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You know we've hit an important milestone in the history of suburbia when home buyers value proximity to public transit over remoteness, property size and price. Increasingly, people are glazing over the idyllic, remote country home in favour of a crowded city dwelling or condo if it means the local GO train is only a quick bus ride away.

It's the practical thing to do, with the price of oil on the rise and the future of petroleum-based cars and trucks looking more uncertain by the day.

Yet millions find themselves with roots already firmly planted in the ground, their location based on home-buying decisions made years before driving gas-guzzling SUVs started to go out of fashion.

If they're lucky, they already live on a bus line that connects them to the city's web of public transit lines.

If they're not that lucky, they may have enough fortune to be in an area being considered for a future transit line, like the communities along Finch Avenue in north Etobicoke. There, the city is proposing an 18-kilometre light rail transit line that will link the Finch subway station to north Etobicoke, with the possibility of also connecting to the Finch West subway station on the future Spadina Subway extension.

The last of three open houses took place at Elmbank Community Centre last night where city staff shared details with residents on the plan that could see construction start as early as 2010, if all approvals and the environmental assessment go through.

As resident Peter Bennett told The Guardian, "Toronto isn't getting any smaller and there has to be a better way to shuffle people around the city."

Lack of accessible transit is forcing other residents to take finding that 'better way' into their own hands. As reported last week, a group of Martin Grove residents are petitioning the city to re-route their local TTC bus to accommodate seniors and teens who live off the main circuit. The effort has pitted them against other neighbours who may lose their stop if the routes change.

The more we're hit in the pocketbook with skyrocketing gas prices, the more people will start paying attention to the other transit options available. Whether a solution presents itself - immediately and conveniently or not - it is not only up to the city to plan for future transit needs. Individuals too, have a responsibility to push the envelope. Call up your councillor, learn about expansion plans and make your decisions accordingly.

The times, they are a-changin' and it's our responsibility to keep pace.