Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

15 May 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1020, for 15 May 2009.

In this issue...

1 - Calendar

2 - Transport 2000 Ontario: Support the TTC's purchase of 204 new streetcars

Transport 2000 Ontario would like to bring attention to the importance and urgency of the TTC's order for 204 new streetcars for the existing network. Most of the current fleet is over 30 years old. Most of the streetcar routes are among the most heavily trafficked in the surface network. The King car, the busiest of all surface routes, carries 25% more riders than the Sheppard Subway in a day, and about as many riders as the Lakeshore West GO Train ..... Toronto's streetcar network will be unworkable without new streetcars, and needs a commitment to the solution for tomorrow delivered today.

The province has announced funding for some of the Transit City lines, and Transport 2000 Ontario publicly congratulated the province for its wise investment in this phenomenal opportunity. Transit City will mark Toronto as a leading transit-oriented city in North America, increasing mobility in and even beyond Toronto while reducing pollution and mitigating congestion. However, the existing network will continue to grow, but currently lacks the capacity to absorb that growth.

Is the Premier planning to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony for new transit lines that will not have any vehicles rolling down them because the Premier didn't pitch in the province's one-third funding for those vehicles?

3 - Transport 2000 is part of a cross-border coalition: Second Seattle-Vancouver train

"In a letter delivered to Canada's Minister of Public Safety Peter van Loan, a cross-border coalition made up of think tanks, business executives and elected officials encouraged the Canadian government to relax customs fees for train travel between Washington State and British Columbia ... we urge you to expand the fee waiver period from June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2010 to allow commencement of service as proposed by Amtrak and Washington State Department of Transportation," Mike Wussow of the Cascadia Center reported on May 5.

As the commencement date for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver approaches, at issue in the immediate short term is the ability of "Amtrak to test and market the service (a second Amtrak Cascades train) during the busy summer tourism and cruise ship season."

The letter cites a study by the Border Policy Research Institute that found that "implementation of the service over a year would allow the federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada to collect $1.87 million in GST, PST and room taxes combined as a result of increased passenger travel." Vancouver Mayor Greg Robertson and David Jeanes, President of Transport 2000 Canada are among the signatories. Top executives from Tourism Burnaby, Vancouver AM Tourism Association, British Columbia Hotel Association, Tourism British Columbia, Tourism Industry Association of Canada and TransLink also signed the appeal.

http://www.cascadiaprospectus.org/2009/05/cascadia_coalition_urges_canad.php

4 - Laval a pris Montréal de vitesse: Normand Parisien, Transport 2000

« Que diriez-vous si un agent sonnait à votre porte pour vous parler des avantages du transport en commun, de la marche ou du vélo et pour décourager l'auto solo ? C'est ce qui se passe ces jours-ci dans sept secteurs de Laval dans le cadre de l'opération Éco Mobile à Laval . ... Autobus plus fréquents, information disponible en temps réel pour les usagers, marketing personnalisé, trolleybus : la Société de transport de Laval (STL) ne lésine pas sur les moyens à prendre pour s'imposer comme un leader du transport en commun » Les Affaires a rapporté.

le samedi 2 mai.

« 'C'est la première fois qu'un tel projet de marketing personnalisé prend place au Québec. Nous nous sommes inspirés d'actions menées à Vancouver, en Australie et en Europe. Il s'agit d'un partenariat entre la STL, Vélo Québec et le ministère des Transports du Québec' explique Jean-Pierre Giard, directeur général de la STL. Le Ministère et la STL consacrent chacun 250 000 $ à ce projet. En mars dernier, la STL annonçait qu'elle entreprenait une étude de faisabilité - en partenariat avec Hydro-Québec et avec le soutien financier du ministère des Transports du Québec - pour implanter un service de trolleybus sur son territoire. Les résultats doivent être présentés à la fin de 2009, au plus tard début 2010 ».

« Pour sa part, le directeur général de Transport 2000, un organisme qui fait la promotion des transports collectifs, Normand Parisien, ne tarit pas d'éloges pour cette initiative. 'Laval a pris Montréal de vitesse', dit-il » Marc Gosselin écrivait dans Les Affaires.

5 - Friends of the Steam Train: Onward and upward

"After a year's absence, the Steam Train is back. (Its Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield rail line was shut for a year following a leda clay landslide by the track). A day before its return, the operators were still on tenterhooks, though: the permit to operate the Steam Train arrived only Friday May 8 from the Québec Transport Commission; it took an intervention in extremis by Norm McMillan MNA to get the bureaucracy finally to act (just) on time," reports Harry Gow, co-chair Friends of the Steam Train.

"Now on to promote the train and new stations for it at Hull, Chelsea and Wakefield! To quote our regretted Friends director Ernie Mahoney 'Onward and upward!"

6 - Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield: Le Train à Vapeur

« Après une année d'absence, le train à vapeur est de retour! Un glissement de terrain avant conduit les autorités à fermer la ligne Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield pendant un an. Et à la fin, le permis d'opération est arrivé le vendredi 8 mai,- la veille du début de service - de la Commission des Transports du Québec, après une intervention in extremis par le député sénior Norm McMillan, créant des maux de tête aux opérateurs de notre icône régional, » a rapporté Harry Gow le co-président des Amis du Train à Vapeur.

