This is the story of three transit plans. It’s also the story of lessons that can be learned in the sandbox.

Our first example is the federal government’s announcement to revive the Toronto Peterborough rail line for commuters. Originally built in the heyday of railways, it eventually succumbed to cost cutting, and was eliminated about twenty years ago. The line has a number of virtues that enabled the federal government to find the money. The positives include that the line will serve the constituents of one of the few Government MPs in the region and go through the riding of the federal finance minister.

Details are sketchy. Some reports say 900 commuters will be served. The federal finance minister counters by estimating the train will take the equivalent of 500 000 cars off the roads. Costs and stops still have to be determined. Municipal and provincial transit officials found out about the announcement by reading the papers. One guesses federal transport officials were in the same position.

Next is the Province’s ‘Move Ontario 2020 Plan.’ Announced in pre-election season last year, the Premier unveiled a $17.5b plan of 52 public transit projects in the Greater Toronto area and Hamilton. There remains a big catch. The Province will pay two-thirds on the condition that the federal government pays one third. Assuming federal largesse, the Province established a regional transit board that is happily drawing lines on maps and commissioning studies. How this vision fits federal or local intentions still remains to be worked out. A year later the provincial plan still needs funding.

The final transit idea of this troika is the Toronto Transit Commission’ s Transit City plan, a $6b network of light-rail lines crisscrossing the City. It is contingent on the federal and governments for two-thirds of its money. Established like the others without consultation, transit management is lobbying the Provincial government to include Toronto’s ideas within the Provincial plan. In the meantime, they have convinced City Council to fund studies in anticipation of the happy day when real funding comes.

So there we have it: billions of our dollars intended for transit. Each came from one government without input from the others. Each wants all the credit. Two of them want the federal participation limited to handing over a blank cheque. In turn the federal government pretends their new investment is a priority for the others. All plans are hostage to wider partisan politics.

What a mess.

Yet with one basic change, there can be a big difference. It can start anywhere, but is best from the City since it intimately knows local transit needs. Instead of the fanfare of an announcement, transit management could try the novel approach of quietly going to other levels of government to ask them what projects they could support. Without a doubt the final design would involve compromises in affordability, route and even politics. But the final product would meet a wide spectrum of needs. Better yet, it would get built rather than be the subject of bickering.

Although transit planning involves billions of dollars, thousands of commuters and complex decisions, some of the basic concepts could have been learned by playing in a sandbox. Children engaged in solitary playing are limited to their own corner in what they can create. Those who engage others and share their efforts find that they are part of a larger creation of which all can be proud.