PTC E-News 11

PEI Public Transit Coalition
E-News 11

1 Local

1.1 Annual General Meeting a Success
1.2 PTC to have a display at Federation of PEI Municipalities Meeting in Souris
1.3 A Report on Earth Day "Loonie Day"
1.4 The Richmond Street View

2 National

2.1 An Interesting TTC Poll...
2.2 Manitoba looks to increase the use of Ethanol
2.3 Edmonton's Sunny Idea for Public Transit Infrastructure

3 International

3.1 As Gas Prices Soar, Public Transit takes centre-stage
3.2 Indonesia has fuel issues, too!
3.3 And Finally, As if We Had No Idea...


1 Local

1.1 Annual General Meeting a Success

The PEI Public Transit Coalition held a very successful Annual General Meeting on Thursday, April 27 at the Basilica Rec Centre in Charlottetown. A great turnout from both steering committee members as well as many associate members made for a transit-minded atmosphere in which the enthusiasm and the hope of reaching our goal of Island-wide public transit seemed only a matter of time. Guest speaker for the meeting was Charlottetown Transit manager Bobby Dunn, and Bobby gave a number of insights into upcoming activities on the managerial end of things for the transit service and responded to a number of questions and suggestions from coalition members. Aaron and David would like to thank not only Bobby for his presence at the meeting but to also extend their gratitude to all of our members who were present and who continue to demonstrate why the push for Island-wide transit is becoming a reality rather than a pipe dream. Please tune in next week for the minutes of this meeting right here on our blog.

2.2 PTC to have a display at Federation of PEI Municipalities Meeting in Souris

With a little luck and a bit of perserverance, the Public Transit Coalition has found itself in the enviable position of putting up a display at this Monday's meeting of the Federation of PEI Municipalities in Souris! After another group who was to have a display pulled out, a space became available for the Coalition to work its magic among the politicians and key players in municipal circles on the Island on Monday. Both David and Aaron will be in attendance, and it is the hope of the Coalition that the ears of some of PEI's most influential figures will be bowed low as they listen to the statistics and the reasing which appear to be overcoming the ignorance and the apathy toward public transit on Prince Edward Island. The Coalition will have a portable display available for the meeting and will field questions and hand out brochures to delegates at the meeting. Watch for a full report of the day's proceedings to be posted on this blog late next week!

2.3 A Report on Earth Day "Loonie Day"

As many of you are aware, the Public Transit Coalition co-operated with Charlottetown Transit on Saturday, April 22 to bring transit riders in Charlottetown an Earth Day "Loonie Day." Fiddler Roy Johnstone was on hand to provide riders on Bus #1 with a dazzling array of local tunes and well-known Maritime favourites. Honourary spoon-men David MacKay, Aaron Hawkins and Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen attempted to keep up with Roy's intrepid bow-strokes while riders young and old joined in the fun. MP Shawn Murphy and his guest, Scott Brison, were also on hand to give their support to the transit service and to Earth Day. Although the Coalition had hoped to get NDP leader Jack Layton on the bus for some spoon magic, a tight schedule for Mr. Layton meant that his support came verbally rather than in person. The final numbers for the event showed a ridership of 350, meaning that thanks to Bobby Dunn and Mike Cassidy at Charlottetown Transit, the Public Transit Coalition raised $350.00 for its efforts to promote Island-wide public transit! This year's success bodes well for a repeat next year, when public transit on the Island will have an even greater presence both in the city of Charlottetown and across the province.

1.4 The Richmond Street View

What a week! For public transit on the Island, it was a stellar showing: not only did we get great media coverage (CBC Radio, the Guardian) for the Earth Day "Loonie Day," but to follow it up we can raise our voice again at the Federation of PEI Municipalities meeting in Souris on Monday! The grassroots support from our member groups and individuals was never more evident than at our Annual General Meeting on Thursday. I got the sense that most of us are anticipating a great year ahead for the future of public transit across the Island. Both Bill Trenholme of the Souris town council and Erkki Pohjolainen of Resources West in West Prince reflected the growing feeling among many municipal committees and councils that WE CAN MAKE THIS WORK!!! Bill mentioned to me about an article in the Guardian concerning public transit in Ireland, where apparently a publicly-run transit system has become totally self-sustaining! Erkki's comments regarding the support in West Prince to move ahead with a feasability study made me realize that the most important ingredient for reaching our transit goals here on PEI will be our capacity to dismantle ignorance and effectively CONVINCE people that public transit is a vital public service. It seems as if people far and wide require CONVINCING that transit services would benefit them; heck, if that's all there is to it, we're doing a fine job thus far. Rome wasn't built in a day, but the more we pick away at the rubble surrounding Islanders' current beliefs about public transit, the faster we can make our collective voices, our collective VOTING voices, heard in the places that matter most. As for those places that matter most, the only convincing needed for officials in those areas is the collective voice of thousands of potential voters urging government to finally bring about the return of public transit to the citizens of Prince Edward Island.


