Save the West Scarborough Rail Trail! Stop the TTC "Pocket Track!" - Write to Councillor Kandavel! - Template Included.

Hello Danforth Gardens, Oates Park, Upper Summerside and SJC Neighbours

Historic GECO Rail Bridge Over St. Clair Ave.

Over 50 years ago, University of Toronto grad students proposed a bike path from Warden Subway Station to the Metro Toronto Zoo.  Now that dream is under threat of being cancelled by a TTC proposal to create a “pocket track” to park two trains at Warden Subway Station.  Not only would this cancel the WSRT, it would also be very disruptive to our neighbourhood with trains being moved late at night and early in the morning close to residential areas. It would also destroy valuable recreational greenspace in our neighbourhood.

The 3 kilometre West Scarborough Rail Trail would connect local neighbourhoods to each other, to Warden Hilltop Community Centre, to local parks and ravines and to a bike and pedestrian network linking Lake Ontario to Midtown and Rouge National Urban Park.

If you support the West Scarborough Rail Trail and do not want a TTC “pocket track” in our neighbourhood, please write to Councillor Kandavel at councillor_kandavel@toronto.ca and let him know how you feel.

You can compose your own letter or use the template below.

Sincerely,

Scarborough Junction Community

scarbjunction20@gmail.com

wwwscarborough-junction.ca

                                             

 WSRT Councillor Letter Template:

 Hello Councillor Kandavel

I hope all is well. 

It has come to my attention that the West Scarborough Rail Trail proposal is under threat of being cancelled by a TTC proposal to create a pocket track to park two trains overnight in our neighbourhood at Warden Subway Station.

I want you to know that I fully support the creation of the West Scarborough Rail Trail utilizing the former GECO rail bridge over St. Clair Ave. and the associated abandoned rail corridor and DO NOT support the creation of a pocket track at Warden Station.

The WSRT would connect our neighbourhood to natural recreational space, the local Warden Hilltop Community Centre and an off-road active transportation network linking us to a trail network running from Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Don River to Rouge National Urban Park.

Creating a “pocket track” at Warden Station would cancel the WSRT and be disruptive to our neighbourhood with trains being moved during the night and early morning near the Oates Park, Danforth Gardens and Upper Summerside neighbourhoods.  It would also destroy valuable recreational greenspace in our neighbourhood.

A two-train pocket track is a minor operational issue that can be accommodated at one of the 3 new stations east of Kennedy or elsewhere.

I ask you to work to the create the West Scarborough Rail Trail and prevent our neighbourhood from becoming an industrialized parking lot for 2 TTC trains.

Sincerely,