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| Transport Action Hotline - 4 June 2010 | |||||||||||
In this issue...This is the Transport Action Hotline, issue number 1075, for 4 June 2010.
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1 - Ottawa light-rail cash only 'days' away: David Jeanes, Transport Action"The federal government will announce its contribution to Ottawa's light-rail project within days, likely ending months of anxiety and concern over the future of the city's biggest municipal project, the Citizen has learned. ... The Citizen has learned that concern about the federal commitment began last December, when Baird pulled out of what was supposed to be a joint federal-provincial announcement to fund the $2.1-billion project. Sources said federal and provincial bureaucrats had been working for weeks on a joint announcement to give $600 million each toward the original $1.8-billion cost of the project," the Ottawa Citizen reported on June 4."David Jeanes, president of the urban transportation advocacy group Transport Action Canada (formerly Transport 2000) and a critic of the project as it stands, is keeping his fingers crossed about the funding. Jeanes says it is always better for a city to grab its share of funding when the federal government is in a spending mood, as it was with stimulus money. Sooner or later, the tap is bound to be turned off, and he worries that the city may have waited too long," Mohammed Adam wrote for the Citizen. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Light+rail+cash+only+days+away/3109310/story.html
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2 - Transport 2000 met fin à la campagne journé de l'air purL'association Transport 2000 Québec a décidé de mettre fin à sa campagne annuelle de sensibilisation sur les transports et l'environnement mieux connue sous le thème «Journée de l'air pur». Le Conseil d'administration a récemment tracé un bilan très favorable et statué que le moment était venu de réorienter les efforts d'éducation vers d'autres outils d'information.L'Association aura manifestement été à l'avant-garde en créant cette campagne de sensibilisation, tenue sur une base annuelle de 1996 à 2009, soit bien avant que ce thème ne soit répandu dans l'opinion publique. La campagne visait entre autres à promouvoir l'utilisation du transport en commun pour réduire les émissions de gaz à effets de serre. L'utilisation accrue du transport en commun depuis 2008, qui ne se dément pas, a conduit Transport 2000 a élaborer un nouvel outil d'information en 2010 : un guide national de l'usager. De plus, l'avènement de la Journée En ville sans ma voiture organisée depuis 2003 par l'Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), événement auquel l'Association est partenaire, a désormais éclipsé la Journée de l'air pur en terme de notoriété. Transport 2000 Québec profite de l'occasion et de cette journée pour remercier ses nombreux partenaires (dont l'Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique ou AQLPA) et commanditaires qui ont fortement contribué au succès de cette campagne au fil des ans (Ministère des Transports du Québec, Agence métropolitaine de transport, la direction de la santé publique de Montréal et plusieurs autres organisations publiques).
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3 - Air Fare Wars are raging in the MaritimesTransport Action Atlantic reports: Porter Airlines (operating from Toronto Island airport on the downtown waterfront) are cutting fares and starting new routes with their turbo-prop aircraft. May 29 ads by Porter show flights from Halifax to Toronto (4 x daily) and Ottawa (5 x daily) for only $96. plus taxes. In addition, new routes Halifax to Montreal for $96 and Moncton to Toronto for $80 and to Ottawa for $88 start on June 25th. Porter has been running full page ads in the Halifax Herald almost every day all winter and spring.
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4 - Monsieur Brissette: Permettez-moi de féliciter la Société de Transport de l'OutaouaisPermettez-moi de féliciter la Société de Transport de l'Outaouais à l'occasion du décernement du Prix des collectivités viables conjointement avec son homoloque montréalais lors de 73e congrès de la FCM pour le projet conjoint de mesure de l'efficacité de la "propulsion verte". Le fait que le nombre d'usagers sur la "ligne verte" a cru de 7,5% témoigne de l'intérêt des usagers pour le transport durable. La STO continue de montrer la voie en cette matière et c'est très rejouissant, Harry Gow, président Transports collectifs et adaptés des Collines a écrit le 1 juin.
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5 - Bombardier's ability to attract new railway contractsTransport Action Atlantic reports: According to The Canadian Press, Bombardier's ability to attract new railway contracts will cushion the impact of its lagging aerospace business. Financial forecasts are for the transportation (rail) division to earn US $144 million (a 6.1% margin) against the aerospace group's $86 million (a 4.7 percent margin). With aerospace experiencing a drawn-out recovery, the order book for rail is holding well with notable orders coming in steadily. Government spending projects in Europe, China, and India should allow the railway division to grow its backlog and bridge the gap until aerospace recovers, industry analysts said. Unfortunately Bombardier stock includes both rail and air divisions and thus remains mired in the doldrums. Rail oriented investors remain unrewarded.
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6 - Ontario has "lost momentum" on climate change: Government will consider a consideration of road pricing sometime after June 2013"Road tolls and a carbon tax are not politically popular but Ontario's environment commissioner says it's time to discuss those ideas as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at an alarming rate. The government has "lost momentum" on climate change, Environment Commissioner Gord Miller said Monday as he released his annual greenhouse gas progress report at Queen's Park," the Toronto Star reported."They've been overwhelmed by other events," Miller told reporters. Urgent action is needed now to limit emissions and that could include "road pricing," such as tolls to force people to take public transit, Miller said. "We have to face up to the fact that the roads in the GTA are plugged, millions more people are coming and transportation emissions are the major source of (greenhouse gas) in our society," Tanya Talaga reported for the June 1 edition of the Star. "(Transportation Minister Kathleen) Wynne said the government has no intention of introducing road tolls at this point. But she said it is waiting for its Metrolinx regional transit agency to come up with a plan on how to make investments in transit infrastructure as road congestion worsens. That plan is due by June 2013 and "final decisions" will come after that, she said," the Toronto Star reported.
