The PEI Public Transit Coalition

P.E.I. P.T.C. E-News February 2007

2007-02-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

1. Local

1.1 –Improving Transit Services For Islanders With Disabilities
1.2 -Province Funds Over Half a Million Dollars For Public Transit
1.3 -Public Transit Capital Trust Approves 3 New Projects

2. National

2.1 –Going Green: The City Of Hamilton Makes Its Largest Low-Emission
Bus Purchase Ever
2.2 -Cleaner Air For Saint John: Over $4.8 Million To Improve Public Transit
2.3 -New Buses for Whitehorse Thanks to Federal Funding of $1.24 Million
2.4 -Cleaner Air for Fredericton: $1.9 Million to Improve Public Transit
2.5 -Canada’s New Government Invests $37.5 Million Into Transit In Nova Scotia

3. International

3.1 -Ecuadorian City Winning Against Traffic, Pollution Problems
3.2 -Urbanization's Green Outgrowth

1.Local

1.1 Improving Transit Services For Islanders With Disabilities
Wednesday January 31, 2007
Autumn Tremere, Community and Cultural Affairs

Pat and the Elephant has unveiled the second of two new vans accessible to Islanders with disabilities. The vans were purchased thanks to $125,000 from the Government of Canada’s Public Transit Fund.
Pat and the Elephant now has two vans to provide transit services to users with disabilities in P.E.I. The two vans were purchased during the fall of 2006, and both were fully operational and on the roads of Prince Edward Island for the start of 2007. Pat and the Elephant is also receiving $125,000 from the Public Transit Capital Trust which will be used to purchase another two new specially equipped vans.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, noted, “By investing in helping Islanders with disabilities to use public transit, Canada’s New Government is delivering on our Budget 2006 commitment to provide Canadians with a healthy environment and a high quality of life. We are proud to provide this funding to support accessibility, a healthy environment and a higher quality of life.”
“Pat and the Elephant is committed to providing an excellent transportation service to people with a broad range of disabilities,” said Premier Pat Binns. “The province of P.E.I. is pleased to assist this wonderful organization, as it fulfills its commitment to provide reliable, accessible transportation to Islanders with mobility challenges.”
P.E.I. Infrastructure Minister, the Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, said: “I’m extremely proud that we as Islanders are recognizing and acting upon the need to continue to upgrade this service in our community for those with disabilities.”
The four vans feature hydraulic lifts, ramps, special tie-downs and seatbelts to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers. The vehicles can hold up to three persons in wheelchairs and three passengers using regular seating. Services are available year round, from 7a.m. to 11 p.m.
“Being able to get from one place to another is important to Islanders with disabilities,” said Tom DeBlois, President of Pat and the Elephant. “The vans provide a safe, convenient way for Islanders in need to get around, especially in bad weather.”
Pat and the Elephant was founded by Patricia Rogers in 1975, Pat and the Elephant is a non-profit organization located in Queens County of Prince Edward Island. They are committed to providing an excellent transportation service to people with a broad range of disabilities by means of accessible vehicles with trained knowledgeable staff. They service individuals who are visually impaired, have artificial limbs, hearing impaired, and/or wheelchair mobile.
Their clients range in age from 16 months to 100 plus and are transported to locations such as daycare, school, university, the doctor’s clinic, the Seniors Active Living Centre, the grocery store, and to the homes of family and friends. For visitors to the province, Pat and the Elephant can do tours to any of the Island’s tourist attractions.
Pat and the Elephant clients are “People Going Places” and travel in specially-equipped vans with hydraulic lifts, ramps, special tie-downs, and seatbelts. A wheelchair can be provided, at no extra cost, to ensure all clients are able to complete their outings.
Prince Edward Island’s share of the federal Public Transit Fund is more than $1.7 million. This builds on Island infrastructure investments by Canada of $37.5 million through the Gas Tax Fund, $3.8 million through the Public Transit Capital Trust, $33 million through the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund and $98 million through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.

1.2 Province Funds Over Half a Million Dollars For Public Transit
Friday, January 5, 2007
Autumn Tremere, Community and Cultural Affairs

Today the Hon. Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, was pleased to announce $530,000 in funding for the Charlottetown Transit System. This funding was made possible through the Public Transit Capital Trust Program.
“Public transit is a key feature of vibrant, liveable communities and our government recognizes the need to improve our transit system,” says Minister MacFadyen. “Charlottetown residents want reliable, sustainable public transit. Our government is very pleased to work with Island municipalities to ensure funding for these projects is forthcoming, today and for years to come.”
This funding will allow for the purchasing of one new transit bus, 11 bus shelters, modification to curbing and satellite terminals at two mall areas.
“As Mayor of the Capital City of Prince Edward Island, I am extremely pleased to accept this much-needed funding from our provincial government,” said Mayor Clifford Lee. “These new bus shelters will make waiting for buses much more comfortable. The new bus will replace the Caboose which is at the end of its service life.”
The Charlottetown Transit system runs Monday to Saturday from 6:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. within Charlottetown. For more information on bus schedules, contact: 902-566-9962. The transit system is an environmentally friendly means of transportation.
“This funding will help our capital city meet its objective and provide for a cleaner, healthier environment,” said Minister MacFadyen. “I look forward to our continued relationship with the Charlottetown Transit system.”

1.3 Public Transit Capital Trust Approves 3 New Projects
Wednesday January 31st, 2007
Autumn Tremere, Community and Cultural Affairs

The Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, today announced four new projects funded under the Public Transit Capital Trust (PTCT). The PTCT is federally-funded and administered by the Province of P.E.I.
Recipients of the funding include Transportation West Inc., Pat and the Elephant, P.E.I. Public Transit Coalition and the Towns of Cornwall and Stratford.
“Canada’s New Government is pleased to support initiatives that help disabled people enjoy mobility and all Islanders enjoy improved air quality,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
“The Province is pleased to work collaboratively with the federal and local governments on these projects which will have a direct impact on residents,” said Minister MacFadyen. “These projects will help to maintain vibrant communities in rural and urban areas of the province.”
The PTCT was created to support capital investments in public transit infrastructure, contributing to P.E.I.’s environmental goals. It was created in 2006 with a one-time $3.8 million contribution from the Government of Canada and is administered by the province of P.E.I.
Transportation West Inc. will receive $215,000 to replace two buses and one six-passenger van.
Transportation West Inc. is a community-driven organization providing transit services primarily for mobility-challenged residents in the Western P.E.I. region. “The current fleet is old,” said John Kenny, chairperson of Transportation West Inc. “The new vehicles will lower maintenance costs and improve dependability for our riders.”
“Transportation West is a vital part of our community,” said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Transportation and Public Works and MLA for District 27. “I am so pleased that our government is recognizing their contribution and providing this much needed funding.”
Transportation West Inc. is a not-for-profit, community-driven organization. It has been operating since 1999, serving those with needs in the West Prince area. Transportation West Inc. provides accessible transportation for people with special needs (debilitating conditions, seniors, and people who lack transportation) in the Western region of P.E.I. Transportation West covers approximately 300 square kilometers north and west of Harmony and Northam Roads.
Their service provides typically 40 to 50 passenger trips per day in their wheelchair accessible vehicles. However, Transportation West’s vehicles are aging and have become unreliable. Replacing the current fleet will allow Transportation West to continue offering dependable, cost-efficient transportation services to the residents of Western P.E.I., particularly those who require special attention and devices for safe travel.
For more information, contact John Kenny, Chairperson of Transportation West Inc., (902) 853-2069.

The PTCT is also funding two studies for the P.E.I. Public Transit Coalition and the Towns of Cornwall and Stratford.
The P.E.I. Public Transit Coalition will receive $125,000 to conduct a regional transit study. This study will include contracting a professional public transit consultancy firm to examine the viability and resources required to establish an Island-wide public transit system.
“The recent approval of resources to undertake a feasibility study into Island-wide public transit, through the Public Transit Trust program, is exciting,” says Public Transit Coalition outreach officer, Daniel McRae. “We believe this study will allow communities to develop a vision of how a local and across-Island transit system might improve rural residents access to community health and educational resources as well as job opportunities.”
The aerospace sector is also excited to hear about the approval of funding for the feasibility study. Willard Horne, Executive Director of the Aerospace Sector Council notes, “We feel strongly that a lack of affordable transportation acts as a significant employment barrier for many Islanders and creates recruiting challenges for employers, especially those with large seasonal fluctuations.”
The Towns of Cornwall and Stratford will partner for a Transit Feasibility Study, receiving $40,000 from the PTCT. These two towns are growing rapidly and through this funding the Towns of Cornwall and Stratford will commission a study to examine the necessity and the practicality of public transit systems.
“The Town of Stratford is very pleased to be receiving funding from the federal and provincial governments to carry out a transit study,” stated Kevin Jenkins, Mayor of the Town of Stratford. “The assessment of transit demand, and the examination of a range of options to meet that demand, will allow Council to make an informed decision on transit for our residents.”
Patrick MacFadyen, Mayor of the Town of Cornwall stated, “We are delighted that the federal and provincial governments are helping to move this initiative forward. Without their support a regional transit system would not be possible.”
The Town of Cornwall (2001 Census: population 4,412) and the Town of Stratford (2001 Census: population 6,314) are growing rapidly in relation to the rest of the province.
In recent years, the City of Charlottetown has established a transit system, which is delivered through a contract with private operator Trius Tours. Many residents of Stratford and Cornwall commute to Charlottetown to work and for personal business; therefore, the Towns of Cornwall and Stratford wish to see if there is validity in expanding a transit system to serve their residents.
The Towns of Cornwall and Stratford have commissioned a study to examine the feasibility of an expanded transit system. The study will be carried out as one study, but each Town will be examined independently and recommendations made for each.

2. National

2.1 Going Green: The City Of Hamilton Makes Its Largest Low-Emission
Bus Purchase Ever
February 5th, 2007
Infrastructure Canada

David Sweet, M.P. for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, together with Hamilton West MPP Judy Marsales, and His Worship Fred Eisenberger, Mayor of Hamilton, today announced a major initiative to improve Hamiltonians’ bus service.
The City of Hamilton will use $6 million of its $79.6 million of the federal Gas Tax Fund allocation and $3.4 million of the provincial Gas Tax and Ontario Transit Vehicle Program (OTVP) funds to purchase a new fleet of 22 conventional low-emission diesel buses. The new low-emission diesel buses will go into service immediately.
“Transit projects are a clear priority for Canada’s New Government,” said Mr. Sweet. “This important investment will help meet transit infrastructure needs in the City of Hamilton, while delivering on the commitment of Canada’s New Government to cleaner air and an improved quality of life in our cities.”
“The McGuinty government has gotten transit back on track by making the largest investment in public transit in a decade,” said MPP Judy Marsales. “Since 2003, we invested $25.8 million in gas tax funds for City of Hamilton transit initiatives. Ontario gas tax funding means that more people who live and work in Hamilton are spending less time commuting.”
“Hamilton is very grateful to our provincial and federal partners,” said Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger. “Not only will this investment make public transit more attractive to new riders, with the introduction of these lower emission buses, this tripartite investment will continue to move Hamilton forward as a municipal leader in environmental stewardship.”
Through these kind of partnerships, all levels of government can work together to make our cities and communities better places to live.

