| Transport Action Canada formerly Transport 2000 Canada | |||||||
| Home | About us | Your region | News | Learn more | Contact us | Join us | Français |
| |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Transport Action Hotline - 19 March 2010 | |||||||||||
In this issue...This is the Transport Action Hotline, issue number 1064, for 19 March 2010.
| |||||||||||
1 - Calendar
| |||||||||||
2 - Transport Action lauds Minister's decision to end aviation safety self-regulationOn March 16 Andrew Mayeda from Canwest News Service reported: "Transport Minister John Baird will announce Tuesday that the federal government plans to tighten the rules governing private jets used by companies to carry executives and other staff. In 2005, the government transferred the authority to issue operating licences for such aircraft to the Canadian Business Aviation Association, an organization that represents the corporate-jet industry."The Toronto Star's Bruce Campion-Smith quoted the Minister on announcement day: "Right now it's self-regulation for corporate jets. . . . We learned from a recent report that it's simply wrong for industry to regulate itself. I think the public service should be doing that." Transport Action has worked with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and others to stop Transport Canada's outsourcing of safety under the guise of "safety management systems".
| |||||||||||
3 - TSB launches Watchlist: 9 items including safety management systemsOn March 16 the Transportation Safety Board of Canada launched its Watchlist. Singled out by the Board were the frequency of collisions at railway crossings, the lack of emergency preparation on Canada's large passenger vessels, and the consequences should an airliner fail to stop on one of Canada's runways. "Airlines, ferries, railways-we're talking about tens of millions of trips annually," said Board Chair Wendy Tadros. "We need the right players at the table to tackle these tough issues to make the system safer."Transport Action applauds the work. The watchdog group wants the board to cover road transportation. It notes a big problem not addressed is that the safety regulator, Transport Canada, routinely ignores the Safety Board.
| |||||||||||
4 - Le BST présente sa Liste de surveillance et appelle à l'actionGATINEAU, QC, le 16 mars /CNW Telbec/ - Le Bureau de la sécurité des transports (BST) a présenté une "Liste de surveillance" qu'il considère comme une "pierre angulaire des changements". La liste énumère neuf problèmes critiques touchant la sécurité du réseau de transport du Canada."Ces problèmes posent les plus grands risques pour les Canadiens et Canadiennes, a déclaré la présidente du Bureau Wendy Tadros. Il n'existe pas de plus grande priorité. Il est temps que l'industrie et les organismes de réglementation s'attaquent à ces neuf problèmes critiques."
| |||||||||||
5 - The Detroit River International Crossing: A multi-billion dollar boondoggleState, provincial and federal governments in Canada and the U.S. have given approval for the most expensive infrastructure project in recent history. As traffic numbers and wait times at the crossing decline, our Ontario and federal government plans to add capacity by building a third bridge (the Blue Water Bridge is nearby) and a $1.6 billion dollar highway.On March 27 Transport Action Ontario will hold a bi-national panel discussion to explore sustainable alternatives. The panelists include: Dr. Dietrich Bergmann, PHD of Ann Arbor Michigan, Paula Lombardi, Canadian Counsel, Detroit International Bridge Company, Albert Koehl, Ecojustice Canada and Emma Cane, Science Coordinator, Sierra Club, Ontario. The discussion will be hosted by Dan Hammond and Natalie Litwin from Transport Action Ontario. The discussion will take place Saturday, March 27, 1:30 p.m. at Metro Hall, 55 John St., Toronto, Room 302.
| |||||||||||
6 - Dietrich R. Bergmann: Non-highway alternatives to the Detroit River International CrossingDietrich R. Bergmann is a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Michigan and California. His work has included urban public transportation services planning and design; highway and railroad safety assessments; moving walkway safety code contributions; and a contribution to the "Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines" published by the United States Access Board in 2004. His research has included the definition and evaluation of economically viable non-highway alternatives to the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project, a $3 billion Detroit-area trans-border highway project.
| |||||||||||
7 - New Brunswick residents say they don't want to lose bus serviceThe New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal reported on presentations made to hearings on Acadian Coach Lines route cuts including: "The bus company provides a needed service for people with no cars in rural New Brunswick to travel to their regional cities, said Michael Perry of St. Andrews, a member of Transport Action Atlantic. These people account for 30 per cent of the population, he said."He proposed a service similar to the daily bus from Calais to Bangor with state and American federal subsidies. A subsidy of $146,000 per year would support a daily mini-coach service from Charlotte County to Saint John, two return trips per day, he said. Municipalities could share the cost with the province, especially with money from the federal gasoline tax rebated to municipalities, he said. Building one mile of highway costs from $2.4 million to $3.1 million," Derwin Gowan reported for Telegraph-Journal on March 17. http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/986932
| |||||||||||
8 - Acadian Coach Lines will approach the province about getting financial helpOn March 18 the Daily Gleaner reported; "The Conservation Council of New Brunswick said it's the government's responsibility to step up and help a proper public transportation system. "It seems it would be appropriate to sit down and work something out so these regions are not abandoned," David Coon, executive director of the council, said. "It's a public service and it needs public funding," he said, adding it would be tough to find a public transit system that doesn't rely on some subsidization.The Gleaner's Shawn Berry quote Acadian's vice-president Manon Piche: "The Quebec government gives us a 100 per cent rebate ($750,000 annually) on the gas tax." http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/988340
| |||||||||||
9 - Hamilton Light rail a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'"It's clear Hamilton city planners and many residents are pinning their hopes for renewal on landing an east-west LRT line from Eastgate to McMaster University," the Hamilton Spectator reported on March 15."But (Transport Action's) Barry Wellar, a retired University of Ottawa geography professor, says he would give an F to any student who argued that LRT automatically brings economic renewal. ... He says in many cases taxpayers pay for the system and developers and land speculators cash in. All the pieces have to be in place to ensure broad renewal. That includes drastically containing urban sprawl and allowing higher densities in the transit corridor," the Spectator's Meredith MacLeod wrote. http://www.thespec.com/article/737369
| |||||||||||
10 - Petawawa council passes rail resolutionPetawawa is calling for the federal and provincial governments to save the 482 kilometre Canadian Pacific rail line from Smiths Falls to Sudbury. Mayor Bob Sweet "reiterated that the lower tier cannot possibly take on financial responsibility for the rail line," the Pembroke Daily Observer reported on March 19."European companies that deal in the production of pulp for renewal energy have expressed interest in the Ottawa Valley and its long standing timber industries, he explained. One of the questions they've asked is if the region has a reliable transportation network that includes rail," Sean Chase reported for the Daily Observer. http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2498956
| |||||||||||
11 - $6.3-million investment by the federal government for Windsor rail"Along with the new (station} comes a series of much-need improvements to the tracks between Windsor and Chatham," the Windsor Star reported on March 15. "It's exciting news, but we can't help being disappointed that high-speed rail service isn't part of these infrastructure upgrades. ... High-speed passenger trains would be an incredible boon to this area, and Via's president agreed that it "makes sense" in the long run. Perhaps that's why, when talking about the decision to keep the station in Walkerville, he seemed to leave a door open for changes down the road," the Star concluded in its Let's still keep focused on high-speed rail editorial.http://www.windsorstar.com/opinion/station/2683465/story.html
| |||||||||||
|
Thank you for calling the Transport Action Canada Hotline.
For additional information, please contact our web site at:
| |||||||||||