2 National

2.1 An Interesting TTC Poll...

Work: what people will do to make a buck.......MIND THE GAP
PUBLIC TRANSIT POLL
OMAR EL AKKAD (from the Globe and Mail, April 28, 2006)
Last year, 430 million people rode Toronto's public transit system. We asked 40 commuters 20 male and 20 female - some leading questions about getting to work on the TTC. Here's what they had to say. (all surveys conducted at Bloor/Spadina subway)
How many days a week do you commute by TTC?
Less than three 12
Three to five 10
Five or more 18
How long is your commute?
Less than 30 minutes 23
30 minutes to an hour 13
An hour to two hours 3
More than two hours 1
What have you eaten on the TTC?
Chips 7
Chocolate 4
Sandwich 2
Fruit 1
All of the above 11
Nothing 15
What's the strangest thing you've seen on the subway?
Someone clipping their nails 2
People having sex 0
Someone urinating 3
Other 35
"People fondling." "People groping." "The driver who sings stops." "A half-naked guy wearing a Santa Claus hat." "A man dressed in a suit and tie with a plastic bag over his head." "Nothing just smells funny."
What's the most annoying thing about riding the subway?
People talking on their cellphones 5
Getting groped 2
Someone wearing a knapsack thwacking you 16
People putting their bag on a seat 7
Litterers 10
Do you worry about people giving you the flu on the TTC?
Yes 12
No 28
What's a fair TTC fare?
Free: 11
$1: 3
$2: 26
$3: 0


2.2 Manitoba Looks to Increase the Use of Ethanol

March 08, 2006 (Press release from the Province of Manitoba)
MANITOBA LAUNCHES MODEL ETHANOL FUEL STATION
Government fleets in Manitoba will be filling up with a lower-emission fuel thanks to a joint program of the governments of Canada and Manitoba. The governments today launched a $174,000 sustainable-transportation project to demonstrate the feasibility of using high ethanol content fuels in provincial light-duty fleet vehicle operations.
Under the federally-funded project, fleet vehicles operated by provincial and federal offices will fill up at a special filling station with environmentally-friendly fuel known as E85 with an ethanol content of up to 85 per cent.
"Canadians deserve to live in a clean and healthy environment," said Joy Smith, MP, Kildonan – St. Paul, on behalf of federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn. "By helping to bring alternative fuel technologies to the marketplace, the Government of Canada is working to make that happen."
"We appreciate the federal support for Manitoba’s leadership in sustainable transportation and our efforts to make flex-fuel vehicles and E85 available to all provincial fleet vehicle users," said Manitoba Transportation and Government Services Minister Ron Lemieux. "This station will serve our fleet vehicles in the Winnipeg area and eventually lead to providing this environmentally-friendly fuel to the thousands of E85-capable vehicles now registered in Manitoba."
The federal funding of $121,000 and provincial in-kind contributions of $53,000 will cover the cost of installing an E85 storage and fuelling facility in Winnipeg. The facility will provide the high ethanol content fuel, which is not currently available commercially, for federal and provincial vehicles designed to run on the special blend. Presently, there are about 25 RCMP vehicles and 60 provincially-owned vehicles operating in the Winnipeg region that can use the E85 fuel.
Manitoba has undertaken a wide range of green and growing strategies which support investments in alternative fuels as economic development opportunities for farmers and long-term environmental protection measures.
The provincial green and growing strategy is also reflected in sustainable-transportation initiatives such as the establishment of the Centre for Sustainable Transportation at the University of Winnipeg, provision of gas-electric hybrid vehicles in the provincial vehicle fleet, cold-weather testing of hybrid hydrogen internal-combustion engine technology, training through support of the Red River Raycer solar-car project and fostering development of biofuel opportunities and increased ethanol production in rural Manitoba to encourage expanded use of environmentally-friendly fuels.
Husky Canada has announced its plans to invest $145 million to expand ethanol production at its plant in Minnedosa. This project has been allocated a $10.4 million contribution by the Government of Canada’s Ethanol Expansion Program. Ethanol is a renewable resource produced from grain and blending it with gasoline significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.