2.2 Cleaner Air For Saint John: Over $4.8 Million To Improve Public Transit
January 15th, 2007
Infrastructure Canada

Rob Moore, M.P. for Fundy Royal, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Roly MacIntyre, Minister of Supply and Services and Minister Responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, announced today that Saint John has received over $4.8 million to improve its public transit.
This federal funding is provided under the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on the Transfer of Federal Public Transit Fund. The agreement includes a five-year capital investment plan in which the City of Saint John will purchase 19 new buses and three new para transit buses. All of these new buses will be low-emission and wheel-chair accessible.
The City of Saint John expects ridership to increase by 500,000 by connecting the communities of Rothesay, Grand Bay-Westfield, Quispamsis and Hampton to its transit system. Greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop by 1,500 metric tonnes and downtown traffic will decrease by 800 vehicles a day over the next five years. A new maintenance facility will be required to support expanded transit services.
“I am pleased to see federal public transit funds being used to help communities like Saint John to provide better services that encourage people to leave their cars at home,” said Mr. Moore. “Through public transit investments, Canada’s New Government is contributing to lowering business costs and making our communities more liveable and competitive.”
“The provincial government is a strong supporter of projects that benefit our environment,” Minister MacIntyre said. “More people in Saint John take the bus than in any other city of our province. Expanding the service to neighbouring communities will be of benefit to employers and will result in cleaner air for everyone who lives and works in Saint John.”
“Today's announcement is not only a win for Saint John; it is a win for the surrounding communities and a win for the environment,” said Mayor McFarlane. “I am very pleased to see the funding being invested into transportation that is accessible for all and environmentally responsible.”
A total of $9.4 million will be invested by the federal government in three New Brunswick communities through the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on the Transfer of Federal Public Transit Funds. These investments will result in significant environmental benefits, such as cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The New Brunswick Department of Transportation assisted the preparation of the agreements, the preparation of the capital investment plans, and will assist in the development of transit strategies. The funds will be administered by the Regional Development Corporation.
Lowering transportation emissions contributes significantly to reductions in both greenhouse gases and smog. According to the Department of Transportation, about one-quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions in New Brunswick are caused by transportation. Of this amount, over 70 per cent arises from road transportation.

2.3 New Buses for Whitehorse Thanks to Federal Funding of $1.24 Million
December 18, 2006
Infrastructure Canada

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Glenn Hart, Minister of Community Services, and her Worship Bev Buckway, Mayor of Whitehorse, are proud to announce that Whitehorse is receiving four new wheelchair-accessible buses thanks, in large part, to a contribution of $1.24 million from the Government of Canada.
This money from the Public Transit Fund and the Public Transit Capital Trust paid for three new buses and the City contributed from its own capital reserves for a fourth bus. These new buses are low-floor, wheelchair-accessible, and also have features to monitor the bus operator's driving.
“By investing in public transit, Canada’s New Government is delivering on our Budget 2006 commitment to provide Canadians with a healthy environment and a high quality of life,” said Minster Cannon. “Public transit is a major force in helping to keep Canada’s cities liveable. In addition to environmental benefits, public transit investments also help support objectives such as social inclusion by contributing to the mobility of all residents.”
“We are proud to be assisting in the acquisition of modern, wheelchair accessible transit buses. The Government of Yukon is working hard with our federal and municipal partners to facilitate modernization of community infrastructure,” said Glenn Hart, Yukon Minister of Community Services. “We are especially supportive of this investment as it is both environmentally astute and supports making public transport available to all residents.”
Mayor Buckway said “The City of Whitehorse is very appreciative of the Public Transit Fund as it has allowed the acquisition of four new buses that will replace older units, and reduce operational costs while broadening the service availability to those who have not have been able to use the current buses.”

Canada’s New Government recognizes that improving public transit use can help reduce congestion in cities, lower emissions and make communities more liveable. That is why this Government has provided $1.3 billion in dedicated funding for public transit across Canada. Nationally, $900 million was provided through the Public Transit Capital Trust and $400 million was committed through the Public Transit Fund. The Yukon received $1.24 million from the Public Transit Capital Trust and the Public Transit Fund, targeted for existing transit systems.
As well, regular users of transit systems can benefit from a tax credit on the cost of their passes under another initiative of Canada’s New Government.

2.4 Cleaner Air for Fredericton: $1.9 Million to Improve Public Transit
December 1st, 2006
Infrastructure Canada

Mike Allen, M.P. for Tobique-Mactaquac, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Denis Landry, Minister of Transportation, announced today that Fredericton is receiving $1.9 million in federal funding to improve its public transit.
This federal funding is provided under the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on Public Transit. The agreement includes a five-year capital investment plan in which the City of Fredericton will purchase 14 new buses and one para transit bus. These new buses will all be low-emission and wheel-chair accessible.
Mike Allen, M.P. for Tobique-Mactaquac, Fredericton City Councillor and Chair of the Transportation Committee, Marilyn Kerton, and the Honourable Denis Landry, Minister of Transportation at today's announcement.
These new buses will reduce the average age of the city’s bus fleet from nearly 16 years to 10 years. Ridership is projected to increase by 50,000 and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 250 metric tonnes by 2010. The city also plans to expand its maintenance facility to accommodate the larger fleet.
“This contribution shows that Canada's New Government is helping to get things done for Fredericton,” said MP Allen. “Through public transit investments the Canada’s New Government is delivering on our Budget 2006 commitment to provide Canadians with a healthy environment, economic opportunities, a high quality of life and safety and security. ”
“New Brunswick is pleased to support this innovative vision for public transit. The provincial government is committed to environmental sustainability,” said Minister Landry. “All levels of government must work to encourage public awareness of the importance of sustainable transportation. Fleet renewal is key to retaining ridership and encouraging more New Brunswickers to take the bus.”
“This investment in our public transit system will allow us to renew our fleet with modern, accessible and more fuel-efficient buses,” said Mayor Woodside. “It also supports our “Active Transportation” initiative to provide alternate forms of transportation for our residents. ”
A total of $9.4 million will be invested in three New Brunswick communities through the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on the Transfer of Federal Public Transit Funds. These investments will result in significant environmental benefits, such as cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The New Brunswick Department of Transportation assisted in the preparation of the agreements, the preparation of the capital investment plans, and will assist in the development of transit strategies. The funds will be administered by the Regional Development Corporation.
Lowering transportation emissions contributes significantly to reductions in both greenhouse gases and smog. According to the Department of Transportation, about one-quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions in New Brunswick are caused by transportation. Of this amount, over 70 per cent arises from road transportation.

2.5 Canada’s New Government Invests $37.5 Million Into Transit In Nova Scotia
November 24th, 2006

Eleven public transit systems in Nova Scotia will soon be improved thanks to the Government of Canada’s investment of $37.5 million.
The announcement was made by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency on behalf of Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Jamie Muir, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
These investments towards public transit infrastructure will help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, as well as help to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Transit services that will benefit from the federal funding in public transit include Metro Transit in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), Cape Breton Transit (Cape Breton Regional Municipality – CBRM), Kings Transit (including Kings County and surrounding area) and eight other community transit organizations. Eligible capital investments may include the purchase of buses and accessible transit vehicles, the construction of new terminals and maintenance facilities, and the acquisition of improved computerized systems for transit services.
“Reliable and efficient public transit is key to ensuring environmentally sound, vibrant and healthy communities,” said Minister MacKay. “Canada’s new Government recognizes that improving public transit use can help reduce congestion, lower automobile emissions and make our communities more.”
“Today’s investments will help improve our public transit systems in both urban and rural Nova Scotian communities,” said Minister Muir. “They support healthy, vibrant, sustainable communities, as well as help protect our environment. They also reduce isolation through better access to employment, education, medical services, and community and social events.”
The funds include over $11.7 million from the Canada-Nova Scotia Agreement on the Transfer of Federal Public Transit Funds, which was announced today, and $25.8 million to Nova Scotia through the federal Public Transit Capital Trust.
Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations will administer the distribution of these funds primarily based on ridership. Public transit providers will likely receive funding before March 31, 2007.
“We are delighted that the Canadian government is investing in public transit systems throughout Nova Scotia,” said Russell Walker, president of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities. “Larger transit services, which include HRM, Kings and CBRM, will be able to provide improved services, and rural communities will be able to enhance accessible services to seniors, persons with disabilities and the disadvantaged.”
Through Budget 2006, the Government of Canada has provided $1.3 billion in dedicated funding for public transit across Canada. Nationally, $900 million was provided through the Public Transit Capital Trust and $400 million was committed through the Public Transit Fund.

3. International

3.1 Ecuadorian City Winning Against Traffic, Pollution Problems
January 24th, 2007
By Alana Herro

Guayaquil, Ecuador, and its mayor, Jaime Nebot, received international recognition on January 22 for the successful introduction of the Metrovia bus rapid transit (BRT) system and other improvements to public space. The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) honored Nebot and his city with the annual Sustainable Transport Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. “Mayor Nebot belongs to a new generation of bold mayors and governors around the world who are tackling seemingly intractable problems like traffic gridlock and air pollution—and winning,” said Walter Hook, executive director of ITDP and contributor to Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future.
To be an award recipient, cities must enhance their livability through reduced transport emissions and accidents as well as improve space for bicyclists and pedestrians or increase the mobility of the poor. According to ITDP, until recently public services for the 2.3 million residents of Guayaquil were at an all-time low. In 2006, Mayor Nebot officially opened the first 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) of the Metrovia system, which not only allowed for the retirement of 500 of the city’s oldest, most polluting buses, but has reduced travel time for riders while offering high quality, safe service. Additionally, Nebot encouraged the revitalization of Guayaquil’s waterfront and Santa Ana district and celebrated the city’s first car-free day in September.
Seven other cities received honorable mention at the ceremony, including Hangzhou, China, for its development of a near-BRT system; Jakarta, Indonesia, for expanding its TransJakarta BRT system from one to three corridors; and Mexico City for introducing ultra-low sulfur diesel and the Metrobus BRT corridor. Last year, Mayor Myung-Bak Lee of Seoul, South Korea, received the Sustainable Transport Award for replacing a highway with a riverfront park and introducing exclusive median bus lanes.

3.2 Urbanization's Green Outgrowth
Friday, January 12th, 2007
Marcela Sanchez, Washington Post

Recycling didn't have a government program or environmental study behind it when I was a kid in Bogotá in the 1970s, it just happened. Every week, a wooden cart would appear in the street and we'd hear the cry -- botellas, frascos, papel! My mom would rush out with whatever bottles, jars and newspapers she had saved and exchange them for a few pesos with those Bogotános who eked out an existence in repurposed trash.
I didn't think much about it then but I realize now that this type of recycling was an adaptation, an innovation if you will, born from urbanization and poverty. Now, some 30 years later, these same circumstances writ large across the globe are demanding unprecedented innovations. Sometime next year the majority of the world's population will live in cities.
Some of the most aggressive responses to the challenges of urbanization are coming out of Latin America, a new report from the Worldwatch Institute suggests. "State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future," reveals Latin America as a "fascinating region that is inspiring imitation worldwide," according to Molly O'Meara Sheehan, the report's project director.
Not long ago, Loja, Ecuador, was a city afflicted by deforestation, pollution and uncontrollable sprawl. In the last decade, under the leadership of mayor Jose Bolivar Castillo, Loja has managed to transform itself into an "ecological and healthy city." Loja makes some serious demands on its citizens with tough land use and environmental protection policies. Among other things, the city requires developers to set aside 20 percent of the land for public space. The resulting parks and green spaces have improved water management and public health.
Loja's recycling program has an amazing 95 percent compliance rate while recycling "all organic waste and over 50 percent of the inorganic waste," according to the report. This is not achieved with polite reminders to recycle printed on cans and bottles or mere five-cent return deposits. The city will ultimately shut off your water if you don't comply.
Northeast of Loja, Bogotá, the urban capital of more than 7 million people, has been waging "the world's most aggressive campaign to recapture public space from private automobile users," according to Walter Hook of the New York-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. Bogotá, under then-mayor Enrique Penalosa, seized traffic lanes in major thoroughfares in the city for its bus rapid-transit system. The TransMilenio, modeled after a system developed in Curitiba, Brazil, in 1974, now transports 53,000 passengers per direction per hour, comparable to some of the world's largest metro rail systems.
Today Bogotános can cover in 30 minutes the same distance that used to take them an hour or more. Public space has also been transformed into new parks, pedestrian-only streets and miles of dedicated bike lanes that used to be the domain of automobiles.
Some of these innovations may in fact be coming to a city near you. Both Bogotá's and Curitiba's systems have been studied by cities throughout the world. The new TransJakarta system in Indonesia's capital is a direct replica of Bogotá's TransMilenio. And Los Angeles, the city known as much for traffic congestion as for Hollywood, has been developing its own system following the Brazilian example.
In describing all the physical changes -- the green spaces, the recycling programs and the transportation systems -- the report leaves you with the impression that there are civic leaders willing to fight urban blight and take on problems that are virtually ignored by lethargic national governments. They are not unlike the leaders in over 300 U.S. cities who have committed to reduce carbon emissions, even as the federal government blocks global agreements and other national responses to climate change.
These leaders see their cities as a source for solutions. Just as Curitiba's former mayor Jaime Lerner did when, in the 1970s, he pushed for innovations that are still worthy models today. Thus he continues to defy, as he wrote in a foreword to the Worldwatch Institute's report, those who think of cities as "hopeless places where a person cannot breathe, move, or live properly."
Perhaps too these innovations signal a democratization of quality of life, a realization that a happy life is not exclusive to a certain class but can be a reality to those most deprived -- many of whom live now in urban centers. Cities may in fact exacerbate poverty but at the very least they can provide, as Bogotá's Penalosa likes to say, public places where "everybody meets as equals."

