Mayoral candidate Gil Penalosa wants to add 62 kms of high-speed bus lanes in Toronto

Toronto mayoral candidate Gil Penalosa unveiled his plan for the city's transit future on Wednesday — one that bets big on bus rapid transit as an addition to the city's current transit network.

If elected on Oct. 24, Penalosa said he would add 62 kilometres of separated, high-speed bus lanes and another 30 kilometres of bus-only lanes in the city.

Dubbed "FastLane," the plan would see electric buses make stops at covered stations as frequently as subway service. 

"If we want people to get out of their cars, we need to provide them with connected, fast and frequent service that doesn't take decades to build," Penalosa said in a news release issued Wednesday.

"FastLane is the quickest way to deliver rapid transit to Torontonians who are stuck in traffic."

Here's a look at Penalosa's map:

Penalosa, who is one of John Tory's main challengers in the election, projects the project would cost some $3.2 billion.

Pensola says his plan is created around the assumption that Tory's current transit plans will go ahead as scheduled. 

Tory hasn't made new transit-related promises on the campaign trail, but instead touted the $28 billion worth of transit projects that are underway, including, but not limited to, the Scarborough subway extension, Ontario Line and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.

Penalosa says he drew inspiration from similar transit systems around the world, including those in Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Seoul.

Closer to home, he compares it to the York Viva Rapidway, which saw the creation of $1.4 billion of dedicated bus lanes across York Region starting in 2009. 

Penalosa also says his FastLane plan would be funded, in part, by cancelling the pricey Eastern Gardiner redevelopment project. 

Here are the proposed routes for "FastLane":

Penalosa is among 30 other candidates who have registered with the city to run against Tory in the upcoming municipal election. You can find the full list here.