Close to three-quarters of Torontonians have concerns about public transit, according to a new poll released by Forum Research.
The poll, which randomly sampled 944 Toronto voters, found that about 70 per cent have concerns about transit in the city compared to 30 per cent who say they do not.
The chief concerns voiced by respondents include overcrowding and not enough subways, the poll says.
A third of people concerned about transit said their biggest issue is that there are not enough subway lines in the city and a similar number, about 29 per cent, said that overcrowding is their biggest concern.
About 13 per cent said they are concerned about unreliable service and 10 per cent said the cost of fares is their primary issue.
According to the poll, satisfaction with the TTC is unchanged since July. Of those who have taken the TTC within the past month, the poll states that three-quarters say they are satisfied with the public transit agency.
The survey also found that satisfaction with GO Transit is “very high” with 88 per cent of recent riders saying they are satisfied with the service.
In terms of transit priorities, the poll found that once again, the highest number of respondents (36 per cent) said the downtown relief line should to the TTC’s top priority.
Even with the introduction of time-based fares with Presto cards, about 50 per cent of respondents say they have not used Presto while taking the TTC.
The poll also asked respondents about which candidate they support in the mayoral campaign and among decided and leaning voters, 56 per cent said they would vote for Tory. His primary challenger, former chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat, received about 28 per cent support, according to the poll.
About half of the respondents (52 per cent) said they support the job John Tory is doing as mayor while about 32 per cent said they disapprove.
“We know moving around in Toronto is going to be an issue in the municipal election,” Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, said in his analysis accompanying the poll. “How the candidates approach this important issue is critical to their success in 2018, given how many have concerns with transit in Toronto right now.”
The poll, which was conducted between Sept. 20 and Sept. 24, is considered accurate plus or minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20.
The release of the poll comes ahead of tonight's TTCriders debate, which will be held at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus. Keesmaat, Saron Gebresellassi, and Sarah Climenhaga are registered to attend while John Tory is not expected to participate in tonight's debate.