November's E-News!

2006-11-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

P.T.C. E-News November 2006

1. Local

1.1 – Public transit symposium a success
1.2 - Riding the wave

2. National

2.1 – Tories announce transit security funds
2.2 - Toronto area transit has 'smart' vision for future

3. International

3.1 - Mass transit still hot after $3 gas
3.2 --Why Delhi needs cycle-rickshaws
3.3 --Colombia city makes a U-turn
3.4 – How will the USA cope with unprecedented growth?

1.Local

1.1 Public Transit Symposium
October 27th was quite a day in the Conference room of the New Residence Building on UPEI’s Campus. It was the site of our Symposium on Public Transit and Social Equality. The bulk of the symposium was four excellent presentations that educated as well as stimulated discussion.
Prof. Ed MacDonald gave a great overview of the Island’s history with Public Transit. He showed that public transit is not quite the unknown foreign figure that many islanders believe it to be. Through both historical fact and public accounts, Dr. MacDonald demonstrated the importance of the railway for almost a century across the island.
Prof. Benet Davetian got the room thinking while talking about the correlations between public services and social equality. He brought up great examples and points of benefits and possible downfalls of an Island-wide Public Transit. His lecture served to really inspire some discussion in the room which gave lots to talk about during the breakout session.
After a hearty lunch from the Wanda Wyatt dining hall, Dave McCusker, Manager of Regional Transportation Planning for Halifax Regional Municipality, talked about similar problems both Halifax and PEI are facing. He discussed the troubles, hurtles, and methods in establishing Public Transit in rural areas. His expertise and experience shed a lot of light onto a complicated issue.
The final lecture of the day was about the impact on many seniors when they either lose or give up their licenses. Olive Bryanton enlightened many in the room as to how many islanders are currently faced with this problem but especially stressed how many were headed in that direction. She clearly showed both social and economic impacts upon not only the seniors lives, but the communities around them.
The end of the long day was followed by a casual panel discussion with many of our speakers and attendees to talk about how to really get moving on an Island-wide public transit system. Over the course of the day as many as 40 people graced the symposium while a consistent 20 stayed throughout the day. With representatives from across the island and some from Nova Scotia, the symposium was able to help everyone share their ideas, progress, and projects concerning Public Transit. The casual nature of the symposium allowed everyone to talk, listen and learn throughout the day and hopefully got people thinking about these important issues.

1.2 Riding the Wave
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Dave Stewart, The Guardian

After more than doubling their numbers in the first year, Charlottetown Transit is setting its sights on bus shelters and expanding its reach through partnerships with businesses. The transit service began its run on Sept. 30, 2005, transporting 4,788 passengers through the month of October 2005.One year later, the service celebrated its first anniversary with 10,652 fares through the month of October.
Transit buses continue to flourish on Route 1 (Confederation Centre-University Avenue-Charlottetown Mall) which accounts for 37 per cent of the overall business while the system is still looking to make an impact in communities like Sherwood and Parkdale.
Bobby Dunn, general manager of Charlottetown Transit, says the next big step is to start erecting shelters to protect passengers from the elements while they wait. The first shelter should be in place in early December in front of the Confederation Centre. It will measure 4x16 with benches. A request to the city has already been made for another 13 shelters. Overall, Charlottetown Transit is asking city council to support the purchase of 40 shelters over the next few years. If they’re successful with all of them, it will cost $320,000.
Dunn said they’d also like to see the city add another bus. “We’re challenged now. Winsloe-West Royalty is asking for more service. We are providing service there (but) there’s some out there who think we should be there more often.’’ There are currently five buses on the road, each of them successfully getting people to work downtown as early as 7:30 a.m. and getting them back home as late as the 5:10 p.m. run.
Dunn said they are working towards making it easier for more people to leave their vehicles at home. Another proposal for the city to consider is building up to three park and ride sites. Those are small parking lots built specifically for people to leave their vehicles at and take the transit into town, infrastructure common in other cities. The key locations would be East and West Royalty and Stratford.
Dunn said talks are ongoing with major businesses like Sears where Charlottetown Transit would buy up to 40 parking spaces so people could leave their vehicles there for the day. Dunn said there are also plans to hold talks on Nov. 20 with Charlottetown Area Development Corporation (CADC), the city’s realtor, on finding spots for people to park and take the bus to work or school.
Partnering with schools is another plan. Right now, the transit carries 24 junior high students to band practice at Queen Charlotte school under the new Go for Green School program.
“It’s less stress on the parents after they’ve come home from work, had their supper and (in the past) been forced to rush out the door to get their kids to that one activity.’’ As an added incentive, Charlottetown Transit and Staples have combined to offer $20 worth of school supplies to one of those lucky students. Transit gives 50 cents from each fare back to the school. The school, in turn, gives a portion of that money to the food bank.

2. National

2.1 Tories announce Transit Security Funds
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 | 8:37 AM ET
CBC News

The Conservative government announced $37 million in funding Tuesday to beef up security on public transit systems in Canada's biggest cities. Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon announced that Toronto and Montreal will get the lion's share of the money, while the rest of the funding will go to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and the Ottawa region.
The money is part of the $80 million that Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged in June for transit security.
"I think what we're seeing in this announcement is that it's a kind of wake-up call for commuters that we are not immune [from terrorism], that we live in a global environment now," said Drew Snider, spokesman for Vancouver's Translink.
Within the last three years, bombings on transit systems in Madrid, London and Mumbai killed more than 420 people and injured at least 2,500 more. The funding is meant to improve surveillance and communication networks on transit systems, as well as hiring additional staff.
Wesley Wark, of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies, said the measures are long overdue.
"We could easily be a target for terrorist attacks," Wark said. "We've been named by al-Qaeda as a target nation, so while we might like to think we're not a likely target, you just can't gamble with that."
Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier was quick to point out that the threat of terrorist activity isn't the only reason transit security should be improved.
"The requests that we have are not just for terrorism, they're for day-to-day issues that deal with security in public spaces and public places," he said.
The Société de transport de Montréal has already installed 530 closed-circuit cameras and has plans to install an additional 700. Still, Andre Bouchard of Garda, a security consulting firm, said Montreal, like most cities in the country, has a lower level of transit security compared with many cities in the world, partly because that's what Canadians are comfortable with.
"We're way behind," Bouchard said. "But do you want police officers with machine-guns walking through your metro like they do in London? Do you want police walking through the metro system like they do in Italy?

2.2 Toronto area transit has 'smart' vision for future
Friday, October 13, 2006 | 2:17 PM ET
CBC News

Greater Toronto Area commuters are one step closer to transferring easily between the web of bus, train and subway systems across the region. Ontario Minister of Transportation Donna Cansfield announced a 10-year, $250-million contract Thursday with management consultant company Accenture to design and implement a "smart card" system to connect the public transit systems in the GTA.
Working much like a debit card, the fare cards could be scanned as passengers enter the various systems, deducting the fare. The new Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, mandated to make it easy for commuters to transfer seamlessly between the GTA's transit systems, will oversee the smart card program.
"Transit users should be able to get on any system anywhere in the GTA using the same card and travel to wherever they're going without having to worry about crossing municipal boundaries and changing systems," said the newly-appointed chair of the GTTA, Rob MacIsaac.
The project will roll out by mid-2007 with limited participation. Those involved will be four Mississauga bus routes, the Meadowvale and Cooksville GO Transit stations and Union Station in Toronto. The province hopes to have the system running across the GTA by 2010.
However, the Toronto Transit Commission has expressed uncertainty as to whether it will join the smart card system, citing financial concerns.

3. International
3.1 Mass transit still hot after $3 gas
10/2/2006 2:07 AM ET
By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY

Although gas prices are plunging, many Americans appear to be continuing to let someone else do the driving. Public transportation officials across the USA say they have seen very little drop-off in passengers on buses and trains in recent weeks despite the dramatic decline in gasoline prices. Surging gasoline costs led to sharp increases in public transportation ridership this summer.
"The $3 gas prompted them to look at" public transportation, says Morgan Lyons, spokesman for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which has seen double-digit increases in ridership this year. Although, anecdotally, trains and buses seem to be a little less crowded than they were this summer, most people "seem to be staying with it," Lyons says.
Desiree Ingle says she will continue to take public transportation to work, even with gas prices dropping."It's pretty easy, convenient and not too stressful," says Ingle, a research and planning analyst for the county parks and recreation department. "As long as they keep improving the public transportation, I think more people will be using it."
Gas prices have dropped 17% in the last month in large part because of a sharp decline in oil costs. Nationwide, public transportation ridership rose 3.2% in the first six months of 2006 vs. January-June 2005, according to the American Public Transportation Association. That was the biggest increase for the first half of a year since 2000 and more than double the gain seen in the same period in 2005.
APTA President William Millar attributes at least part of the increase in ridership to elevated gas prices. Other factors include increased congestion as well as new and improved train and bus service in a number of U.S. cities.
"People who hadn't used transit before and who hadn't used it in a long time ... were pleasantly surprised" when they tried it out recently, Millar says. "They are finding that, 'Hey, this isn't really so bad.' "

3.2 Colombia city makes a U-turn
October 28, 2006
Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer

A decade ago, the Bosa slum was the black hole of Bogotá. Its darkest corner was Laurel Park, a grassless, trash-strewn lot with open sewage and gun-toting gangs bent on muggings and murder.
Today, Bosa has paved streets, new schools, health clinics and cafeterias, and links to a new mass transit system. Laurel Park has been rechristened Park of the Arts and is alive with children at play and free theater, fashion shows and concerts.
Like much of this re-energized capital of more than 7 million inhabitants, the war zone that was Bosa has been transformed. "The change has surprised everyone, not just visibly but socially," said Nubia Zuaza, a community activist who has lived in the area for 20 years. "From a focal point of delinquency, the park now embodies a sense of community that wasn't there before."
The same can be said for much of Bogotá, which in the 1990s earned a well-deserved reputation as a world capital of mayhem. Car bombings, assassinations, killings and kidnappings sent thousands of Bogotá's residents fleeing to the United States or had them hunkering down in their homes. Bogotá was, in many urban experts' view, a failed city choked with traffic and pollution and victimized by a seemingly uncontrollable crime wave.
"When I took office, people told me: 'Nobody can fix this. Bogotá is totally hopeless,' " said Enrique Peñalosa, the capital's mayor from 1997 to 2000. Now, visionary leadership by Peñalosa and two other Bogotá mayors is credited with helping turn the city around. Improved public finances, reduced crime and congestion, a slew of public works, and reduced and more orderly traffic have made Colombia's capital livable again.
Urban experts around the world are taking notice. At the architecture exhibition at last month's Venice Biennale, the organizers cited the city as an exemplar in mass transit. Highlighted were the continent's largest network of bike paths and Bogotá's 300-mile Transmilenio bus system, which after six years of existence boasts a daily ridership of 1.4 million.
The United Nations, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have cited the 70% drop in Bogotá's homicide rate, an even steeper decline in kidnappings, and the addition of a score of public libraries, most of them in poor areas. But the proof of the turnaround is in the attitudes of the residents. Polls show that citizens who once overwhelmingly saw life here as a cross to bear are hopeful about the future and happier to be here.
Urban planning expert Juan Carlos del Castillo said the seeds of change were planted during the administration of Mayor Jaime Castro in the early 1990s. Castro initiated Bogotá's first land-use plan and persuaded the federal legislature to grant him stronger powers, having found himself overshadowed by a city council dominated by corrupt real estate and transportation interests.
Castro's successor, Antanas Mockus, son of Lithuanian immigrants and a former university rector, tried to restore a sense of citizenship, employing a whimsical approach that included using mimes to shame motorists into heeding stoplights and crosswalks. But he also played fiscal hardball to improve tax collection and clean up the city's finances.
A part-time professor and business consultant with the U.S. firm Arthur D. Little before taking office, Peñalosa used the surplus to launch a public works program designed to dramatically reduce traffic, which he describes as Bogotá's bane. "Cars are lethal weapons that dehumanize society," he said.
"I could have used the surplus to build seven elevated highways for more cars, but that would have left no money for public spaces or libraries," Peñalosa said. "Those highways would have been undemocratic since 70% of Bogotános don't have cars."
Using a model set by the Brazilian city of Curitiba, he planned and began construction of the Transmilenio bus system and restricted each private automobile's circulation to five days a week.

