Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford calls for subway platform doors as part of TTC safety plan

Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford has released a four-point plan that he believes will make the TTC safer.

The plan, called SafeTTC Now, released on Tuesday, involves installing subway platform doors, bringing cell service to subway stations, increasing security and safety patrols on the TTCand creating a new agency toimprove mental health supportsfor people in crisis.

The TTC has previously said that the cost of installingbarriers along the edge of TTC subway platforms, which would include doors, is estimated to be about $1 billion.

"I've been hearing from thousands of people all across Toronto who say they no longer feel safe riding the TTC," Bradford, councillor for Beaches-East York,said in a news release.

"Whether it's a nurse on her way to Scarborough General to work the night shift, or a student rushing downtown to meet his friends at the Eaton Centre, people feel like they are putting their lives at risk by getting on transit."

On his campaign website, Bradford said he would push for subway platform doors to be set upat the busiest stations first,such asBloor-Yonge, Eglinton, Finch and St. George.

Extra patrols to be deployed to 'hot spots'

The extra patrols would involvethe deployment of 40 additional special constables and 50 additional Toronto police officers to "hot spots" that would be identified with the help of TTC management.

The new mental healthagency would be a mobile crisis intervention team dedicated to the TTC, he said. The agency, which would be called "There For You Toronto," would bring together more than 100 mental health and crisis outreach workerswho would work with the special constables and police officers.

According to Bradford, the agency wouldcombine existing programs such as Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams,the Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Program, Streets to Homes, the Toronto Community Crisis Service and FOCUS Toronto.

As for cell service on the TTC, Bradford says in a video on his Twitter page thatit is time to "hold big telecomsto account" and it's "unreasonable" that there is no cellular service underground now.

"It's time to restore safety to the TTC," Bradford saidin the video.

No price tags attached to plan

There are no price tags attached to the plan, whichis Bradford's first policy announcement since the mayoral race officially got underway on Monday.

The plan comes after a string of violent incidents on the TTC that have rattled the city,including the fatal stabbing of Gabriel Magalhaes, 16, a Toronto teen boy attacked at Keele station on March 25 while he was sittingon a bench in the subway's lower level. Magalhaes died in hospital. Jordan O'Brien-Tobin, 22, of no fixed address, has been charged with first degree murder.

Bradford is one candidate in a very crowded field of mayoral hopefuls.

Thirty-one people have already indicated they will runto replace John Tory, who resigned after he said he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a staffer in his office. A byelection to replace Tory will be held in Toronto on June 26.

Thelist of registered candidates includes:

• BahiraAbdulsalam
• Blake Acton
• Ana Bailo
• Brad Bradford
• Celina Caesar-Chavannes
• SarahClimenhaga
• Gordon Cohen
• FrankD'Angelo
• PhillipD'Cruze
• Rob Davis
• CoryDeville
• Anthony Furey
• IsabellaGamk
• Mitizie Hunter
• SyedJaffery
• Michael Lamoureaux
• KrisLangenfeld
• Giorgio Mammoliti
• Josh Matlow
• WalterRubino
• ChrisSaccoccia
• Mark Saunders
• RupicaSingh Waraich
• Knia Singh
• Erwin Sniedzins
• SandeepSrivastava
• MeirStraus
• Reginald Tull
• Jeffery Tunney
• KiriVadivelu
• Jack Weenen