Money, money, money. Too bad that's all we hear in the debate about transit. Instead, we ought to be talking about what we want from transit, and how to best deliver services. Only then does it make sense to talk about money.

Our world has changed since we last seriously reviewed the big picture for transit. The organizations we know were built for a different, simpler metropolis. Delivering flexible services, accommodating new demographics and co-ordinating with other providers do not play to the strengths of either the TTC or GO Transit.

Yet if the central core of our region is to remain vital, transit providers both within Toronto and in the surrounding areas must adapt to new realities and work on the same team.

There are many ideas now bubbling away. One promising concept is to give the new Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA) revenues as well as the authority to set and enforce priorities. It can start by looking at both private transportation and public transit together.

Practical approaches can be considered such as prioritizing investments on the basis of moving the most people, encouraging investment from sources like pension funds and establishing focused service providers. Too bad Toronto considers these ideas radical. They work well elsewhere. Dismissing them here does us a disservice.

Since gridlock impacts buses and autos alike, decision-making must consider the transit and private transportation networks together. Part of the discussion has to be a mature dialogue on tolls and congestion charges so that we respect the taxes that motorists now pay, while addressing the needs of municipalities and our broader goals.

We can get a fair understanding of the differing viewpoints by looking at the costs borne by commuting motorists.

To find out how much I pay, I pulled out my records and came to the conclusion that my average commute costs $8.93 in gas, plus about $20 in depreciation, insurance and maintenance. Surprisingly, my total includes $5.93 in taxes, more in taxes alone than the cost of a return transit ticket.

In those taxes, $2.79 goes to the federal government and $3.14 goes to Queen's Park. Only about 11 cents, courtesy of the federal government's 'gas tax,' makes its way from my pocket to the city. Yet it is the municipality that pays for city roads, traffic safety and much of public transit.

These large differences in revenues and responsibilities underline some of the reasons why cities are looking at tolls and congestion charges. But if implemented by Toronto council alone, tolls and congestion fees will neither solve the problems of the city budget, nor ease gridlock, nor provide enough transit.

Tolls and congestion fees might achieve their goals if they are part of a regional solution to our transportation and transit challenges. At a regional authority decisions could be made by suburbanite and downtowner together, benefits calculated to accrue to both motorist and transit user, and plans implemented that account for new patterns of getting to work, play and home.

Solving the challenges of transit isn't first about money. It's about governance and deciding what we want.

There are many ideas now before us that can show the way forward. Let's not be afraid to use them.