3.3 Why Delhi needs cycle-rickshaws
October 22, 2006
Aruna P. Sharma

(*Note One ‘Crore’ is equal to 10 million)

They are clean, efficient, safe and flexible — and banished from Capital roads. The humble cycle-rickshaw may have gained popularity as an eco-friendly pedicab in European and American cities, but its survival in Delhi is in doubt.
Cycle-rickshaws are ideal for short-distance trips. Do not cause safety risk in residential areas and near schools and hospitals. (They) Use renewable energy. Pedal-driven rickshaws provide three times the walking speed, meet urban mobility requirement in colonies dominated by middle-income and lower-middle-income groups and provide a low-cost alternative for transporting household goods and furniture. Reduce air pollution by saving fuel on 10 crore motorised trips all over the country and 1 crore trips in Delhi alone.
Generate employment for one crore poor people across the country. A court ban and motor-vehicle-driven transport and road development policies of the government are driving rickshaws towards an uncertain future.
The ban may make cycle-rickshaws seem like a nuisance but they also have their own advantages. According to the Initiative for Transportation and Development Programmes (ITDP) — an NGO that has introduced the lightweight, modern cycle-rickshaw, now plying around the Taj Mahal in Agra, in Delhi, Jaipur and other cities — cycle-rickshaws are the future solution to Delhi's air pollution.
“In Delhi alone cycle-rickshaws make more than one crore short-distance trips in a day, saving huge government investments in parking and thousands of crores of rupees that would otherwise have been spent on motorised transport for the same number of trips,” says Nalin Sinha, programme director of ITDP. Besides, they provide honest means of living to three per cent of India's population without any financial investment or support from the government.
The socio-economic profiling of rickshaw pullers done by the NGO shows that most of the rickshaw pullers are unskilled, uneducated or landless farmers, of whom 68 per cent belong to the Other Backward Classes and 20 per cent to the SC/ST category. So the rickshaw-pillers do not have a choice.
Then there are misconceptions about rickshaw pulling. “It is a myth that pulling cycle-rickshaws is inhumane. The rickshaw pullers are much better off than construction labourers who have to carry heavy loads on their heads, coolies at railway stations or labourers who pull loads of 500 to 1,500 kg in pushcarts.

Unfriendly Policies
-Rickshaws are not recognised by planners and transport policy makers.

-Illegal ones, costing Rs 5,000 each are seized by authorities, crushed and disposed of as scrap.

-Rickshaw pullers have no insurance cover. They rarely have I-cards or ration cards.

-No funds available for research and design development.

-Master Plan 2021 makes a very weak statement by merely stating that wherever possible

Sunita Narain, also makes a strong pitch in favour of cycle-rickshaws and other modes of non-motorised transport. “It is a misconception that cycle-rickshaws cause congestion. It is the cars that are causing congestion. It is sad that in a socialist country like India, the poor rickshaw pullers are getting targeted for no fault of theirs.”
A study carried out by CSE in Ambedkar Nagar shows that over 60 per cent commuters travel by public transport buses that use up 8 per cent road space, while cars move only 20 per cent people and take over 75 per cent road space. Bicycles move 20 per cent passengers and use 18 per cent road space.
It is the cars that have taken over road space and need to be taken off the road by introducing a dense network of Metro trains, High Capacity Bus System, and Light Rail System with auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws providing the feeder services.
“The city’s air was first stabilised by introducing 10,000 CNG-fuelled DTC buses and now we have to adopt the integrated transport policy, so that the city can breathe easy” says Narain.
Dr Geetam Tiwari of IIT, Delhi, says that redesigning the roads is all that is required to allow the cycle-rickshaws to ply on the arterial roads. “Then they will not come in the way of fast-moving vehicles,” says Dr Tiwari. The cycle-rickshaws are already providing feeder services at 50 metro stations, including the Delhi University station, and they need to be formally integrated with our public transport system, she adds.
As for Old Delhi, it is the motorised vehicles that need to be banned so that the rickshaws can provide noiseless, pollution-free, door-to-door service in the narrow streets and bylanes, Tiwari says. Banning the cycle-rickshaws is only going to compound the environmental and socio-economic problems in the city, planners and experts say. So let the wheels be set in motion to let the rickshaw claim its pride of place on roads.

3.4 – How will the USA cope with unprecedented growth?
10/27/2006 1:59 AM ET
By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY

The fact the USA is growing faster than any other industrialized country in the world comes as no surprise to Tim Gibbs. The USA added 100 million people in the past 39 years and last week topped 300 million. We'll add the next 100 million even faster. Sometime around 2040, according to government estimates, the population clock will tick past 400 million.
Can the USA, which trails only China and India in population, absorb another 100 million people in such a short time? Where will everybody live? Space itself isn't the issue. More than half of Americans live within 50 miles of the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf and Great Lakes coasts on just a fifth of the country's land area, according to the Center for Environment and Population, a non-profit research and policy group based in New Canaan, Conn.
But people can't live on land alone, especially if they want water in the desert, plentiful fuel to power long commutes, energy to cool and heat bigger houses and clean air and water. How and where they live could determine how well the nation — and the environment — will handle the added population.
"People who work on smart growth development issues say there's no way we can continue over the next 40-odd years without severe consequences to the environment," says Victoria Markham, director of the center. "That presents some really good opportunities for changing the ways we adapt to this growth. ... If population is going to grow, which it will, we have to find different ways to reside on that land."
"We're going in the wrong direction right now," says Don Chen, executive director of Smart Growth America, a coalition of groups working to slow sprawl. "The rate of land consumption is twice the rate of population growth."
Gas costs more and traffic congestion is worsening, making long commutes hard on the wallet and the psyche. More immigrants are arriving, increasing mass transit ridership and carpooling in a country where driving alone still dominates.
Indications are growing that the automobile-dependent suburban lifestyle of the 1950s — tract homes built on streets and cul-de-sacs increasingly distant from central cities — is losing traction. Urban town centers that combine condos, shops and offices in pedestrian-friendly settings are sprouting in suburbia. Residential construction in downtown districts is on the rise because empty-nesters and young professionals want to be where the action is. Areas that have scant histories of mass transit, such as Phoenix and Dallas, are investing billions in light-rail lines.
Now, the cost benefits of buying a house 45 miles from work often are offset by prices at the pump."It takes more money to heat and cool a big house," says Flint, public affairs manager at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a think tank in Cambridge, Mass. "Once you factor in the true cost of that housing by including transportation and energy costs, yes, Americans will get very resourceful very fast and change how they live."

Among the ways the nation can absorb the next 100 million:
•Rail lines and transit villages. Cities that had let public transit wither are revitalizing it and encouraging development around transit stops. Metro areas better known for sprawl are hopping aboard the rail mania, including Dallas, Albuquerque, Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Charlotte.
Twenty-seven metropolitan areas have transit systems, and 15 are planning new ones, according to Reconnecting America, a non-profit group that encourages development near or along transit lines.
"As these cities grew, they realized that relying on the automobile was not enough," says William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, a trade group that represents public transit providers. "New systems are virtually without exception meeting and exceeding ridership targets, and you're seeing land values (along transit lines) go up."
Once all the transit systems on the books are built by 2030, there will be 4,000 to 4,500 transit stations nationwide. There were 735 planned and proposed stations as of December 2005.

Public Transit and Social Equality Symposium

2006-10-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Symposium on Social Equality and Public Transit

Friday, Oct 27th 9AM - 4PM, UPEI Campus
Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies and Sponsored by the PTC with Funding Assistance provided by the Health Agency of Canada.

Location : New Residence Conference Room (south side of UPEI Campus)
9AM - 4PM (reception to follow)

9 AM Professor MacDonald, UPEI department of History
Theme - The social Impacts of the Passenger Railway Service on 19th and 20th century PEI society.

10 AM Professor Davetian, UPEI Department of Sociology
Theme - The connections and correlations between Public services and Social Equality within the community

11 AM Breakout session

12PM - 1 PM Lunch Break

1PM Dave McCusker, Halifax Transit
Theme - The resources required and challenges to extending public transit to the rural areas surrounding Halifax

2PM Olive Bryanton, Upei Fall Centre and MA candidate
Theme - An Overview of the Impact on senior Citizens lives when they are no longer able to drive or have their driving privileges withdrawn.

2:45 Pm - 4PM Panel Discussion
Theme - Rural Transportation : How to make it happen.
The panelists will include a representative from Transport 2000, the PEI Public Transit Coalition, and more!

Please contact Daniel McRae at 566-4696 or ptc@ecopei.ca to register!

A Review of Charlottetown’s Public Transit System: One Year Later

2006-09-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Charlottetown Public Transit!

It has already been a year for Charlottetown Transit and many people still acknowledge the bus passing by with a kind wave, while some just sneak a glance at those colourful trolleys. While celebrating this first year anniversary of Charlottetown Transit, it seems like an excellent time to reflect, review, and communicate how this last year has gone. To properly voice all concerns and compliments toward this system, it was best to consult with everyone: people who ride the bus, people who do not, bus drivers, and even a few who have had or still have their hand in Transit management. Charlottetown Transit is already a common sight across town after only one year and as long as it keeps working for the people, it could eventually become a common sight across the whole Island. To be a truly successful public service, a Public Transit system needs to be a synergy between those who need to ride it and those who operate it. To enable and encourage this synergy, expectations from both sides must be heard, acknowledged, and acted upon.

The Charlottetown Transit system draws in many people after simply giving it a try. Not only are the buses very comfortable, clean, and approachable but the bus drivers are extremely friendly and very helpful when broached with questions. The Charlottetown transit system seems very fitting to our small town charm. People who are unsure of routes, or other bus information, appear very comfortable with approaching the driver, just as the drivers seem happy to help. On one occasion, one bus was blocked in by another bus while on a quick break. Upon his return, the driver of the blocked bus, instead of making everyone wait, simply got out and moved the other bus. He managed to not only keep his bus on schedule but also deeply impressed a young lady who feared that she would be late for work. Many Transit patrons remarked on the quality and kindness of the bus drivers. The casualness that the drivers show toward the riders makes many feel welcome and seems to encourage more to take the bus. So far, this kind of informal service only seems to improve the bus systems’ approachability and guest service levels and can hopefully be integrated with a busier ridership in the future.

According to Gary Bradshaw, who used to be the V.P. of the St. John’s Public Transit, and Mike Skene, President of Boulevard Transportation Group, it can generally take between five and ten years for a Transit system to mature and for a Transit using culture within the area to develop. This means that permanent development of transit infrastructures can be dangerous if done prematurely; as routes are likely to change due to ridership and the city’s growth. There are, however, certain locations in Charlottetown, such as the University and the three shopping areas which intersect multiple routes, that will remain fixed hubs for the transit system. Most of these particular locations still have no clear posting of where the bus actually stops nor a mounted schedule or weather shelter for those waiting. Many of these locations are also lacking benches which are especially needed for any seniors or disabled persons wanting to use the bus. Although these problems are easily rectified, they are crucial to fix so that our Public Transit system can remain a Public service available to all.

