Energy Probe

Taking the train to work  is better for the environment than driving an SUV—right? Well, that depends.

Governments throughout the continent are shovelling money as fast as they can, largely into low- or no-value infrastructure projects.

There are many reasons for road tolls, Metrolinx isn’t one of them.

The Greater Toronto Area needs a gazillion dollars to fund Metrolinx, a mega mega transportation system of light rail, commuter trains, subways, highways, roads, and bicycle paths designed to reach every ward in an 8,000 square kilometre operating region approaching six million people. It will cost more than governments can afford, say its government backers.

The answer, the backers say, is a toll road system that extends across the GTA and finances the transit megaproject.

With governmental blessings, you can car pool from home to work, but only under certain conditions.

Governments want us to maximize car pooling to take excess cars off the road, to save energy, and to clean up the environment, right?

The World Madness Institute's Transportation Division recently released a report claiming that most North American commuters are huge supporters of public transit -- for others, not themselves.

The surveyors interviewed 10,000 people and discovered that 77 per cent of Americans and 89 per cent of Canadians wanted their municipal governments to either introduce or expand their local light rail transit system. They were almost unanimous in wanting to get everyone else's cars off the road to cut their own travel times.