Fixing Toronto - Part 10
What’s with those massive outdoor TTC LRT billboards?
I see in y-targeting-transit-city/article1439298/">my morning paper that Toronto Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi has included a moratorium on Toronto’s “Transit City” infrastructure initiative in his platform.
But before he gets down to considering the merits of the overall project, let’s ask ourselves why the City of Toronto has erected massive billboards promoting the concept. For weeks now, a CBS billboard at Moore and Bayview has been trumpeting the plan. Something like 5 new Light Rapid Transit lines are being promoted for places like Sheppard East and Finch West. And for as long as the billboard has been there, I’ve been wondering: what’s CBS charging for a superboard in Leaside, and who actually is the advertising directed at?
It’s the last question that’s the most troubling, for it is one thing for the TTC to run self-promotion ads on their own system when there’s unsold advertising capacity in a subway car. But what’s the point of a CBS-owned LRT billboard in Leaside? This isn’t a new brand of sugared water for sale.
Are people going to move neighbourhoods based upon an LRT line that will be completed over the next half decade? Are vehicle commuters going to sell their car, today, based upon what the LRT system will look like at some point in the future? Not going to happen.
Build it, and they may then ride.
Which begs the question: other than self-congratulatory back-patting by the proponents of the billion dollar initiative, what’s the point of Transit City ads on private sector-owned superboards? Particularly when the City has a $400MM plus operating deficit.
It’s kind of like advertising discount university textbooks on Treehouse TV.
MRM
(disclosure - this blog, as always, reflects a personal opinion; and in no way represents the views of our firm, the TPA, its Board/Staff or the federal government)
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