It’s a funny thing how our goofy mayor has a way of stating issues that are burning just under the surface of public discourse. That would be Rob Ford and the ding-dong trolleys of Toronto. At Jaye Robinson’s Ward 25 Transit Town Hall in February the well-dressed Lawrence Park crowd had more than one cranky word to say about “19th century technology” embodied in our a streetcars. TTC chief general manager Andy Byford dodged the topic by saying he got streetcars as a fait accomplis (our words) when he stepped off the plane from Australia. It didn’t take much to read his mind. Now Ford is back on the topic. “I won’t be buying anymore streetcars as long as I’m mayor and I’m planning to be mayor for a long time, much to your chagrin, .” he told reporters. Ford blamed streetcars for “causing congestion in this city” and argued that buses would be a better alternative. Before Ford swept into office, council agreed to a $1.2-billion deal to buy 204 new streetcars. They are expected to start hitting the streets this August and a new garage is being built on Leslie St. to house the vehicles. The new fleet is expected to last as long as 35 years. TTC officials say the capacity of one new streetcar equals that of three 12-metre buses. They also sit in the middle of the street and block traffic.
