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LA has some of the least sprawl in the U.S., and has very minimal traffic congestion compared to horrible gridlock cities like Cairo, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, etc.
And aren't you a Toronto defender? Toronto has, for first world standards, horrific traffic, and is much harder to get around than in LA. There are like two urban freeways in Toronto. The major surface arterials are tiny, and there are tons of dead-end streets.
LA is quite easy to get around, with a MASSIVE network of freeways and arterials. When I lived in Corona del Mar, I would head into LA basically every weekend, and that's 45 miles away. Yeah, heavy traffic, but it moves. In Toronto that would be much more difficult, despite being a much smaller city.
LA is known for its horrid traffic congestion and God aweful pollution, doesn't sound great to me.
Toronto has 5 urban freeways, not 2, by the way, and is expanding mass transit, not building more freeways. Do you really believe that having multiple freeways cutting up and dividing neighbourhoods is better than a city building mass transit and trying to reduce pollution and congestion?
L.A.? I'm not from Los Angeles, so not sure where that came from. I'm actually from Greater Washington, which is a wonderful place absent the heat And Los Angeles is the cultural juggernaut of the West and DC is the political mecca of the world. I think they can hold up on their own
I didn't say you were from L.A. Not everything is about you.. As I said, I have zero interest in L.A. I don't go into the L.A forums squawking about that city. That was my point that it is odd that someone like you or Nola would be constantly posting about Toronto and its never positive. Its the same negativity and dismissive tone over and over again and I find that odd. You don't like the city - ok you don't have to live here, you don't have to visit here. Simple solution. Its this constant need that you guys feel to put Toronto in its place that is head scratching and yes, leaves one wondering what is going on in the grey matter for someone to do that.
LA is known for its horrid traffic congestion and God aweful pollution, doesn't sound great to me.
Toronto has 5 urban freeways, not 2, by the way, and is expanding mass transit, not building more freeways. Do you really believe that having multiple freeways cutting up and dividing neighbourhoods is better than a city building mass transit and trying to reduce pollution and congestion?
If I am not mistaken, LA has over $5b in total rail expansion projects under construction currently. So it seems like they are investing is transit projects like many other cities across the continent.
I am not the biggest LA fan either (even though I have had some great times on my limited visits) but typically the best way to make your point is to not sound completely misinformed and ignorant yourself.
Also your characterization of DC in the other post was also ridiculous. That is an awesome city, hardly the slum you make it out to be.
I didn't say you were from L.A. Not everything is about you.. As I said, I have zero interest in L.A. I don't go into the L.A forums squawking about that city. That was my point that it is odd that someone like you or Nola would be constantly posting about Toronto and its never positive. Its the same negativity and dismissive tone over and over again and I find that odd. You don't like the city - ok you don't have to live here, you don't have to visit here. Simple solution.
I think that's why some people think that they're trolls, so bitter and obsessive and always rude and dismissive of other people's views, especially mannitopia! It's way over the top and that's why they get under people's skin so much.
LA is known for its horrid traffic congestion and God aweful pollution, doesn't sound great to me.
Toronto has 5 urban freeways, not 2, by the way, and is expanding mass transit, not building more freeways. Do you really believe that having multiple freeways cutting up and dividing neighbourhoods is better than a city building mass transit and trying to reduce pollution and congestion?
Toronto has a lot of work to do in the transit world that is for sure. What can't be denied Is that it also has considerably higher PT ridership than L.A, which is indeed a much larger city. As for defending L.A's traffic that is actually the first I've heard of it lol. There is a difference visiting a city and not knowing it versus living in one and knowing its traffic flows.
In any event - L.A and Toronto share two things in common - they have the among the most dense suburbs in N.A. and the busiest highways. Also, of the 3 busiest freeways in N.A the top three are in Toronto and L.A
1) 401 Toronto
2) 405 L.A
3) 427 Toronto
As for Toronto having 2 freeways that is very odd thing to say
Top of my head
401, 427, 400, QEW and Gardiner Expressway. These highways cross the city proper of T.O. If you extend to the GTA there are obviously more.
All said I still have no interest in living or visiting L.A... I won't be going in the L.A forums either lol..
If I am not mistaken, LA has over $5b in total rail expansion projects under construction currently. So it seems like they are investing is transit projects like many other cities across the continent.