So far selected routes for buses have great coverage for most of Charlottetown without sacrificing efficiency. While traveling throughout town, it was obvious that, given a slight learning curve and some compromises regarding schedules, using the buses did not delay or inconvenience most. In fact, most routes, as well as the express bus, work very well with daily schedules and as ridership grows, will presumably become even more convenient. Oddly enough though, the Charlottetown Airport is not serviced by our Transit system. As a public service, Charlottetown Transit should have buses running out to the airport, especially if our airport may start taking in international flights as well. Many would also like to see the Transit system extend further outside of Charlottetown into Stratford, Cornwall, and especially into rural P.E.I.. Due to the Island’s unique size and density as a province, it is even more crucial to provide adequate transportation infrastructure for the many rural to urban commuters. Many of these islanders are unable to use the bus in Charlottetown because of its limited range. Although these kinds of extensions will take some time, planning, and funding to put into place, they will be detrimental to make P.E.I. Public transit efficient and available to all.

After an extensive trial of our bus system, and through the many people encountered, it is obvious how popular our transit system is and is becoming. Islanders, on and off the buses, have much praise for our transit system, and the bus drivers themselves relate a growing ridership every month. In fact, Trius tours reports of an average increase of 400 riders each month over the last 4 months. Charlottetown Public Transit is not only a much needed and appreciated public service, but also a means to encourage economic growth across town. It strengthens and unites our community while encouraging more sustainable transportation. Although they may have denied it for years, and ignored all the long glances they’ve given each other, Public Transit and the Island could not compliment each other more. It is clear that since Charlottetown and its Public Transit system have had a full year together, they are finally realizing just how well they get along.

The Charlottetown Public Transit system can be reached at www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca for more information regarding the current Transit system solely in Charlottetown. If looking for information concerning future extensions, ideas for improvement, or general information about this public service, then please contact the Public Transit Coalition at 566-4696 or http://www.peiptc.blogspot.com. The P.T.C. in partnership with the Institute of Island Studies will also be hosting a Symposium on Friday, October 27th from 9am-4pm entitled: Social Equality and Public Transit. The event will be held at the New Residence Conference Room on the UPEI campus and will have several guest lecturers as well as a panel discussion for those interested.

PEI Public Transit Coalition E-NEWS 15

2006-08-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

PTC E-News Tuesday August 29, 2006

1. Local

1.1 ---Let’s save our air
1.2 ---Taxi numbers concern councillor
1.3 ---Environmental groups grade Atlantic provinces' response to climate change

2. National

2.1 ---CANADA'S FIRST HYBRID BUS ARRIVES IN KELOWNA
2.2 ---Calgary's CTrain Turns 25 Years Old!
2.3 ---Transit contract details add fuel to debate

3. International

3.1 ---Calls raised for free transit all of the time. Ridership surges on Spare the Air days
3.2 ---See you at the bus stop
3.3 ---Some AC Transit buses to offer Wi-Fi service

1. Local

1.1 ---Let’s save our air

By Sarah-Jane Bell
Belle River

Editor:
Re: ‘The smog is sitting in the air over P.E.I.’ (The Guardian, Aug. 9, 2006).

No, P.E.I.’s air is not as pristine as we would like to think, and, no, it is not entirely our fault, but we can’t lay all the blame abroad. According to Natural Resources Canada, transportation accounts for 50 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). That is a huge amount, adding carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other particulates into our ‘pristine’ air.

It is true that most of us have to drive to work, school, sporting events, etc. The price of gas is another truth that we have no control over. We can, however, control the amount of travel and the method.

Using 10 fewer litres of gas a month can save one-quarter (0.25) of a tonne in GHG emissions in a year and $12 in fuel costs. That can add up to an annual savings of three tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and $144 of fuel. Taking one less trip to the store, combining trips, carpooling, and using active transportation around the city, including transit, can save a lot and provide you the benefit of fitness. One city bus can take 40 vehicles off the road and keep about 50 tonnes of GHG emissions out of the atmosphere each year. Walk to a bus stop and ride to work, school, or the mall.

Drive the speed limit and avoid quick stops and starts. Not only will this save gas, it will prolong the life of your car. Every 10 kilometres you go over the speed limit, you increase fuel consumption by 10 per cent.

The easiest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation is to not idle your vehicle unnecessarily. If you stop for more than 10 seconds except in traffic, it is better to turn it off and restart than idle.

Another example is aging cars.
We can’t all have new cars, but replacing an old vehicle with a more fuel-efficient model can save up to 2.5 tonnes of GHG.

Last but not least, properly inflated tires can reduce GHG emissions by five per cent.

These are just hints for saving energy on the road. There are many more things you can do at home such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs, washing in cold water, and turning electronics off that are not in use.

So, yes, there is something you can do about our air and save money at the same time. It is a win-win situation. Take control, take ownership of your emissions and lead by example so others close to you will follow.

1.2 ---Taxi numbers concern councillor

Thursday, July 13, 2006 | 7:53 AM AT

The city councillor who oversees taxis in Charlottetown didn't know the number of cabs operating in the city has dropped 25 per cent in two years, and he wants to know whether the new transit system is part of the cause.

Coun. Cecil Villard told CBC News Wednesday he hasn't looked at the effect of the transit system launched in October has had on taxis.
"I'm not sure anybody has taken the time to measure that," said Villard, who is responsible for taxi licences in his role as chair of the police committee.

"But the fact that there has been this 25 per cent reduction, I think, is certainly cause for discussion with the taxi industry to find out what's going on."

Drivers are saying the rising cost of fuel and insurance are the big factors driving them off the road, but also mention the buses in citing a lower demand for their services.

Since 2004, the number of taxi drivers in the city has dropped from 134 to 102.

Charlottetown transit is running four buses on five routes, with about 10,000 riders a month. The buses start early in the morning, and all but one are done by about 7 p.m. The University Avenue bus runs until just before 10 p.m.

Villard said the buses are part of a move to be more environmentally friendly, but they were also meant to help ease parking concerns downtown, a role taxis play as well.

Villard will be bringing the issue to city council. He's concerned about the future of the taxi industry, and he wants to make sure city residents have the transportation they need.

1.3 ---Environmental groups grade Atlantic provinces' response to climate change

By The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia is making improvements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the province needs to do more if it wants to meet the targets it set five years ago, environmental activists warned Monday.

The province earned a grade of C for its response to climate change in an annual report card released by the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.

Similar report cards, produced by other environmental groups, were issued for the other provinces in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the New England states. The reports marked five years since the premiers and governors from those regions committed to cut carbon pollution to 1990 levels by 2010.

Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador scored between B-minus and C-minus, though their grades were lower than in 2005.

Elsewhere, Quebec fared the best of the six states and five provinces with a grade of B-plus. New Hampshire scored the worst, rating a D-plus.

While Nova Scotia scored a lowly C, it was the only Atlantic province to show overall improvement.

``We've seen some nice things happening here, but no consistent policies,'' said Brendan Haley, energy co-ordinator for the Ecology Action Centre.

Haley applauded improved transit services and provincial programs, including one that offers a 10 per cent rebate for solar water-heating systems. But he's afraid those programs will suffer following Ottawa's decision to pull out of the Kyoto treaty on climate change and cut the Energuide program for household energy conservation.

Still, Nova Scotia could still meet the 2010 target if it makes more investments in public transit and offers rebates for drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles, he said.

Nova Scotia's energy minister said the province plans to introduce a home retrofit program, similar to the federal Energuide program, in the coming weeks.

``We're going to pick up until the feds can come through with their programs and assist us,'' Bill Dooks said from Whitehorse, where he's attending a meeting of energy ministers.

``We're moving in the right direction and we're moving conservatively, but we're moving appropriately.''

Dooks pointed to the creation of Conserve Nova Scotia, a Crown corporation that will focus on energy conservation.

Meanwhile, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick said the province's emissions in 2004 were nearly 47 per cent higher than those in 1990.

The environmental group also said the province, which had the lowest grade in the Atlantic region, is not doing enough to reduce emissions from the transportation sector or establish a plan for reducing emissions.

``That plan should include regulations to govern emissions from the power plants and cars.'' spokesman David Coon said in an interview.

The province was applauded for establishing Efficiency NB, which offers homeowners energy audits and incentives to promote energy efficiency.

``We are continuing our work with the New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers to have a (greenhouse gas) reduction strategy for the whole region and New Brunswick wants to participate in that,'' Premier Bernard Lord said while campaigning ahead of the Sept. 18 provincial election.

``I have made the environment one of our top five priorities over the next five years ... and I want to work with the Conservation Council and other New Brunswickers to make sure we pass on a cleaner province to our children.''

Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland received B-minus grades -- the highest in Atlantic Canada.

Newfoundland was praised for its emission reduction initiatives, including a $6.9-million low-income energy efficiency program.

In P.E.I., a new public transit system in Charlottetown was highlighted as a success, as was the Island's use of wind power.

2.1---National

2.1 --CANADA'S FIRST HYBRID BUS ARRIVES IN KELOWNA
4 May 2005, Reference: BCT 5032
KELOWNA - Today, Canada's first new hybrid electric bus was unveiled in Kelowna. This new technology for heavy duty vehicles will set the standards for fuel efficient, environmentally-friendly bus fleets in Canada.
"The hybrid-buses are an excellent example of using technologies to help address climate change," said Mayor Walter Gray. "When using the buses in urban areas, fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced when compared to conventional diesel buses."
BC Transit purchased six hybrid buses to evaluate environmental and economic benefits of operating hybrid electric buses in the Kelowna and the Victoria regions. Under the transit agreement, the local governments cost-share vehicle operating and debt retirement expenses with the provincial government through BC Transit.
"BC Transit is committed to identifying and adopting new technologies for public transit," said Greg Slocombe, Chair of BC Transit. "As well as environmental quality advantages, the hybrid electric bus has major advantages in lower fuel costs as well as operating and life cycle costs."
This hybrid system uses dual electric motors for regenerative braking that slow the bus down and capture the energy into the battery system. This captured electrical energy is then used to assist in powering the bus using quiet electric motors and adding to the vehicle's efficient use of the diesel engine.
The vehicle supplier is New Flyer, headquartered in Winnipeg with two facilities in the U.S. and is the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in North America. General Motors , the world's largest automaker, developed and manufactures the hybrid system that is used in the hybrid bus.
Backgrounder
How the Hybrid Electric System Works
A "hybrid drive" means there is a combination of more than one type of motive power on the bus. Hybrid electric buses utilize two power sources: a smaller than normal internal combustion engine and an energy storage unit (the battery). The engine-generator combination works in parallel with the battery, providing electrical power to keep the battery charged. As a result, the engine operates only in its most efficient ranges. For example when accelerating from a stop, the electric transmission accelerates the vehicle to a speed of about 12 kmph.
Once the vehicle is underway, the parallel hybrid system blends both the diesel engine and electric motor power to maintain speed. At highway speeds, the vehicle is powered solely by the diesel engine. During this time, the engine also charges the energy storage system (battery).
Significant fuel economy is achieved when the vehicle runs at its optimal speed, offering top engine performance and low exhaust emissions. The vehicle also uses regenerative braking to charge the batteries.
The hybrid electric bus has three major advantages: reduced fuel consumption, reduced emissions, and lower operating and life cycle costs.
1. Reduced Fuel ConsumptionShort demonstration tests indicate up to a 58% reduction in fuel consumption depending on the vehicle usage profile. The fuel savings could be as high as 100,000 litres per year for the first order of six buses.
2. Reduced Emissions
"Greenhouse" gas emissions, believed to contribute to global warming, are reduced up to 60 per cent. Applying this figure to this initial 6 bus fleet, the estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be 403 tonnes per year and up to 90% fewer particulates (the visible black smoke from older diesels.)
3. Lower Costs
The hybrid electric system results in lower operating costs due to reduced stress and maintenance on mechanical components such as brake linings. The hybrid transmission has fewer component parts and therefore requires less maintenance. The hybrid bus option has about a 40 per cent premium on capital. The operating costs savings means the break even point in total expenditures is estimated at 10-12 years dependent upon future petroleum price trends. Buses are typically kept in service for 20 years.
The delivery cost of a regular 40-foot vehicle manufactured according to BC Transit specifications is $530,000. The premium for the hybrid technology is an additional $300,000.
First in Canada
With the purchase of the six hybrid electric vehicles, BC Transit will evaluate environmental and economic benefits of operating these buses. Three buses will be operating in the Kelowna region and three in the Victoria region. After final inspection, staff familiarization and decaling, the buses will go into service early this summer.
BC Transit was the first public transit agency to use low-floor conventional buses (Victoria 1992), low-floor double deck buses (Victoria 2000) and now hybrid buses (Kelowna 2005). As a leader in public transit technologies, BC Transit continues to actively participate in supporting emerging technologies for the future.
BC Transit coordinates the delivery of public transportation through British Columbia outside the Vancouver area. With a fleet of over 700 vehicles, BC Transit provides planning, funding, marketing, fleet management and contracting services to 77 transit systems, carrying over 39 million passengers annually.
New Flyer
New Flyer, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the largest manufacturer of transit buses in North America. The company serves many of the largest transit agencies in the United States and Canada, and has supplied BC Transit with buses for many years. New Flyer has worked closely with General Motors to take a leadership role in developing and producing hybrid electric transit buses.
New Flyer has recently delivered 235 hybrid electric buses to Seattle, both 40-foot vehicles and 65-foot articulated vehicles. Another fleet order is in production for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The six BC Transit buses destined for Kelowna and Victoria, will be the first production-line hybrid buses in Canada.
General Motors
General Motors, the world's largest automaker, supplies the parallel hybrid system used on the hybrid bus. GM's vision is to reduce vehicle emissions to zero, and ultimately remove the automobile from the environmental debate. Its strategy is to focus on the highest fuel-consuming vehicles first, like buses, full-size trucks and SUV's since that is where the hybrid technology can have the greatest fuel savings impact.
Kelowna Regional Transit
The Kelowna Regional Transit System is a partnership between the City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, District of Lake Country and BC Transit. The transit system is operated by Farwest Transit Services Inc.
The three-bus fleet supports the City of Kelowna's commitment for transportation demand management options for the region's residents.

