PTC E-News #4

PTC E-News #4

1. Local
1.1 Mike Cassidy and Bobby Dunn meet with PTC
1.2 City of Charlottetown joins CUTA
2. National
2.1 CUTA to represent public transit at Climate Change conference
2.2 Transport Minister issues call for proposals
3. International
3.1 UK Transport Fuels Obligation
3.2 APTA Urges National leaders to work toward new ways of funding
transit
3.3 2005 Transit Ballot Measures



1. Local


1.1 Mike Cassidy and Bobby Dunn meet with PTC

Mike Cassidy, co-owner of Trius Tours, and Bobby Dunn with the City of
Charlottetown met with the PEI PTC on Friday, Nov 4. They updated the
Coalition on Charlottetown Transit. Some notable points include:

.The system is operating above start-up small system standards - seeing
a ridership bus average of 60 people per day with the University Ave
route gathering 110 or more per day. They have a goal of 5000
passengers moving per day by next year.

.They are working towards having the Ch’town mall as the northern hub
and a feeder stop for outer areas of Charlottetown and the Confederation
Centre as the southern hub.

.The Federal program for 2006 provides 100% of the funding for the
buses, but does not necessarily cover maintenance, operation, etc.

.As of Nov.9th, tickets will be available in packages of 20 for $34.
They can be purchased at Shopper’s DrugMart, West Royalty/Parkdale
Pharmacies, and at the Trius Tours office.


1.2 City of Charlottetown joins CUTA

The City of Charlottetown has now become a member of the Canadian Urban
Transit Association (CUTA). CUTA is an essential resource for expertise
on transit. Charlottetown's new system will benefit greatly from this
partnership as it continues to grow and improve.


2. National


2.1 CUTA to represent public transit at Climate Change conference

Canada will host the first meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol
in Montreal in conjunction with the eleventh session of the Conference
of the Parties (COP 11) to the Climate Change Convention from 28
November to 9 December. The conference is an historic event, as the
first ever meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (MOP) will be held
parallel to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP). The
United Nations Climate Change Conference is set to be the largest
intergovernmental climate conference since the Kyoto Protocol was
adopted in 1997, with some 8,000-10,000 participants expected. CUTA has
been granted official observer status and will be organizing a side
event highlighting the role of public transit in helping to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.

www.cutaactu.ca


2.2 Transport Minister issues call for proposals for transportation
planning and modal integration projects

Transport Minister Jean Lapierre announced earlier this month a $1-
million second call for proposals for projects that advance
transportation planning and enhance integration and connections between
modes of transportation. Proposals eligible for funding include
infrastructure and technology projects that improve connections
between modes or modal integration, research studies that provide
greater understanding of multimodal transportation, and dissemination
of information management tools. The call for proposals will be open
until 1 February 2006.

www.cutaactu.ca


3. International


3.1 UK Transport Fuels Obligation

TRANSPORT 2000 today welcomed the Government`s Transport Fuels
Obligation, but called on the Government to go further in providing
sustainable transport solutions to climate change.

The environmental group argued that the Renewable Fuels Obligation
announced today by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is too small to
catalyse the change that is needed to tackle greenhouse gas emissions
from road transport and it urged the Government to take more action to
provide sustainable transport solutions.

While welcoming the Government`s Transport Fuels Obligation’s calls for
more action on climate change, Stephen Joseph, Executive Director,
Transport 2000, commented: "The Government needs to go much further than
requiring 5 per cent of fuel sold in the UK to be from a renewable
source. It`s vital that more of an incentive is added to encourage the
growth of a successful UK alternative fuels industry that is able to
catalyse a real move away from fossil fuels. This needs a certification
scheme, for example, able to guarantee sustainable sources.

"The Government also needs to invest in providing sustainable transport
solutions to combat climate change by reducing road traffic, encouraging
more integration in our transport systems and enabling people to make
smarter transport choices."

On the day that the UK Government hosts a major international conference
on greener cars, Transport 2000 urged the Government to demand European
action from motor manufacturers.

Stephen Joseph added: "The Government needs to place more pressure on
industry to produce fuel-efficient vehicles and provide the necessary
incentives for action. It`s clear that the current voluntary agreement
between the EU and car manufacturers to decrease carbon dioxide
emissions is failing and we need tough action."

www.transport2000.org.uk


3.2 APTA Urges National leaders to work toward new ways of funding
transit

Today the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - National Chamber Foundation
released a report, "The Future of Highway and Public Transportation
Financing," that concludes there is a looming crisis in funding our
nation's transit and highway systems.

"It is time for our national leaders to begin the dialogue needed to
ensure that our surface transportation system will be able to meet the
travel needs of the American public in the years to come," said American
Public Transportation Association (APTA) President William W. Millar. "I
congratulate the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for taking the initiative to
review the financing of America's surface transportation program. This
report contains bold ideas that need to be considered."

"Having a strong transportation system is not only important for
personal mobility, it's important for our country's economic well being
and prosperity," said Millar. "Our nation's transportation system is the
backbone of our economy and as such, it should be an economic priority
to adequately fund our national's transit and highway systems."

"The American people deserve a world class transportation system, but
the current funding for our nation's surface transportation system is
not enough to maintain it, let alone expand it to meet growing demand,"
continued Millar. "We cannot continue relying on this system for the
future. It is imperative that we begin now to seek new, innovative
solutions to make sure that America's transportation systems are
well-funded."

www.apta.org


3.3 2005 Transit Ballot Measures

There has been much positive feedback on transit ballot initiatives
across the US. "Yesterday's successful local transportation ballot
initiatives are proof positive that citizens around the country want
more public transportation," said American Public Transportation
Association (APTA) President William W. Millar. "With rising gas
prices and increased congestion, voters want an improved transportation
system that includes more public transportation."

Yesterday voters supported five of seven transportation ballot measures
totaling more than $8.5 billion in new transportation investments.
Counting yesterday's successful initiatives, there have been 22
successful local transportation initiatives in 2005. Last year, 42 of 53
transportation ballot initiatives passed.

"Last year and this year's successful transportation initiatives show
that transportation and mobility are important issues to voters,"
concluded Millar.

For a complete list of 2005 ballot initiatives on transit funding, go
to:

http://www.cfte.org/success/2005BallotMeasures.asp.