« Et maintenant, au boulot pour la création de nouveaux aires d'accueil/gares à Hull, Chelsea et Wakefield - "Onward and upward!" comme le dirait feu notre directeur Ernie Mahoney lors de nos réunions! »

7 - Image problems plague OC Transpo

"While the City of Ottawa is crafting big plans for public transit, its transit company, OC Transpo, is dogged by problems with service and a poor public profile. The first $1.4-billion phase of a bold new rail system - including a subway downtown - could be approved by the end of the month. But at the same time, OC Transpo is struggling with some of the simplest things about running a bus-transit system, and managers are having difficulty fixing them," the Ottawa Citizen reported on May 9.

Problems include:

"Thus far, Transpo's political masters are not calling for big changes in the company's leadership. Mercier, in the top job for two years, is one of several Transpo managers in the last decade. He comes across at long committee meetings as a patient, reasonable man who is doing his best to manage situations - such as new equipment that doesn't work very well - created by previous managers," the Citizen's Patrick Dare reported.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Image+problems+plague+Transpo/1578653/story.html

8 - Manitoba loans $615,000 to the Boundary Trails Railway

"The province of Manitoba recently agreed to provide a $615,000 loan to the Boundary Trails Railway Co. (BTRC) to establish a line between Manitou and Morden. The total purchase price for the 87-mile line from Manitou to near Killarney will be funded through producer-raised equity and private loans. BTRC plans to operate the line between Manitou and Morden, and salvage a portion of the line from Killarney to Manitou," Progressive Railroading reported on May 8.

"'Maintaining this short-line railway will help support shipments of grain and other commodities in the area,' said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk in a prepared statement. 'In addition ... grain destined for producer cars needs only to be trucked to the local short line, as opposed to longer [truck] hauls to mainline elevators.'"

"BTRC has contracted Central Canadian Railway to provide car hauler, maintenance and other services," Progressive Railroading reported.

9 - Longer trucks on British Columbia roads: Virtually secret pilot project

"As a truck driver with 37 years experience, I have concerns about your recent article about truck safety. Minister Falcon appears to be very concerned about truck safety yet his ministry is allowing a 'virtually secret' pilot project to allow longer trucks on our roads, Called LCVs (long combination vehicles), these trucks are over 100 feet long and possibly as long as 135 feet. That is 50 feet longer than anything currently on the road. ... I seriously doubt that the general public wants to see longer trucks on our roads. If Minister Falcon and Paul Landry of the B.C. Trucking Association have concerns over truck safety (and they should) why would they be thinking about allowing longer trucks on our roads?" Richard Green wrote in May 12 letter to the Surrey Leader.

10 - Flight rights: PIAC praises airlines' first step

"A leading consumer advocate is welcoming plans by Canada's four largest carriers to enhance travellers' protections by making a federal bill of rights legally binding. Michael Janigan, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, said yesterday that the carriers should do more, but praised them for strengthening an airline code of conduct, allowing the Canadian Transportation Agency to decide restitution for consumers, effective by mid-June," the Globe and Mail reported on May 5.

"We're finally seeing something other than window-dressing," (Janigan) said. Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, WestJet Airlines Ltd. and Air Transat - which belong to the National Airlines Council of Canada - say if they fail to deliver on commitments under the Flight Rights Canada program announced by Ottawa last September, the CTA will be empowered to hold the carriers to account," the Globe's Brent Jang wrote.

While Janigan supports the airlines' move he says the private member's bill creating stronger protection for airline passengers, which passed second reading May 13, is needed. The bill includes a provision to include all fees in the advertised price. PIAC and Transport 2000 work together on aviation safety issues.

http://www.transport2000.ca/

11 - Transport 2000 Québec: La audience publique sur la réfection du complexe Turcot

Alors que la ministre du Développement Durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP), Mme Line Beauchamp a annoncé la tenue d'une audience publique débutant ce soir sur la réfection du complexe Turcot, avant même le début de la période d'information et de consultation du dossier par le public, plus de 50 organisations montréalaises issues des secteurs économique, social, environnemental et de la santé unissent leurs voix pour lui demander officiellement de mandater le Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) pour la tenue d'une audience publique élargie sur l'ensemble des projets de transport de l'axe de l'autoroute Est-Ouest), incluant les projets suivants:

Le résultat de cette consultation publique permettra à la Ville de Montréal, à l'AMT, à ADM à la STM et au MTQ d'établir une véritable vision intégrée et cohérente des transports et de l'aménagement pour l'axe Est-Ouest de Montréal. http://www.cremtl.qc.ca

12 - Bye GO: Hello Metrolinx: Transport 2000 opposes governance structure

The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009, passed third reading today and will combine transit planning and building into a single organization, under the name Metrolinx. The result will be a faster start on projects included in the government's Regional Transportation Plan and thousands more jobs in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. Under the new act the Ontario government will appoint a board of up to 15 members with expertise in planning, finance and infrastructure development.The final board will be announced shortly. The new law comes into effect upon Royal Assent," the Ontario government announced on May 12.

Transport 2000 opposes the legislation's basic thrust which moves decision-making from elected officials to an appointed board like the Ontario Municipal Board.

Metrolinx governance: http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=863e749bfa2ac7e

Transition advisory board: http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=f565a9ed083c64f

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.