Q&A
Background
BC Transit has purchased three hybrid electric buses to replace aging buses in the Kelowna region. The hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by converting energy normally wasted in braking into electricity and using it to help accelerate the bus.
Another three buses will be used in Greater Victoria. These are the first production-line hybrid vehicles in Canada.
Research on hybrid vehicle applications encourages the transit industry to move toward this technology. A key advantage is that the technology does not impact existing infrastructure or daily business operations, providing a simple step toward improved performance.
How much will it save?
BC Transit staff is projecting up to a 50 percent fuel reduction in stop and go applications, or 22,500 litres. An average bus uses 45,000 litres over a year, traveling 75,000 km.
An additional maintenance savings of 30-50 percent is anticipated in maintenance costs of some major vehicle components.
Fuel-efficiency and maintenance data will be collected and analyzed as the fleet goes into service.
How clean is the bus technology?
In stop and go applications, each year greenhouse gasses are reduced by over four times the weight of a regular bus. That's 60 metric tonnes.
Particulate Matter (PM) is reduced by up to 90 percent over the cleanest diesel buses now in BC Transit's fleet
Carbon Monoxide (CO) reduced by up to 90 percent
Hydrocarbons (HC) reduced by up to 90 percent
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) reduced by up to 40-60 percent
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) reduced by up to 50 percent
How will bus riders benefit from these new buses?
Up to 50 percent emission reduction
Improved fuel and maintenance efficiency to keep fares and local taxes down
Improved on-road performance through smoother acceleration and no shifting
Low floor makes for easier boarding and exiting
Fabric covered seats
Rear-facing wheelchair position to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to get on
Air-conditioned
Better results for people participating in the One Tonne Challenge
What is the cost of this bus?
Today a regular 40-foot low floor bus costs approximately $530,000. The premium cost for the hybrid technology is an additional $300,000. Based on current fuel costs, the bus should recuperate the additional cost in 10-12 years. The average life span of a transit bus is 20 years.
Is special training required?
Transit mechanics will receive training on the new technology associated to electronics. The hybrid bus has a voltage of 600.
In addition, information will be provided to emergency response staff to understand the electric features of these new vehicles.
Transit drivers will notice little difference in the New Flyer vehicle. There will be a smoother acceleration as there is no transmission shift.
How does it work?
The parallel system provides both a mechanical and an electrical path through the drive unit. As the bus accelerates from a stop, the electric drive predominates. Mechanical drive gradually blends with electric until at highway speeds when the drive is purely mechanical.
The regular bus transmission is replaced by an electric transmission that acts as a transmission, generator and electric motor.
The batteries are located on the roof of the bus and weight approximately 400kg (900lbs)
Why a Hybrid?
The Kelowna region takes clean air seriously and demonstrates this through its commitment to public transit, offering transportation choices to its residents. The decision to include clean-air, hybrid buses is an important step toward protecting the area's environment while reducing traffic congestion. Transit buses are required to meet the emission standards in effect when the bus is built. Heavy-duty diesel engines used in transit buses must meet more stringent standards than diesel engines used in heavy-duty trucks.
Since the early 1990s, Kelowna Regional Transit has been using #1 diesel, the cleanest low-sulphur diesel available. This low sulphur diesel eliminates visible exhaust.
Presently, Kelowna Regional Transit operates a fleet of 49 buses ranging in age from 1982 to 2005. Some vehicles are now at the end of their 20-year useful life.

2.2 -- Calgary's CTrain Turns 25 Years Old!

HAPPY 25TH!

Over its 25 years of operation, the CTrain has made great strides to expand and service a fast-growing community. Our CTrain, in fact, has become the most highly-used Light Rail Transit System in North America.
To commemorate the celebratory event, a CTrain car has been vinyl-wrapped illustrating the CTrain's history and great success after "25 years on track!" Calgary's CTrain is 100 percent emissions-free, the only light rail transit system in North America to be powered by wind-generated electricity.

CTrain Facts
After a modest beginning opening May 25, 1981 on 12.9 kilometres of track from Anderson Station to City Hall, today's CTrain carries 230,000 customers every weekday.
Calgary's LRT system has the highest ridership (both in total and on a per capita basis) of any North American system. For a prairie city with a population of just under a million, this is a significant achievement.

Planning for rapid transit in the city of Calgary began in the 1960s and in 1976 a decision was made to invest in light rail transit.

The CTrain system began operation in 1981 with the opening of a 12.9km south LRT line from Anderson Station to City Hall.

The northeast line followed in 1985 and the first section of the northwest line was opened in 1987 just prior to the 1988 Olympic Winter Games.

The northeast leg of the CTrain system will be extended to McKnight-Westwinds next year and a further extension of the northwest leg will open in 2008.

Today, Calgary's CTrain system stretches 42.1 km with 36 CTrain Stations. The total represents an investment of over $1 billion CDN.

Calgary Transit operates 116 CTrain cars and an additional 33 CTrain cars are on order with the first cars to arrive later this year.

Over the next 10 years, and additional $1 billion will be invested in expanding and maintaining both bus and LRT infrastructure.

82 percent of Calgary's LRT is at grade, 8 percent in tunnel, 5 percent on bridges, 5 percent within the downtown transit mall on 7 Avenue.

In its first year of operation, the CTrain carried over 40,000 daily passengers. Daily weekday ridership now exceeds 230,000 averaging over 600 boardings per operating hour. During peak periods, boarding range from 720 to 780 per operating hour.

The CTrain plays a major role in carrying Calgary's 112,000 downtown workers. Calgary Transit carries over 42 percent of those workers.

Peak hour travel by LRT entering the downtown is equivalent to the capacity of about 16 free flow traffic lanes.

Since 1995, Calgary's population has risen by 23 percent but even more dramatic has been the 45 percent increase in transit ridership.
In 2005, Calgary Transit carried 82 million CTrain and bus passengers.
Every weekday, CTrains travel a total of 12,089km - with a total running time of 420 hours per day.Every Saturday, the total distance traveled is 6,523 km.On Sundays, a total of 6,316 km is traveled. That's 73,284 km per week, and 293,136 km per month - To put that into perspective, the CTrain travels around the world at the equator more than 7 times per month, and travels to the moon and back 4.5 times per year!

2.3 ---Transit contract details add fuel to debate

JENNIFER LEWINGTON
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

Key details of an exclusive bid by Bombardier to sell a new generation of subway cars to Toronto will give political comfort to Mayor David Miller and other supporters of the deal, but still leaves critics unimpressed.

Yesterday, the mayor and others commented on the public release -- details of which were reported Wednesday by The Globe and Mail -- of the proposed sole-source Bombardier contract, to be debated by the Toronto Transit Commission at its next meeting on Aug. 30.

Backed by the conclusions of two outside transit experts that the deal is "fair and reasonable," TTC staff have recommended accepting Bombardier's offer to build 234 subway cars for a base price of $499.3-million. With other contract-related costs, the overall Bombardier price rises to $674.7-million.

But the total price tag for the project, including the TTC's own costs, will reach $710-million, less than the previously budgeted figure of $750-million. The subway cars are supposed to be ready for service in 2009, mostly to replace aging vehicles (some now 30 years old), but neither the province nor the federal government have confirmed yet how much money they will chip in as their share of the project.
Yesterday, supporters and critics used the fresh details to buttress their view of the proposed contract, which has been dogged by controversy because it was not put out for competitive bid, as is the norm for city departments.

In a statement released by the mayor's office, Mr. Miller described the Bombardier proposal as "good for city taxpayers and good for Ontario." Noting that the Bombardier cars would be manufactured in Canada (the Montreal-based company has an assembly plant in Thunder Bay), the mayor added "this purchase will improve our transit system while enhancing the domestic economy."

But budget chief David Soknacki, among a minority on council that has called for open competition, said "for those who want to believe this is the right choice, it becomes an easy choice. But it is the wrong choice."

TTC vice-chairman Adam Giambrone, a supporter of the proposal, is confident that his side has enough votes at the TTC -- and at council next month -- to endorse it.

"Once it comes through that this is a good deal, independently verified, I am not too worried," he said.

A key piece of political ammunition for backers of the Bombardier bid is the positive assessment by two international firms that were hired to compare the proposal with recent subway car purchases in North America.

"Despite the sole-source procurement approach, the TTC appears to have a reasonable price," concluded consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the two outside experts.

3. National

3.1 -Calls raised for free transit all of the time. Ridership surges on Spare the Air days

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Ridership on the Bay Area's public transit systems spiked during the six Spare the Air days when passengers were offered free rides in exchange for parking their polluting cars, prompting some local officials to call for making mass transit free all the time.

The higher numbers generated complaints from some regular commuters who were unhappy with the crowded trains, buses and boats, and the associated delays in service. Reported crime also was up on BART, possibly because paying customers are less likely to vandalize vehicles or torment passengers, said several transit officials.

Despite the scattered gripes, some Bay Area officials want to use the popularity of the Spare the Air no-fare days to push for making free passage the norm.

Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty is one of the most vocal proponents.

"We're not going to be able to pave our way out of the congestion we have today,'' said Haggerty, who also serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional transportation planning agency. "We have to look at expanding ridership on public transit.''

Offering free rides is one way to do that, he said.

But free is relative. Public transit agencies in the nine Bay Area counties collect nearly $517 million a year at the fare box to help fund operations, many of which are subsidized by grants, taxes and tolls. Revenue to replace fares would have to be found elsewhere.

There are costs associated with collecting fares, but they are nowhere near the half-billion dollar mark, said Randy Rentschler, legislative and public affairs director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Some cities, such as Portland and Seattle, provide free bus service in their downtown districts. Others, including San Francisco, give free rides on New Year's Eve with the intent of keeping drunken drivers off the roads. Several cities across the country mirror the Bay Area municipalities in offering free service or reduced fares when air pollution is particularly bad. But no major transit agency in the United States has free service year-round.

There are various ways to subsidize a free-fare program in the Bay Area but all would face tremendous political hurdles.

With about 5 million trucks and cars in the Bay Area, officials could tack a $100 surcharge onto annual registration fees. Or they could raise the sales tax or bridge tolls to fund a free-transit program.

Another option is to cut public transit service to reduce operational costs.

San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who also serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said the notion of year-round free transit "is something that should be pursued. The question, of course, is where would we get the money for this?''

One idea Ammiano has unsuccessfully pushed was to impose a special assessment on downtown businesses to help fund the Municipal Railway.

Haggerty says the federal government should assist in setting up a 1-year pilot project to provide free transit with the goal of reducing air pollution. The government can withhold federal transportation funds when regions exceed federal air pollution standards.

