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| Transport Action Hotline - 11 June 2010 | |||||||||||
In this issue...This is the Transport Action Hotline, issue number 1076, for 11 June 2010.
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1 - David Jeanes: J'ai toujours été en faveur d'un meilleur réseau de transport en commun« Hier, le ministre canadien des Transports et de l'Infrastructure, John Baird, a confirmé une participation jusqu'à concurrence de 600 millions $ àla première phase du projet, estimée à 2,1 milliards $. Cette somme s'ajoute à un octroi équivalent de Queen's Park, annoncé en décembre. ... Dans sa première phase, le train léger d'Ottawa suivra un tracé de 12 km des stations Blair à Pré-Tunney, le long de l'actuel Transitway d'OC Transpo. Leprojet comprend un tunnel de 3,2 km au centre-ville » Le Droit a publié le 8 juin.« Les calculs de la Ville n'ont cependant rien pour rassurer David Jeanes, le président du groupe Transport Action, anciennement Transport 2000. « J'ai toujours été en faveur d'un meilleur réseau de transport en commun. Sauf que ce projet me semble très coûteux. Et il s'agit seulement que d'une premièrephase. Nous avons besoin de bien plus », a-t-il signalé. Si l'échéancier des travaux est respecté, la construction devrait commencer en 2013 et le premier train devrait entrer en gare en 2019 » François Pierre Dufault a écrit pour Le Droit.
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2 - Friends of the STC urge young people to see SaskatchewanTransport Action's Catherine Verrall reports: "The Saskatchewan Transportation Bus company (STC) is again offering a summer Youth Pass. Through June, July and August, young people ages 12 to 25 can buy a $40 monthly pass, to travel any of the 280 communities in Saskatchewan served by the STC. Friends of the STC was launched by Transport Action at the Prairie AGM last month.
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3 - Transport 2000 Québec désire que l'AMT siège publiquement: Hausse des bonis« Les comptes de dépenses des cadres de l'Agence métropolitaine detransport (AMT) ont augmenté depuis deux ans et des bonis ont été versés malgré les nombreux problèmes survenus sur son réseau. ... Transport 2000 Québec désire que le conseil d'administration de l'Agence siège publiquement, comme c'est le cas pour les autres sociétés de transport » La Presse Canadienne a rapporté le 10 juin.
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4 - Greater Vancouver transit ridership up after OlympicsTransLink reported a significant, post-Olympic bump in transit ridership. January 2010 ridership was up 3% over January 2009; February 2010's ridership swelled 51% due to the Olympics; and March 2010 was up almost 20% over March 2009. However, the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation weighed in, pointing out that TransLink gets "... a lot of cash ..." from senior governments to build facilities that it cannot afford to operate. CTF spokeswoman Maureen Bader questioned whether the Evergreen Line should be built if TransLink does not have funds to operate it. Note that I cannot recall the CTF making similar comments about highway infrastructure, Transport Action's Rick Jelfs reported on June 8."The Vancouver Sun noted that TransLink's underutilized facilities such as the SeaBus and West Coast Express had seen the most significant post-Olympics passenger gains. There were also ridership increases on the Canada Line and its south of the Fraser River bus linkages. The report also states that turnstiles will be installed in rapid transit stations and a contract for a smart card system operator will be signed by the end of this year. Part of the smart card initiative is to replace the current three-zone fare system with a fare-by-distance system," Transport Action's Rick Jelfs wrote. http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Olympic+commuters+sticking+with+public+transit/3065957/story.html
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5 - $200-million Sydney harbour terminal: $15.2 million toward a $38-million dredging contract"Premier Darrell Dexter is holding the door open for investors interested in building container terminals in Sydney and Melford. But he is not committing to either project, both of which would set up rivals to Halifax in the container business," Transport Action Atlantic's John Pearce reports.Chris Lambie from the Halifax Herald wrote: "The NDP government promised Tuesday it would contribute $15.2 million toward dredging in Sydney Harbour. But that funding is contingent on the federal government coming up with the bulk of the $38-million dredging price tag. The Sydney Marine Group is hoping the dredging could pave the way for a $200-million terminal that would accommodate the world's largest container ships," the Halifax Herald reported on June 9. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1186384.html
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6 - L'assemblée générale de Transport 2000: STM projet de timbre sonore« Dès cet automne, la STM testera un timbre sonore pour annoncer la fermeture des portes des voitures de métro. C'est le directeur de l'exploitation de la STM, Carl Desrosiers, qui en a fait l'annonce la semaine dernière, lors de l'assemblée générale de Transport 2000, un organisme de défense des usagers » Mathias Marchal a écrit pour Métro le 9 juin.« Le métro de Montréal est l'un des rares à ne pas disposer de ce genre de timbre sonore. Cet ajout nécessitera d'installer de petits haut-parleurs dans les voitures et un système de commande automatique dans la loge de l'opérateur. Les tests devraient être réalisés sur la ligne orange ou la ligne bleue cet automne » Métro a rapporté.
