Raise the Hammer

i think this is an okay article, but i really am uncomfortable with the implication of boosting transit sorely as an economic driver. as much as transit upgrades and LRT can be great for drawing certain types of new businesses, we really have to look at how people who are already living and working here can get around outside of the very small corridor of decent transit in this city. with increasing land values in the lower city, low income individuals are being pushed out of the core and into areas of very poor transit service. despite being the group of people who most rely on transit due to the inability to afford personal transportation and very poor cycling infrastructure, few people tend to acknowledge the importance of growing alternative transit options for this group of people. for low income people who were forced to move from the core to the mountain, a new LRT line is not going to be much help to their economic prospects because, as one individual running for the ward 7 by-election mentioned, how can people in that area benefit from LRT when they have such poor bus service to the core.

millennials may be one of the poorest generations in recent memory (this is an arguable point as data is quite mixed) but there is little doubt as to the fact that the wealth gap between rich and poor in this generation is greater than seen in many previous generations. using transit growth as an economic driver tends to neglect many communities and accelerates the harmful impacts of gentrification. millennials who are economically successful are able to use the power achieved through that success to advocate for better transit and services that individuals from lower income communities are not able to do. i feel it is our responsibility to ensure that alternative transit options are distributed as fairly as possible in our city to ensure equitable economic opportunities for individuals in order to create a diverse and inclusive economy. evidence will show that this has positive impacts to individuals from all economic backgrounds, and would alleviate many of the inequities that result in economic and social problems in this city.

i understand that alternative transit is pretty bad everywhere and it's not worth saying that we should stop transit improvements in one area because others may not be able to use it. it is important that reliable public transit is seen as a right, and not a privilege for those fortunate enough to afford housing in areas where there is access.