It can’t be "business as usual" when it comes to traffic enforcement and fighting congestion, mayor-elect John Tory said after a morning meeting with his team of transition advisors in North York Wednesday.
The Nov. 19 meeting was the second Tory has had with the team of advisors tasked with helping him shape his agenda — the first, last week at Metro Hall, dealing with housing issues.
This time, the topic was how to deal with Toronto’s stalled battle on traffic congestion — an issue that Tory said came up more than any other during the election campaign.
"Certainly we heard a lot about traffic through the election campaign more than any other issue," said Tory. "There was no question: people said to me this morning as people have said to me during the campaign, we can’t adopt a ‘business as usual’ approach to this. We have to start taking measures in the lives of people and in the economy."
Tory offered few specific solutions at the end of the meeting, although he questioned why the number of tickets for traffic related offenses have declined over the past few years.
"We haven’t found the reason for that," he said. "It is however indicative that there are fewer tickets being written for people breaking the law than previously. I realize that police operate within a constrained environment but when people are telling me that traffic is a crisis situation for them, their families and businesses I hope we can get a maximum possible co-operation in terms of the law. Whether that means giving more tickets or better police presence is going to have to be something I look at going forward."
Speaking with reporters after the closed-door meeting, Tory dealt with a number of other transportation-related issues.
He dismissed calls from Ward 7 Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti to push a vote on stopping work on Metrolinx’s Finch Avenue West LRT: "I think I learned early on to beware of men bearing gifts. I’ll just say transit decisions will be made by city council."
As for Tory’s signature transit plan, the SmartTrack surface rail line, he said he didn’t know when he would be bringing that matter forward to Council.
"I’m still not certain of that, but everything functions on the basis of reports that are written so at some point in time there will have to be reports requested," said Tory. "But it remains to be seen whether that’s done at the first meeting. I also have a mission and a mandate to talk to other levels of government."
As well, he clarified somewhat his criticism Tuesday of the city’s plan to take the company behind the Uber taxi ride sharing phone application to court. The city is accusing the company of operating an unlicensed taxi service.
"I wasn’t suggesting we can have the wild west here without regulation at all — that isn’t viable," said Tory. "We have to take into account a world in which Uber exists. They are good for people, they are good for the businesses involved and we do have to regulate them, but I don’t think the best way to do that is through the courts."
As well, Tory said he hasn’t yet determined whether he will be able to participate in the upcoming debate on whether jets can land at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, as his son works there and has registered as a lobbyist on the matter.
"I have had a meeting with the integrity commissioner and legal advice," he said. "I will be reporting on that in due course. I’d like to participate in any discussion I can but I will follow all the rules."