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Duly Quoted: David Gunn
“They’re taking on huge financial and technological risks. There are serious safety implications. I think they’re headed for a cliff, while people talk about new uniforms.”
—David Gunn, former chief general manager of the TTC (1995–1999). Earlier this year Gunn was invited to visit Toronto and consult with the TTC on how the agency might trim its budget, and recently he summarized his findings to the Globe, after having met privately with TTC Chair Karen Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence). Among his conclusions: the Sheppard subway is both unfundable and a bad idea (“North-south capacity on Yonge is the TTC’s big problem. So, what are they doing? They’re planning extensions to feed the Yonge line.”); the Spadina subway extension is profligate (“The stations and the line are not built to minimize costs because that previous commission (under chair Adam Giambrone) had visions of grandeur.”); and burying the Eglinton LRT makes no sense (“Low-floor streetcars in a tunnel will cost you more than a subway while delivering less. I can’t for the life of me figure out how this decision was made.”). As of yet, there is no word on how Stintz responded to these concerns.