Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford calls for subway platform doors as part of TTC safety plan
Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford has released a four-point plan that he believes will make the TTC safer.
The plan, called SafeTTC Now, released on Tuesday, involves installing subway platform doors, bringing cell service to subway stations, increasing security and safety patrols on the TTC and creating a new agency to improve mental health supports for people in crisis.
The TTC has previously said that the cost of installing barriers along the edge of TTC subway platforms, which would include doors, is estimated to be about $1 billion.
"I've been hearing from thousands of people all across Toronto who say they no longer feel safe riding the TTC," Bradford, councillor for Beaches-East York, said in a news release.
"Whether it's a nurse on her way to Scarborough General to work the night shift, or a student rushing downtown to meet his friends at the Eaton Centre, people feel like they are putting their lives at risk by getting on transit."
On his campaign website, Bradford said he would push for subway platform doors to be set up at the busiest stations first, such as Bloor-Yonge, Eglinton, Finch and St. George.
Extra patrols to be deployed to 'hot spots'
The extra patrols would involve the deployment of 40 additional special constables and 50 additional Toronto police officers to "hot spots" that would be identified with the help of TTC management.
The new mental health agency would be a mobile crisis intervention team dedicated to the TTC, he said. The agency, which would be called "There For You Toronto," would bring together more than 100 mental health and crisis outreach workers who would work with the special constables and police officers.
According to Bradford, the agency would combine existing programs such as Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams, the Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Program, Streets to Homes, the Toronto Community Crisis Service and FOCUS Toronto.
As for cell service on the TTC, Bradford says in a video on his Twitter page that it is time to "hold big telecoms to account" and it's "unreasonable" that there is no cellular service underground now.
"It's time to restore safety to the TTC," Bradford said in the video.
No price tags attached to plan
There are no price tags attached to the plan, which is Bradford's first policy announcement since the mayoral race officially got underway on Monday.
The plan comes after a string of violent incidents on the TTC that have rattled the city, including the fatal stabbing of Gabriel Magalhaes, 16, a Toronto teen boy attacked at Keele station on March 25 while he was sitting on a bench in the subway's lower level. Magalhaes died in hospital. Jordan O'Brien-Tobin, 22, of no fixed address, has been charged with first degree murder.
Bradford is one candidate in a very crowded field of mayoral hopefuls.
Thirty-one people have already indicated they will run to replace John Tory, who resigned after he said he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a staffer in his office. A byelection to replace Tory will be held in Toronto on June 26.
The list of registered candidates includes:
Bahira Abdulsalam
Blake Acton
Ana Bailão
Brad Bradford
Celina Caesar-Chavannes
Sarah Climenhaga
Gordon Cohen
Frank D'Angelo
Phillip D'Cruze
Rob Davis
Cory Deville
Anthony Furey
Isabella Gamk
Mitizie Hunter
Syed Jaffery
Michael Lamoureaux
Kris Langenfeld
Giorgio Mammoliti
Josh Matlow
Walter Rubino
Chris Saccoccia
Mark Saunders
Rupica Singh Waraich
Knia Singh
Erwin Sniedzins
Sandeep Srivastava
Meir Straus
Reginald Tull
Jeffery Tunney
Kiri Vadivelu
Jack Weenen
