let’s make sure the Big Move works and not just by taking money out of our pockets, but through real, long-lasting transportation improvement at these costs.