There’s been plenty of attention paid to the $6 billion a year that congestion costs the Toronto region in lost productivity. The hidden costs to the health care system and to residents’ lives, however, are less familiar.

That’s why 32 health, environment and academic leaders have published an open letter urging regional politicians at all levels of government to get moving on improving public transit.

More than $2.2 billion a year in related health-care costs are riding on the region’s ability to tackle its traffic and transit problem.

“This letter is saying, ‘Let’s not pause right now. Let’s keep this on the front burner,’” said Robert Plitt, of the sustainable cities charity Evergreen. “Doing nothing is not an option.”

Plitt called this a “pivotal moment in the region” — now that, after five years, Metrolinx has recommended four new taxes to pay for regional transit expansion.

Signatories on the letter range from Pollution Probe and the World Wildlife Federation to Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David McKeown.

Metrolinx says the average family would pay $477 a year toward transit under its recommendations.

That amount, dedicated to improved transportation systems, will be far outweighed by the benefits, said Robert Oliphant, president and CEO of the Asthma Society of Canada.

An asthma sufferer and a runner, he monitors Toronto’s air quality every day. Oliphant said he feels the difference when he’s running in a green space such as the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, compared with a car-dominated space such as the area near the Don Valley Parkway.

His organization lobbied hard to do away with coal-powered electricity in Ontario. Now that is almost gone, it is focusing on car emissions, said Oliphant.

“One of the reasons we’re supportive of the Big Move (regional transportation plan) is we know that all people benefit when we get cars off the road,” he said.

Gil Penalosa, of 8-80 Cities, a pedestrian and cycling advocacy group, believes 10 per cent of new transit dollars should go to active transportation rather than the 1 per cent Metrolinx recommends.

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But he thinks improvements to local transit would help reduce financial stress on families if they could get rid of one car, particularly in communities outside Toronto, where many households have two or more vehicles. It typically costs $7,400 a year to run that car, while the family may struggle to afford vacations or save for retirement.

“The household income in the GTA is $66,000, on average. Half goes to food and shelter,” Penalosa said. Out of the $32,000 they have left, half of it on mobility.”

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