2.3 Edmonton's Sunny Idea for Public Transit Infrastructure

Solar Bus Shelter Test
Edmonton Transit System is testing a bus shelter illuminated by solar power for the next six months.
The shelter is at BusLink #2944 at 114 Street and 74 Avenue northbound.
Lighting in the shelter is provided by two fixtures containing high intensity LEDs. Each light fixture has two systems to tell it when to turn the lights on. A motion detector turns the light on when it identifies movement and a photo cell identifies day or night light levels.
Solar panels on the top of the shelter provide power to charge the batteries for the light fixtures.
This is the second solar lighting project underway at ETS. The first was the iSTOP, a solar powered bus stop that we began testing in June 2005.
Both projects are designed to improve safety and security for customers waiting at the stop and to make the waiting customers more visible to oncoming buses during darker hours.
Comments about the new solar powered shelter can be made to our Commendations & Concerns line at 496-8900

Solar Power Bus Stop Test
ETS is testing a solar powered bus stop for the next six months.
Effective January 16th, 2006 the i-STOP has been moved and will be in service at BusLink #6251 at 127 Street/134 Avenue northbound.
Depending on the button a customer pushes, the solar powered light at the top of the pole will light up the area around the stop, or flash a signal (like a strobe light) at an oncoming bus. Instructions for use are posted on the pedestal of the sign.
We’d like to know what you think about this technology so we’ve included both a phone number and our web address for customer feedback.
If you’d like more information on the i-STOP check
www.transitlights.com.


3 International

3.1 As Gas Prices Soar, Public Transit Takes Centre-Stage

Drivers Switch to Public Transit
By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Soaring gas prices appear, once again, to be leading some drivers to park their cars.
Public transit systems across the USA are seeing an increase in ridership. Although it's difficult to directly link the gains to higher gasoline prices, officials say rising prices at the pump are at least partly responsible.
Nationwide, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.90 Sunday, up 1.6 cents from Saturday and 39.1 cents higher than a month ago, according to AAA. Statewide averages were $3 a gallon or higher in Hawaii, California, Washington, D.C., and New York.
Among mass transit systems:
•Washington, D.C. Thursday was the sixth-busiest day in history on Metrorail, the area's train system, while Tuesday was the ninth busiest. There were no special events in the area to explain the higher ridership. "We think gas prices had something to do with it," Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority spokeswoman Candace Smith says.
•Salt Lake City. Ridership is up 50% on the 19-mile, light-rail system in Salt Lake City from a year ago. The Utah Transit Authority has added 10 used rail cars it bought from San Jose, Calif., to meet demand. But in some cases, cars are becoming so packed that the doors are dragging on the platforms at stops because of the increased weight, spokesman Justin Jones says.
Riders responding to onboard polling increasingly are saying they are motivated to take public transportation because of higher gas prices, Jones says.
•Tulsa. Tulsa Transit's March ridership was the highest since August 2003. For the fiscal year, which began in July, trips on the bus system are up 28% from the prior year.
•San Francisco. After taking a "nosedive" in recent years, ridership on Bay Area Rapid Transit is up 4.1% this fiscal year, which began July 1, spokesman Linton Johnson says. He attributes the gain to heavier traffic and higher gas prices.
The increase in ridership, or number of trips, is similar to last year when gasoline prices hit record levels, William Millar, of the American Public Transportation Association, says. The number of trips nationwide was up 5% in August and September compared with the same months in 2004. "It looks like history is repeating itself," he says. "The spike in gas prices is causing many people to look for ways to beat the high cost, and trying transit is one of the things they are doing."
Gasoline prices are climbing largely because oil prices have reached record levels, not adjusted for inflation. Oil, which closed at $75.17 a barrel Friday, accounts for about half the cost of gasoline.
Also boosting the cost of gasoline has been the conversion from additive MTBE to ethanol in many gasoline blends. Although ethanol production has been ramping up, there are concerns that there won't be enough ethanol at the right place and the right time.
There have been reports of East Coast gasoline stations shutting down temporarily in recent days as their suppliers close to make the switch to ethanol.