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7 - Ahousaht: When it comes to float plane tragedies, federal Transport Minister John Baird has seen enough"Canadian Transport Minister John Baird said on Monday that the time for study is over and ordered his staff to immediately undertake a series of initiatives aimed at improving float plane safety. The announcement comes after the launch Saturday of a week-long Vancouver Sun investigation into float plane safety and the same-day crash of a commercial float plane that killed the pilot and three passengers off the aboriginal community of Ahousaht near Tofino," the Vancouver Sun reported on June 1."Baird said in a news release he has ordered staff to undertake the following:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Time+float+plane+safety+Feds/3094533/story.html#ixzz0pbNIKXWU
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8 - Peterborough MP agrees with Toronto Mayor: Metrolinx is a bureaucratic fiefdom with a 905 agenda"Metrolinx is a young and inexperienced provincial government agency that was established four years ago by Premier Dalton McGuinty. It was charged with solving the transportation problems afflicting our daily lives here in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx was in fact created to serve the public interest ... Unfortunately, it seems that Metrolinx has morphed into a bureaucratic fiefdom with its own agenda; although it's difficult to see just what that is. I now understand the frustration Toronto Mayor David Miller is feeling because of the delays, revisions and reductions Metrolinx is foisting on his Transit City light rail plan. The stonewalling that Transit City and the Peterborough-Toronto rail service proposal are both getting is proof that Metrolinx has far to go and much to learn," Dean Del Mastro, MP wrote for My Kawartha."I'm not going to pit my region against Toronto. The GTA's transportation needs are well documented. It is my belief that the improvement of public transportation coast to coast is of fundamental importance to our nation's future. My federal government colleagues agree. That's why we are investing $923 million in VIA Rail Canada's capital renewal, the most in the 33-year history of your publicly-owned national passenger train system," Del Mastro wrote for My Kawartha on May 20. http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/819015--opinion-mp-blasts-metrolinx-report
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9 - Full steam ahead on VIA's $300 million infrastructure makeover"Last fall the Government of Canada and VIA Rail Canada announced the largest-ever improvement and investment program in the history of passenger rail service in the Montreal -Ottawa-Toronto triangle. Totalling over $300 million, this project includes a series of infrastructure improvements at several locations along Canadian National's 539-kilometre, double-track rail line known as the Kingston-Subdivision," Fort McMurray Today reported on May 29."VIA's Corridor Improvement Program is part of an unprecedented $923 million investment by the Government of Canada in passenger rail renewal and expansion.According to VIA's Chief Operating Officer, John Marginson, the Program is now well under way and is actually 15 projects rolled into one. "We identified several congestion points that were causing delays, and some operating areas where the network was less reliable. Our objective is to build passing tracks that will relieve the congestion points without the trains having to slow down. The project also involves building overpasses and underpasses at stations in key locations. It will be a great advancement for VIA as a company as well as for our passengers," Fort McMurray Today reported.
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10 - TSB blame rare wake turbulence for forced 2008 Air Canada landing"The pilot of an Airbus forced in 2008 to make an emergency landing in Calgary after hitting severe turbulence should have been offered more extensive training to manage the rare, inflight incident. That conclusion is found in an 18-page Transportation Safety Board report into Air Canada Flight 190, en route from Victoria to Toronto on Jan. 10, 2008, when it flew into the vicinity of a United Airlines Boeing 747 over Washington state," the Calgary Herald reported on June 2."The force of so-called "wake turbulence" from the Boeing caused the smaller Airbus to pitch violently and plummet, sending passengers, flight attendants and food carts flying. Three people on board were seriously hurt during the 18-second ordeal, while eight others suffered minor injuries," Tamara Gignac wrote for the Herald.
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11 - Changes coming in safety laws could mean jail for railway executives"A steep increase in rail accidents over the last decade is pushing the federal government to bring in tough new penalties for railway companies caught breaking safety rules. Rob Merrifield, the minister of state for transport, announced Tuesday the new legislation will include protections for whistleblowers and greater financial and legal penalties for violations.The changes would designate one railway executive legally responsible for safety, and the minister suggested the person could possibly face jail time if rules were broken," The Canadian Press reported on June 1.CP reporter Terri Theodore identifies two 2008 reports which set the stage for the new legislation. "The Commons committee report concluded there was a lack of accountability around safety from both Transport Canada and the country's railways, which hadn't done enough to create a culture of safety."We believe the lack of action has come about for two reasons," the report stated. "That it was not a high enough priority for the railroads and the government and that there has been a critical failure to communicate among the stakeholders on how safety issues must be addressed." "The report also said the main concern was the implementation of Safety Management Systems or SMS at railways, which gave much of the responsibility around safety to the railway companies themselves instead of to the federal government," The Canadian Press reported.
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