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17 Comments

news

SUBWAYTM Map Not a Joke After All?

By Hamutal Dotan

20110401mapfinal.jpg
Click on the map to view a full-size version.


Back in March, the TTC indicated that it would entertain proposals to sell naming rights to subway stations and subway lines. It was a small clause buried in a long document outlining the requirements for those seeking to bid on the TTC’s advertising contract, and we decided to have a bit of fun with it. On April 1, we published a map of what the TTC might look like with the stations renamed after potential corporate sponsors.
We had a great time putting the map (and corresponding platform mock-ups) together, and you, dear readers, seemed to enjoy discovering what your new transit system might look like.
Regrettably, it might turn out to be less of a joke than we intended. This week the City of Toronto also released a proposal that will be examined by the Executive Committee later this month; it calls for a new policy on naming rights for public spaces in Toronto, and would make it easier for a company to, say, purchase the naming rights for a playground. The Toronto Star asked mayoral brother and advisor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) about this new approach to naming. Would he, for instance, be comfortable taking a subway to Spadina-McDonalds station?
His reply: “Whatever. If it brings in revenue, I honestly don’t believe anyone cares.”

Comments

  • http://twitter.com/_John_Henry John Henry

    Remember that time Milczyn asked for a report on selling TTC naming rights, & staff came back & said it was a bad idea? bit.ly/mqxndN
    via (@goldsbie

  • http://twitter.com/dpirraglia Daniela Pirraglia

    Because it's so efficient to re-review an item that was discussed only four years ago.

  • http://twitter.com/vgedris Vic Gedris

    “Whatever. If it brings in revenue, I honestly don’t believe anyone cares.”
    Well, then he's obviously out of touch, as many people DO care.

  • http://www.iterativearts.com bud latanville

    His reply: “Whatever. If it get me what I want, I honestly don’t care.”
    translated that for ya, Doug.

  • http://www.facebook.com/PositiveNRG Christopher King

    After all, this is just SUCH a better idea than road tolls, congestion charges, etc…

  • http://jameskoole.com James Koole

    I say we all pool our cash and see if we can have the new subway line named the “Rob Ford Gravy Train”.

  • http://twitter.com/jakelundy Jake Lundy

    So this is what Rob Ford meant when he declared “Toronto is now open for business”.

    http://www.canada.com/news/new…

  • http://www.facebook.com/madillm Matt Madill

    On a slightly related note, was anyone aware of this? (see below)

    http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/…

  • HamutalDotan

    Ha! I had forgotten.

  • James

    If selling the naming rights of a subway line or subway stations would help get us better transit or the Downtown Relief Line, then I honestly wouldn't care.

  • istoronto

    Most cities, Toronto included, name streets, parks and areas to honour citizens that contributed to the community in a positive way. Pecaut Square. June Callwood Park. Nathan Philips Square. David Crombie Park. 

    When the time comes to name something after the Ford's, the only appropriate thing I can think of, is to rename the Ashbridge Bay Sewage Treatment Plant to the  Rob and Doug Ford S**T Processing Factory.

  • http://paul.kishimoto.name Paul Kishimoto

    Except the plant is actually pretty clean and efficient and doesn't spew the stuff everywhere or produce messes that defy cleanup.

  • Jeremy Wilson

    I think Doug Ford might find that people actually DO care.  Not everything is about money.

  • http://piorkowski.ca qviri

    But it wouldn't. It just doesn't bring in enough money to move the needle. Look at the link from John Henry / Jonathan Goldsbie above, http://www3.ttc.ca/About_the_T…

    The largest figure named there is $6.25M for a 32-station BRT line for 25 years. Subways have larger ridership so let's be generous and assume $1M per subway station. Then let's be generous and account for inflation and the Ford brothers' amazing private sector business skills and bump that figure to $10M a station. We have 69 stations right now, and five distinct lines that could feasibly be named, the three subways, the RT, and the harbourfront “LRT.” That *might* add up to a billion dollars, maybe a billion and a half, as a one-time cash injection if we were to decide to brand the entire system and we were to find buyers for the entire system.

    The Spadina extension to Vaughan is projected at around $2.6B for 8.6 km and six stations, or around $300M per kilometre or $430M per station. Let's be generous and disregard the effect of inflation on these prices. The Sheppard subway extension is estimated at $4.2B for seven stations. The Transit City-era Eglinton LRT was something like $4.6B for around 25 stops, or $180M per stop.

    The 2011 TTC operating expenses are something like $1.4B. The yearly operating subsidy to the TTC from the city is $429M. The diesel cost alone in 2011 projected by the TTC is $86M.

    $10M per station doesn't even begin to make a difference in construction costs. Selling the entire system for 25 years would give us enough money to subsidize TTC operations to break-even for two, maybe three years.

  • isyouhappy

    As if selling the naming rights to a subway line or station would 

    A) be profitable for a corporation(corporations buy naming rights for sports stadiums and such because their names gets in the media by association, when, aside from delays, would Walmart subway line ever be reported upon/be beneficial?) 

    B) be realistic.. how much money would they really get from corporations to actually affect better transit service? would this money be used towards better service or funding Ford's useless transit 'plans'? And at what cost to the city's history, character and heritage? 

    If it was a tiny little plaque on the subway platform, and no permanent name changes, but that's not really the goal of naming rights now is it?

    Better leadership, better management, creativity, and funding from a provincial and federal level would get us better transit, not shortsightedly selling off naming rights.

  • smasharts

    Soooo……..the plant produces gravy……?

  • http://www.facebook.com/Steakbread Shaun Howard

    then we shouldn't expect any more price hikes with the new revenue.