Scarborough residents offer input on subway extension

Different routes discussed at public consultation

The second round of public consultation on the Scarborough subway extension, approved in 2013, was held on Monday and showcased nine corridors being considered.

About 100 residents gathered at the Scarborough Civic Centre to learn more about the planning process, raise concerns and provide their opinion on which corridor they would like to see built.

The route options being considered go as far west as the current SRT route to as east as Markham Road.

The route council approved was for the Bloor-Danforth line to be extended to go along Eglinton Avenue East, then up McCowan Road to Sheppard Avenue East to connect with the future Sheppard LRT.

According to Tim Laspa, they city’s director of transportation planning, it is necessary to have other alternatives because of environmental assessments.

The main concerns he has heard from residents are where the stations will be located, how they can get involved in the process and environmental issues, Laspa said.

“There is some question of how close, ultimately, a subway alignment might be to homes. Once we start to define alignments we will be looking at that.”

Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, who was one of the many city councillors present at the meeting, said he remains open to hear what corridors citizens prefer but has his own personal favourites.

“I do like the one that council has already approved which is the one up McCowan Road,” De Baeremaeker said. “I do like the one over at Markham Road because … if you cut Scarborough in half, you would cut it right down Markham Road.”

Gary Comeau, a resident who will be sitting on the subway advisory committee, also supports the McCowan corridor because the propsed Lawrence East station would stop at Scarborough General Hospital.

“It is a hub for a lot of medical centres and a lot of people that go to the hospital have tests. They can’t drive, they’re older people and that will be a huge boon for the hospital and medical centres,” Comeau said.

After the consultations, the city is to evaluate each proposed corridor. Their findings will be presented once again to the public in early summer which could lead to a recommended alignment for the subway in the fall.

About this article

By: Ryan Chatterjee
Copy editor: Ethan Manninen
Posted: Feb 6 2015 11:16 am
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