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7 - Street car No. 258 on Sparks St. looking towards Bank St., ca. 1900. City of Ottawa Archives/CA-0164"A rail project of a different sort proposes to revitalize Spark St. and transport tourists through the core of the National Capital Region. Bert Titcomb of Transport Action Canada, a transportation advocacy group based in Ottawa, is on a committee that has been exploring the potential of running replica heritage streetcars between the Canadian War Museum and Elgin St. The committee has aspirations of expanding a line into Hull, creating a streetcar loop," the Ottawa Sun reported on June 8."Titcomb figures two streetcars would be required to start the service with a passing track at the halfway point. Low-speed, electric streetcars could complement the city's planned light-rail system, Titcomb said. The committee estimates the streetcar infrastructure would cost $16 million," John Willing reported for the Ottawa Sun. http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2010/06/07/14299501.html
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8 - Rail electrification policy paper: West-end Toronto GO Trains, Pearson Airport linkThe June edition of the Journal of Policy Engagement features a paper on diesel vs. electric train debate. The paper was written by Dewan Masud Karim, P. Eng., PTOE in response to a Clean Train Coalition group presentation in West Toronto P.Eng chapter. Karim told Transport Action: "I researched a lot on this topic and tried to sort fact from fiction in the debate about diesel vs. electric trains. The intent is to promote informed debate and to provide a tool to fight against conventional approaches to rail electrification in Canada. The paper essentially investigates the existing policies/practices and recommends certain policy improvements (as well as identifies some policy gaps) that may pave the way of rail electrification in Ontario/Canada."http://members.peo.on.ca/index.cfm/document/1/ci_id/42814/la_id/1
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9 - Provinces for Passenger Rail CoalitionEstablished in early 2000, the States for Passenger Rail Coalition is an alliance of state departments of transportation that supports intercity passenger rail initiatives and advocates for federal funding. Texas joined the coalition on May 27 taking total membership up to 32 states. In Canada provincial ministries of transportation remain generally hostile to passenger rail.
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10 - 2,767 Canadians were killed on the road in 2007: $3.4-million Canadian Naturalistic Driving Study"In a bid to improve road safety, the federal government announced Tuesday a national study which will continually monitor the driving habits of 125 motorists," the Windsor Star reported on June 9. The Star's Grace Macaluso wrote: "Canada has a serious road safety problem," (Transport Canada's) Boase said. "We hope to reduce deaths, injuries and maybe clean up the environment." About 2,800 Canadians lose their lives on the road each year. Seven deaths and 500 injuries are caused by traffic accidents every day, he noted."The Windsor Star article said the $3.4-million study, sponsored by the Council of Deputy Transport Ministers, will monitor the driving habits of 125 motorists. Vehicles will be equipped with front and rear cameras, wireless communication systems and data recorders. It will focus on three age groups -- 18 to 34, 35 to 54 and 55 and over. It will run to the fall 2013. While the study has value many road safety advocates would rather see the money spent on the "timely data" issue. The most recent official statistics are for 2007, the year before the year before last year. Advocates argue a real-time toll of the dead would add urgency to the mission. Many Canadian police forces already have real time data for road deaths and injuries in their jurisdictions.
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11 - Robert Dubé: Un nouveau président chez Transport 2000 QuébecMontréal, le 4 juin 2010 - L'association Transport 2000 Québec a élu jeudi soir dernier Robert Dubé à la présidence de son conseil d'administration au terme de son assemblée générale annuelle. Monsieur Dubé succèdera à Monsieur Jean Léveillé qui a siégé au conseil en tant que président de 2002 à 2008 et de 2009 à juin 2010.Diplômé en biologie, en droit et titulaire d'un MBA en gestion, Robert Dubé a notamment été le conseiller de Jean Charest à l'époque où ce dernier était ministre de l'Environnement avec le gouvernement Mulroney au début des années 1990. Il a ensuite travaillé en tant que biologiste à la Ville de Sherbrooke pendant trois ans et deux années comme directeur général de Laval Technopole. Passionné de développement durable, Monsieur Dubé a participé à la mise sur pied du musée de l'environnement de la Biosphère dans l'ancien pavillon des États-Unis à Montréal. Il gère actuellement une agence de recrutement spécialisée en développement durable. « Monsieur Dubé possède une expertise qui va apporter beaucoup à Transport 2000 Québec », a expliqué lors de l'assemblée le directeur général de l'organisation, Normand Parisien.
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12 - No to $1.1 billion bridge: We can use the dollars more strategically, Halifax mayor says"Municipal staff have prepared a report identifying a preferred site for a third commuter crossing which could be needed as early as 2016. ... In 2008, the cost of a new bridge with six lanes was estimated to be $1.1 billion. A four-lane tunnel's cost was projected to be $1.4 billion," the Halifax Chronicle-Herald reported."I think that it's an unfortunate waste of time and energy and resources," said Mayor Peter Kelly. "We can use the dollars more strategically with other forms of transportation," the mayor said. ...Planning for a tunnel or another bridge assumes that everything is staying the same, said Coun. Jennifer Watts (Connaught-Quinpool). However, there are looming increases in oil prices and the environment to consider, she said. "We're not going to be able to move around our community as we do now," Davene Jeffrey wrote for the Halifax Chronicle-Herald on June 8.. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1186238.html
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13 - G20 Toronto Union: GO and TTC normal service, VIA decamps to the suburbs"GO Transit and the TTC plan to maintain normal operations at Union Station during the G20 summit, even though VIA Rail is pulling out of that hub June 24-27. But both transit agencies are warning riders to anticipate delays from security issues or protests that could affect bus routes and street access," Tess Kalinowski reported for the Toronto Star on June 4."VIA, which has seen a drop in ticket sales for the summit period, is moving operations to Oakville, Brampton and Oshawa so customers, many of whom have luggage or need mobility devices, can avoid the traffic congestion expected around Union Station, said spokesperson Katherine Kaloutsky," the Toronto Star reported.
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