Visionaries needed at city hall, TTC’s Andy Byford says
TTC CEO Andy Byford doesn’t have a vote. But he says it’s time to elect “visionaries in key offices,” who understand the value of transit, not just the cost.
Byford said he’s not pushing any particular candidate, including TTC chair Karen Stintz, who is running for mayor.
But this year’s civic and provincial elections are an opportunity to advocate for the funding that will buy more service for the TTC’s growing ridership.
“If we don’t bite the bullet now we really will have missed a golden opportunity to say if the TTC works. Toronto works, if Toronto works Ontario works,” he told a business lunch at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
Byford, a British citizen who can’t vote under Canadian rules, said a new mayor must be supportive of transit.
“I’ve pushed the city as hard as I can and the remaining gap in the budget ($6 million) must be closed,” he said.
Byford called the TTC capital funding scenario bleak with a $2.3 billion shortfall to keep the system in good repair and provide necessary modernization over the coming decade.