Whole lotta love for new streetcars
TORONTO September
8th, 2014 - In a random sampling of public opinion taken by the
Forum Poll™ among 1069 Toronto voters, one half say they prefer a 7 stop LRT in
Scarborough (51%) to a 3 stop subway (40%). One tenth don't have an opinion (9%).
The only community in Toronto where the subway is preferred is Scarborough
itself, and not by very much (56% subway, 41% LRT). An LRT is especially
preferred by downtown residents (66%), although less so by residents of
Etobicoke/York (46%). Supporters of John Tory (60%), David Soknacki (75%) and
Olivia Chow (78%) support the LRT, while Rob Ford voters support the subway
(74%).
High approval for new streetcars
Among
the one third who have used or seen the new streetcars (36%), as many as 8-in 10
(79%) approve of them, and this is especially the case among the least wealthy
(92%), the wealthier ($60K to $80K - 92%), the least educated (84%), among Chow
supporters (88%) and among those who take transit (86%).
Priority to be given to DRL over Scarborough Subway
Fully 6-in-10
voters want the Downtown Relief Line prioritized and built before the
Scarborough subway (60%), while just half this proportion opt for the subway
first (31%). The DRL is preferred in all communities (downtown - 79%, North
York - 56%, Etobicoke/York - 73%) except Scarborough (DRL - 27%, subway 70%).
Tory voters (71%) and Chow supporters both prefer the DRL (66%), while Ford
voters want to prioritize the Scarborough subway (55%).
Even split on Rob Ford's transit plan
Exactly equal
proportions, just less than half, approve and disapprove of Rob Ford's transit
plan, involving 32 kilometers of new subways (46% approve, 46% disapprove).
Disapproval is high in the downtown (65%), whereas approval is higher in North
York (55%) and Scarborough (63%). Rob Ford voters, of course, mainly approve
(91%), while Tory and Chow supporters disapprove (60% and 72%, respectively).
"It's almost
as if there were two cities involved in Toronto's transit planning, Scarborough
and everywhere else, and Scarborough wants to be the tail that wags the dog. It
doesn't surprise us that Rob Ford's subway plans are very popular there, as
that increasingly may be the only way they get a subway in the east end of the
city," said Forum Research President, Dr.
Lorne Bozinoff.
Lorne
Bozinoff, Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be
reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416)
960-9603.