I am not the biggest LA fan either (even though I have had some great times on my limited visits) but typically the best way to make your point is to not sound completely misinformed and ignorant yourself.
Also your characterization of DC in the other post was also ridiculous. That is an awesome city, hardly the slum you make it out to be.
That's awesome about LA, I didn't know that. It is still so dominated by all those horrible freeways though, which is aweful.
As for Washington, I agree, it's really come a long way from where it was a decade ago. I hear great things about the city all the time, but I was just amused by him referring to it being the political Mecca of the world, talk about delusions of grandeur! Sure it's an important global city politically, but it's not the "capital of the world" by any means.
I think that's why some people think that they're trolls, so bitter and obsessive and always rude and dismissive of other people's views, especially mannitopia! It's way over the top and that's why they get under people's skin so much.
I've come to accept that about posters in here. You're going to get all kinds. It one thing to offer critique about a city - its a completely other to simply smash it constantly. Those are the one's that just lose all credibility as far as i'm concerned. There's little to no middle ground with them so it is clear they are working off of an agenda/narrative.
Some Toronto posters in here offer a fair share of criticism of the city such as Botti. I don't always agree with him but he also balances his assessments with the positive and negative and I think there is a genuine desire on his part to be constructive.
If I am not mistaken, LA has over $5b in total rail expansion projects under construction currently. So it seems like they are investing is transit projects like many other cities across the continent.
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Yeah and this is a great thing for PT in L.A.. It does seem as though there is increased focus on expanding subways/LRT's and rail in N.A cities and that is a good thing. Some people in here constantly slam Toronto's development and certainly some of the projects leave one scratching their head - but the overall Transit investment in Toronto has to be on the high end of cities in N.A. As we speak there is a 5 billion dollar LRT being constructed along Eglinton and as you know, this is probably the most important east/west artery in the city north of Bloor street. There is also concurrently a subway extension going on that is a 3.6 billion dollar project and soon to be another. The DRL will get going I have no doubt about it not to mention heavy rail investments with GO and modernization of existing TTC lines to improve headways (which are already very good) and to increase reliability.
If these projects were going on in other N.A cities they'd be praised in that actual shovels are in the ground building something and large investments made, plans have translated to action. Not all but a sizable amount. That said, because this is Toronto its always a never ending critique by quite a few posters in here. Its almost always negative and almost always dismissive doom and gloom stuff and never balanced.
That's awesome about LA, I didn't know that. It is still so dominated by all those horrible freeways though, which is aweful.
As for Washington, I agree, it's really come a long way from where it was a decade ago. I hear great things about the city all the time, but I was just amused by him referring to it being the political Mecca of the world, talk about delusions of grandeur! Sure it's an important global city politically, but it's not the "capital of the world" by any means.
I think LA being car centric is here to stay. I have only been a few times but it is absolutely not a city I could see myself ever living in. With that said I have enjoyed my visits.
Re: DC point taken. It's one of the few cities in the US and Canada that I could truly say I could live in for an extended period of time and not get sick off too quickly. The political part of it may be my least favorite. So I believe we may see eye to eye on this one.
LA is known for its horrid traffic congestion and God aweful pollution, doesn't sound great to me.
Maybe you should ignore stereotypes. Canada is primarily known for polar bears, beer drinking and ice hockey, doesn't mean that's Toronto in a nutshell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by North 42
Toronto has 5 urban freeways, not 2, by the way, and is expanding mass transit, not building more freeways.
Toronto has 2 urban freeways around the urban core. And there are almost no major surface arterials as in LA. It's a MUCH harder city to get around than LA.
And all cities are investing in transit. The fact is that Toronto has a very limited rail system for such a transit-dependent metro area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by North 42
Do you really believe that having multiple freeways cutting up and dividing neighbourhoods is better than a city building mass transit and trying to reduce pollution and congestion?
I believe that LA is far easier to get around than Toronto. Whether it was smart or not to build urban freeways 50-60 years ago is besides the point. The fact is that Toronto in 2016 isn't an easy city to travel long distances, and LA is.
And all cities, LA included, "are trying to reduce pollution and congestion". No city is trying to make these things worse, so ridiculous question.
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And Los Angeles is the cultural juggernaut of the West and DC is the political mecca of the world. I think they can hold up on their own 