The Bay Area already has blown through this year's budget for free-transit on Spare the Air days, spending nearly $14 million in subsidies to transit agencies that lost fare revenue.

The designation for the free-fare days -- three in June and three earlier this month -- came when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District projected that smog might exceed federal health-based limits. Originally, there was enough money for three days, but the unusually hot, wind-free conditions prompted the expenditure of additional money for three more days.

The program -- formed with the dual goal of lessening air pollution and generating interest in public transit -- proved to be a success, with an increase of ridership throughout the more than two dozen public transit systems that participated. It also helped to keep air pollution levels in check, officials reported.

BART, for instance, saw an increase of between 16,000 and 33,000 additional boardings on the days when there was no charge. That's on top of the 315,000 or so typical weekday boardings. The number of people using ferries operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District ballooned, as well. On July 21, for example, ridership on the Sausalito ferry jumped 510 percent, with nearly 12,000 boardings.

A push to fund more free-fare days may come as early as today when the governing board of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission meets.

"Can we scare up a few million dollars more? Sure,'' said Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which allocates about $1.5 billion a year for various transit and roadway projects. But, he noted, the extra allocation likely would mean less money for something else.

3.2 ---See you at the bus stop

Thursday, August 24 2006

BUS RAPID TRANSIT — The Next Generation of Public Transportation’ is the title of the latest brochure by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB). Yes, the Transport Ministry’s consultant leading the Trinidad Rapid Rail Project.

In it PB says, “Around the world, transit owners are turning to bus rapid transit (BRT) to provide communities with efficient, flexible, affordable transportation….Whether in congested urban areas or suburban travel corridors, BRT is attracting new riders by combining the high-performance characteristics of rail with the flexibility and economy of buses. Transit providers are discovering that BRT achieves the excellent quality of service that customers associate with rail—but at significantly reduced cost.” Yes, I know that the Government has instructed PB to introduce rapid rail to Trinidad at any cost, but I wonder how this is resting on the mind of one of the world’s largest specialist transportation consultants, seeing that they know better. It must be nothing short of immoral.

What is BRT? I refer to my article examining BRT, published in Newsday’s Business Day on December 22, 2005, “The BRT system is based on the concept of utilising the most popular features of Light Rail Transit (LRT) with the flexibility and cost advantages of traditional roadway transit. It can come in a variety of different forms, from dedicated busways that have their own rights-of-way (including traffic signal preferential treatment and pre-emption at intersections) to bus services that utilise High Occupancy Volume (HOV) lanes, and dedicated highway lanes to limited stop buses on conventional routes.”

PB continues “On BRT projects worldwide, system owners have chosen PB to help tailor BRT technology to local needs. To the riding public, BRT looks, feels and performs like rapid transit. Service is frequent, speedy and comfortable. To the owner, BRT is an innovative alternative that can be built faster and with less expense than comparable rail systems…With innovative features inside and out, BRT transports passengers with smooth, quiet comfort at average speeds up to twice those of conventional buses. In fact, vehicles on the O-Bahn, in Adelaide, Australia, whisk along at 100 kph on a bus guideway for which PB provided preliminary engineering design and operational planning. The O-Bahn system has reduced travel times and improved schedule reliability, with service every 20-30 seconds during peak hours.

“Specialised BRT vehicles can be outfitted like modern streetcars and accommodate 120 to 160 passengers. Low floors make for easy boarding, and multiple doors cut dwell times to improve headways in high-travel corridors. Propulsion may be low-sulphur clean diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), fuel cells, electric or hybrid engines.

“BRT can also be the backbone of a metropolitan transit system. PB is assisting planners in Beijing, China, with review of a citywide BRT network, providing advice on corridor capacity analysis, intermodal integration approaches and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies. In Brisbane, Australia, PB assisted Queensland Transport in expanding its BRT network with detailed design of a 15-km extension to Logan City. PB is providing design and engineering services for alignments, stations, and park-and-ride facilities. PB also contributed planning and design services to Brisbane’s South East Busway, which opened in 2001, and the Inner Northern Busway, which opened in 2004.

“BRT’s adaptable infrastructure is a great benefit to system owners. The running ways on which vehicles operate range from highway medians and reserved street lanes to downtown transit malls, tunnels and exclusive rights of way. BRT also allows transit operators to directly serve major activity centres such as universities and shopping malls that would be too costly to access via other transit modes…In other applications, BRT vehicles share portions of their routes with autos on city streets. In any case, BRT reduces land requirements because it needs few specialised structures; owners can rely on the existing pool of roadway contractors. Typically, existing transit maintenance and storage facilities can be reused for BRT.

“Bus rapid transit is a practical, powerful tool for sustainable community planning and achieving transit-oriented development…BRT also helps owners bring transit to growing areas, such as ‘edge cities,’ where land use density is relatively low but the need to reduce auto congestion is urgent. For example, to provide alternative methods of travel in the rapidly growing outer suburbs of Sydney, Australia, PB developed a comprehensive strategy for the 90-km Western Sydney Transitway Network.

And in Kansas City, Missouri, PB helped the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority define its Metro Express BRT route—a package of low-cost improvements (reserved bus lanes, skip-stop service, enhanced bus stops, signal priority, special vehicles) to improve service and increase ridership.”

Well stated PB, I could not have done it better. The world is also looking on with interest to see your recommendations for Trinidad and Tobago in the Comprehensive National Transportation Study.

3.3 ---Some AC Transit buses to offer Wi-Fi service

Wireless Internet on crossbay routes to S.F., Peninsula

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, August 24, 2006

AC Transit is set to become the first public bus system in Northern California, and one of a handful nationwide, to offer free wireless Internet service -- a potential tool to increase ridership in the tech-savvy Bay Area.

"Folks will be able to surf to work and back," said Aram Boyd, senior marketing representative for AC Transit.

The agency plans to provide Wi-Fi access on the crossbay routes that link the East Bay to San Francisco and the Peninsula. Testing is scheduled to begin next week, with the goal to have service running by midfall, Boyd said.

A few local transit agencies either already provide Wi-Fi service or are planning for it, including Caltrain, the Altamont Commuter Express and some ferries. It is available on public buses in Seattle, Riverside in Southern California, Cincinnati, Tampa and Cedar Rapids.

Part of the challenge for AC Transit will be to provide uninterrupted service on vehicles moving through varied terrain and maintaining a connection fast enough to keep users' nerves from frazzling.

The wireless capability will be available on AC Transit's 79 MCI-manufactured buses that cross the Dumbarton, San Mateo and Bay Bridge spans. Passengers using their specially equipped laptops, personal digital assistants and MP3 players will be able to send and receive e-mail and use the Internet.

AC Transit administrators view the program, which is funded with $340,000 in state transportation funds, as an opportunity to "provide a significant competitive advantage over auto travel and BART usage, neither of which allows for Internet connection and use,'' according to a briefing memo prepared for AC Transit's board of directors.

BART has entered into preliminary discussions with potential vendors to provide Internet service on its trains, but there are no concrete plans to move forward, said Jim Allison, a BART spokesman.

"For the time being, we're concentrating on cell phone service in the Transbay Tube,'' he said.

San Francisco's Municipal Railway, the largest public transit operator in the region, has no plans at this time to provide wireless Internet on its fleet of street cars, buses, trolleys and cable cars, according to agency spokeswoman Maggie Lynch. "It's not at the top of our list,'' she said.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which operates in San Jose and surrounding communities, doesn't have Wi-Fi available yet, but is working to outfit its light-rail trains. "We're not doing anything specifically with our buses right now," said VTA spokeswoman Jayme Kunz.

The same goes for Golden Gate Transit buses. Mary Currie, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, said wireless Internet has been available on the ferries for the past six months as part of a demonstration project. Glitches, such as a dead spot near Angel Island, are still being worked out, she said, as is the ultimate business relationship with the vendor.

SamTrans buses don't have Wi-Fi service, "but that doesn't mean we won't someday,'' said agency spokesman, Jonah Weinberg. Its sister rail operation, Caltrain, is planning to provide high-speed Internet service, but full coverage is still a year or so away, Weinberg said.

Other rail systems serving the Bay Area -- the ACE trains that run between Stockton and San Jose and the Capital Corridor trains traveling between San Jose and Sacramento -- have been offering Wi-Fi connections for almost three years.

Patrick Flynn, a human resources manager who commutes between San Francisco and Berkeley on AC Transit two or three days a week, said he'd make use of the Internet service during his morning commute.

"I'd be able to get a jumpstart on my work," Flynn said. "By the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is get back on my laptop. I just want to look out the window and relax."

Job Opening with the PEI Public Transit Coalition

2006-07-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Position Available with the PEI Public Transit Coalition!

The Prince Edward Island Public Transit Coalition has available the position of Public Outreach Officer to commence on 21 August, 2006. The position runs for six (6) months and interested applicants must be EI eligible in order to qualify for the position. The successful applicant will be based at the Prince Edward Island Eco-Net office in downtown Charlottetown, and duties will include supporting the Public Transit Coalition co-ordinator in public education activities and in making presentations to politicians, schools, community groups and businesses across Prince Edward Island. As well, the Public Outreach Officer will be required to update and maintain member group databases, manage the financial aspect of the position, and participate in local community and committee meetings as they relate to the promotion of public transit on Prince Edward Island.

Interested applicants should contact David or Aaron at (902) 566-4696 or by email at david@ecopei.ca and/or elsivir@eml.cc.

In brief:

Organization: Prince Edward Island Public Transit Coalition

Position: Public Outreach Officer

Duration: 6 months starting August 21, 2006

Pay: Bi-monthly EI top-ups to approx. $11.00 per hour based on HRDC Job Creation Project

Work week type: 40 hr Monday-Friday work week (some flexibility in hours)

PEI Public Transit Coalition E-News 14

2006-07-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

PTC E-News 14 Friday, July 7, 2006

1 Local

1.1 Charlottetown Transit Gets a Financial Boost From Ottawa
1.2 Upcoming Events: Workshops, Meetings and the Fall Symposium
1.3 The Richmond Street View

2 National

2.1 Bus Riders in London, ON Indifferent to Tax Break
2.2 And If Canada Were to Be Attacked?
2.3 Ottawa Pledges Greater Focus on Clean Fuels and Public Transit

3 International

3.1 Public Transit Options Increasing South- and North- of the Border
3.2 French Transit Workers and Government Sign "Guaranteed Service" Agreement
3.3 Growing and Going Faster and Faster: Dallas Light Rail Doubles Up

1 Local

1.1 Charlottetown Transit Gets a Financial Boost From Ottawa

Charlottetown Transit and Pat and the Elephant received funding boosts on Thursday as Foreign Affairs and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency frontman Peter MacKay presented the former with almost $ 2,000,000 in funding and the latter with a cheque for $ 125,000. MacKay said Charlottetown residents aren't the only beneficiaries of the money.

"It also means cleaner air (and) reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Public transit will also help make Charlottetown a more livable and attractive city by contributing to the mobility of all residents.'

Mayor Clifford Lee said transit has been a priority in the city for some time.

"It provides freedom to move for all citizens, especially students, seniors and workers, from the neighbourhood of East Royalty to the neighbourhood of Winsloe and all parts in between,' said Lee.

"It helps reduce traffic congestion on our roads and improves our environment through reduced greenhouse gas emissions. It's been talked about for many years . . . and has now become a reality.'

In addition to the nearly $2 million in funding announced Thursday, under the Public Transit Capital Trust announced in the federal budget this year, P.E.I. will be eligible to receive an extra $3.8 million over the next two years, conditional on a budget surplus.

MacKay also confirmed the federal government transferred $2.25 million, the first of two payments to the province through the agreement on the transfer of the federal gas tax revenues under the New Deal for Cities and Communities.

1.2 Upcoming Events: Workshops, Meetings and the Fall Symposium

Although the summer season can often signify a letdown with respect to community involvement and public education undertakings for advocacy groups, the Public Transit Coalition will be pressing ahead with a number of projects over the course of the next few months. When not at the beach, David MacKay will be following up on the highly successful transit workshops put on by the Coalition this past spring in
rural areas of the Island, and in addition to a slate of new presentations (such as the most recent trip to speak to the Gulfshore Development Group in Rustico), the Coalition will be pushing forward with meetings with MLAs and community leaders to keep the ball rolling on an Island-wide transit feasibility study. October 27, 2006 has been announced as the day for our Symposium on Social Equity and Public Transit, an event which will bring together our member groups, local politicians and representatives from academia to present formal papers on the connection between transit, accessibility and community inclusion on Prince Edward Island. Stay tuned to the blog for further information.