3.2 Indonesia has fuel issues, too!

Govt wonders about ways to win public over to energy-saving drive

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
For more than a year, Kaisar Akbar has left his car at home and taken public buses to work.
His 2,000 cc Kijang minivan only leaves his house in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, on weekends or for an occasional drive after work.
"In a way it is more comfortable, in the sense that I do not have to drive through congested streets and can save the money I usually spend on fuel," the 30-year old liaison officer at the Australian Embassy said.
It's a lifestyle change that has slashed about 60 percent from his monthly fuel expenditure. He admits that buying a large engine vehicle was a waste of money.
Yet most Jakartans tend to disagree with him, if the hulking, large-engined multipurpose vehicles still crowding streets in the capital are any proof.
That sight, along with spiraling oil prices, has inspired the government to start thinking once again about issuing fuel-efficiency legislation, such as limiting the use of private cars with engine capacities of above 1,300 cc.
The public has already been hard hit by the government's decision to raise fuel prices last year, with its impact still being felt today in high inflation and interest rates.
The government hopes to reduce subsidized fuel consumption by between 30 percent and 35 percent this year through an intensive fuel-saving campaign.
Fuel-saving measures, especially involving restrictions on driving a vehicle of choice, do not sit well with many members of the public and NGOs.
"The government should not limit one's acessibility in its planned energy-efficiency campaign," said Bambang Susantono, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society, which advises on public transportation.
"If it wants to limit something, it must assure that the public's right to accessibility is still maintained."
Bambang explained that limiting vehicles' engine size was only one short-term method that should be followed by other long-term measures, such as developing alternative fuel, conducting emissions tests and developing adequate public transportation.
"In the long term, city spatial planning also should be rearranged to make shorter travel from residential areas to office and commercial spaces," he said.
The city administration has tried out several fuel-efficiency regulations, with middling success.
Main thoroughfares like Jl. Sudirman are still packed during busy hours despite many years of three-in-one zoning.
A plan to impose a progressive vehicle tax also was delayed due to enforcement technicalities.
Limiting vehicles engine size could actually be done by implementing a high tax rate for luxurious vehicles, Bambang added.
"Try imposing a high tax rate instead of restricting purchases of large engine vehicles," he said. "The income generated could go into a special fund aimed at developing public transportation.
"Such a method would serve as a cross-subsidy. But, it requires transparency and accountability in managing the fund.
"If the government wants to save energy, simply restricting people from buying luxurious cars is not the answer."
And if the public is looking to follow the good example of high-ranking officials on saving gas, then they will not find it here. Ministers still use gas-guzzling 2,400 cc sedans to get around town.


3.3 And Finally, As if We Had No Idea...

(Taken from the American Public Transportation Association web page)

Public Transportation Is Key Part Of The Solution To High Gas Prices

"The American Public Transportation Association congratulates U.S. DOT Secretary Norman Mineta for encouraging greater transit use as a way to beat high gas prices," said American Public Transportation Association President William W. Millar.
Yesterday at an event at LYNX in Orlando, Florida, Secretary Mineta said that consumers can save money at the pump by leaving their cars at home and giving transit a try. He also said that across the country, people are discovering that transit provides an easy, comfortable way to get to work and bypass high gas prices.
"Now, more than ever, it is obvious that people need to have transportation choices besides driving a car," said Millar. "Secretary Mineta is absolutely right to encourage people to use transit. Public transportation is the quickest way people can beat the high price of gas."
A sampling of agencies across the country indicates that people coast to coast are turning to public transportation in increasing numbers this year. From Orlando to San Francisco, Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., Salt Lake City to Raleigh-Durham, transit ridership is significantly up as Americans have chosen to travel by transit.
For people who are new to public transportation but want to beat the high gas prices, here are five things to consider:
Go to www.publictransportation.org to find your local transit system.
Go to your local system's web site to find information on schedules and fares.
Ask your employer if transit benefits are provided. Employers can provide up to $105 a month in pre-tax money for employees to use public transportation. These transit benefits can also be used to park at transit stations.
Ask your local transit agency if they have van pool programs so you can join with other people to van pool to work.
When visiting a community, use the discounted one-day pass.