1.3 The Richmond Street View

Like bees to honey and flies at a wedding, politicians always seem to show up at the right time. The Guardian ran a story on its front page this week, Friday, July 7 to be precise, depicting Peter MacKay, Elmer MacFadyen and Clifford Lee in front of one of the new trolleys purchased by the City for the Charlottetown Transit system. Apparently MacKay "drove up" in the aforementioned bus, the city transit service's Knight in Shining "Blue" Armour, defender of the capital city's interests and promoter of community cheer. Peter MacKay may be all of these things; what he is not is confused. Ottawa has its priorities clearly in mind, and its purveying of funds for public transit on PEI is a welcome addition to our provincial coffer. The confusion, unfortunately, stems from this side of the Northumberland Strait. Our own elected officials, it appears, require further counseling with respect to their roles as "distributors" of these federal funds to the Province. Remembering that Ottawa has designated some $3,45 million over four years solely for PEI public transportation, Minister MacFadyen and cabinet need to be reminded that a transit feasibility study for the entire province is the next step towards establishing public transit across the Island. Charlottetown has reaped its reward from the ENTRA study: thanks to the diligent work of Bobby Dunn, Mike Cassidy, George Brookins and the entire driver crew and staff at Trius Tours (our transit operators!), our capital city can now be said to be on-par with the twelve other capital cities in our country. If we think of it, while we sit on our decks and enjoy the summer sun, maybe we need to write a few letters to our representatives in the Legislative Assembly so that, in the near future, Minister MacKay rides into Souris riding a sparkling new bio-diesel fuelled bus having hopped on in Summerside...

2 National

2.1 Bus Riders in London, ON Indifferent to Tax Break

Tax break? What tax break? It seems that transit users in London are neither here nor there when it comes to the brand new, made-in-Ottawa tax relief for monthly pass holders on Canada's public transit systems. In fact, most people asked had not heard about the transit pass tax credit that took effect Canada Day and could provide tax returns of about $75 — the cost of a one-month pass — this year.
“Oh really?” said Brenda Ferguson, when told of the tax break while she waited for a city bus at the corner of Dundas and Richmond streets. “I don’t take the bus that often ... my husband’s got the car.”
Her reason was different, but her reaction similar to that of several other people waiting for buses on a quiet Monday afternoon.
“No difference to me,” said Trudy Inch. “I get a medical bus pass.”
“I get it through welfare so I don’t pay for it anyway,” said James McCleod.
When announcing the tax break last year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was quoted saying the initiative could encourage more people to take public transit, but a local transit official disagreed.
“I don’t see that happening,” said Ward 6 Coun. Harold Usher, who sits on the London Transit Commission. “People going to the counter and paying for a bus pass won’t see a difference there.”
To increase ridership, Usher said, the government should have offered the tax break up front rather than making it returnable at the end of the year.
“The fact that something like this takes effect today and nobody knows about it is very important,” he said.

2.2 And If Canada Were to Be Attacked?

Jul. 4, 2006. 08:23 AM
RICHARD HETU
Since Sept. 11, 2001, reliable sources have repeated the warnings: Canada, like any other industrialized Western country, is not sheltered from a wide-scale terrorist attack. And yet, for nearly 20 years we have been protected, day after day, by the grace of God, CSIS or luck.
Unfortunately, this state of affairs came to an end this afternoon in the Montreal metro.
What a contrast between the images of planes smashing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and images from July 5, 2020, in Montreal.
By evening, the web had started broadcasting live shots of the attack, caught on "smart video" by the public transit system.
There were no 9/11-type explosives; just the cold determination by terrorists to kill in large numbers, in my hometown.
The new cameras in the Montreal metro didn't miss a thing, or almost didn't. Installed after the Boston subway attacks, they scan every centimetre of the system — waiting areas, trains, tunnels and platforms — producing video images that are transformed immediately into digital data.
This surveillance system, the fruit of Quebec innovation, can detect, categorize and follow objects or people of interest according to user-defined specifications.
In principle, it can receive real-time alerts and react proactively to threats. It is the very pinnacle of technology.
But will the video of the attack one day be shown on Canadian television?
Tonight, broadcasters completely censored it, bending to the requests of authorities who have vowed to find and punish the person or people responsible for a leak that allowed a small-time blogger in Vermont to stream images of the attack over the Internet. These made their way around the globe in seconds. On their websites, Canadian news sources were forced to tell the story in words and photos only.
Here are the facts: Between 5:19 p.m. and 5:24 p.m., on July 5, 2020, at the peak of the evening rush hour, five individuals wearing baseball caps get up from their seats in five different trains all heading for Berri station, the busiest in the metro system.
From a gym bag, each of them pulls out a portable spray gun, similar to the Canadian Model 5 tear-gas ejector. Then turning around slowly, they spray a fast-acting nerve agent into the air in each of the five cars. The passengers do not know that the gas, Tabun, can kill by inhalation or contact with skin within 20 minutes. It doesn't take them long, though, to realize they are the victims of a chemical or biological attack.
How long has this kind of threat been talked about! In the packed trains, the cameras record panic spreading from face to face. However, these same cameras are unable to make out the features of the faces hidden under the terrorists' caps. In each of the besieged trains, some 10 seconds pass between the start of the attack and the opening of the car doors.
The passengers' first move is not to subdue the terrorists, but to flee the gas-filled cars. The terrorists follow them, gassing an increasing number of passengers in their wake. Roughly another 10 seconds pass between the doors opening and the terrorists being gunned down by police.
Thanks to the smart video, the attack alert was set off the moment the terrorists brandished their spray guns. Nevertheless, over the course of the 20 to 25 seconds that followed, hundreds of passengers would have inhaled the fruit-scented gas that paralyzes the respiratory system and causes the lungs to constrict.
In the wee hours of the morning, the number of victims is unknown and no one has yet taken credit for the attacks. One thing is certain, according to commentators, who can't avoid the circumstantial cliché: Canada will never be the same. Knowing what happened to the U.S. after the attacks of 9/11, this is not particularly reassuring.
July 6, 2020
No one could accuse Canadian authorities — municipal, provincial or federal — of not having taken the threat of chemical or biological terrorism seriously. After the VX Boston subway attack that left 197 dead and 461 wounded, they poured every effort into attack prevention and disaster management. Thus, the different levels of governments agreed on a specific strategy in the event of an attack — the Equinox Plan — which was put into effect yesterday.
Hospital staff was mobilized to deal with the victims at specific facilities in seven major Montreal hospitals, as designated by the federal and provincial health ministries.
Alerted at the same time as police, ambulance workers, firefighters and other emergency staff, all wearing protective suits, arrived at Berri station shortly after the terrorists were gunned down. Thanks to sophisticated equipment, ambulance staff identified the type of gas used in the attack and recognized with consternation that there was nothing they could do for the majority of the victims.
Tabun, a gas created in 1937 and used by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, belongs to a group of toxic and infectious agents for which Canada no longer has a vaccine or antidote, says a Montreal newspaper, citing anonymous sources within the federal government. At a time when threats seem to evolve with the seasons — and biotechnological progress — Montreal hospitals do not deal with it any more.
Did the terrorists know? Conspiracy theorists were not the only ones to wonder this upon hearing the first count of the victims: 310 dead and only 15 wounded, a tally that attests to the superior quality of the gas. As in many Western countries, including the U.S., France and Britain, the makeup of antidote, antibiotic and vaccine stocks are government secrets in Canada. The vaccines to which the government has access or, more to the point, the vaccines or antidotes to which it does not have access in sufficient quantities — or at all any more — is information that terrorist networks would be eager to put to use.
This raises the question on many people's minds: Could there be a traitor or traitors among us?
If there is paranoia, it is but one of the manifestations of the shock felt today from one end of Canada to the other. Sorrow, sympathy, patriotism and anger are also in the mix. On television and radio, in newspapers and on the Internet alike, politicians, experts, and citizens have expounded on the hateful and insidious nature of the attack.
"Despite advances in genetic invention, gas is still probably the most powerful and effective instrument of terror available," states an expert. Another opined: "The possession of these weapons gives terrorists the opportunity to blackmail the governments of small and large countries, to sow the seeds of hate and panic in the population in general."
Yet another asked, "Why on earth does Canada not have an antidote to Tabun any more? Of all the neurotoxic agents, isn't it the easiest to make?"
In Ottawa and Quebec, opposition parties have demanded public inquiries into the makeup of stocks of strategic health products The issue is not only crucial in the event of a chemical or biological attack, but also in the possibility of a pandemic.

Ten years after the installation of hi-tech cameras in the subway, people rarely raise concerns about privacy

While Montreal and Quebec authorities wait for these inquiries, they have attempted to reassure metro users by promising to introduce new "protective" measures.
In particular, they have announced the installation of sophisticated detectors that can recognize weapons, plastic explosives and chemical, biological and radioactive products.
Each subway turnstile should soon be monitored by one of these detectors. Employed in many North American subways — New York, Boston, Chicago and Toronto, among others — the system should cause no slowdown of service, unless there is an alert.
The technology has been available since 2014, but it would require an attack before it made its appearance in the Montreal metro.
As for the cameras, they will continue to scan everything in their path, and not only the activities of potential criminals or terrorists. Ten years after their installation, it is rare that people raise privacy concerns.
We live in a time where safety comes first.
July 7, 2020
We've been saying it non-stop since the attack: On July 5, 2020, the Canadian psyche received a devastating shock; its population, long accustomed to peace, now finds itself at war with an unknown enemy.
Not only does responsibility for the attack go unclaimed, but authorities, scorning the media's repeated requests, refuse to release any information on the terrorists killed in the subway.
Canadians of all stripes have pointed the finger at radical Islamists, either homegrown or imported. Neo-Nazi groups have gone further by burning down mosques in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary, among other cities. Authorities have appealed for calm.
Still today, the media show restraint. Yet the coincidence is remarkable: The attack in the Montreal metro occurred one week after Canada's official refusal to recognize the new Islamic republic born out of the revolution in Saudi Arabia.
In so doing, Ottawa followed in the footsteps of Washington, where the Republican administration is ready for action.
The Canadian psyche definitely did receive a shock, but certain reflexes remain.
Yesterday, a Toronto columnist wrote that the Tabun attack drove a final nail in the coffin of the Quebec separatist movement.
"The separatists want to create a country where the army would be abolished and replaced with a peace force. There is no more peace, not even in Quebec," he wrote.
Reaction came swiftly. This morning, the Republic of Quebec commentators — the francophone ones, to be more accurate — reacted to this comment with irritation, indeed, indignation.
Separatist or federalist, Quebec commentators were united in their condemnation of the Toronto journalist's lack of tact.
"If the Tabun attack calls an ideology into question, it isn't Quebec separatism, but rather Canadian multiculturalism," wrote one Montreal columnist, having already attributed the attack to radical Islam.
"This ideology should have died the day Ontario renounced plans to institute Sharia law for family litigation. Alas, it still continues to serve as an argument for our fundamentalists."
July 8, 2020
After the shock and the mourning, here is the surprise. The Tabun attack wasn't linked to Sept. 11, 2001, as we had thought, but rather to March 20, 1995.
Its perpetrators are presumed to be part of a religious organization more closely resembling the Aum Shinri-Kyo sect, responsible for the Sarin attack in the Tokyo subway, than Al Qaeda, sponsor of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.
The Canadian prime minister dropped this bombshell this morning. At the same time, he announcing the arrest of the leaders of the Canadian sect, named "Supreme Victory," whose headquarters are located in the Eastern Townships in Quebec.
Known for its apocalyptic prophecies, the organization has small offshoots in all Canadian provinces as well as in several U.S. states.
Like the suicide bombers, its disciples are representative of the ethnic diversity of North America.
During the sect's last public declaration, less than a year ago, its leader, known as Victor I, predicted a series of spectacular events signalling the end of civilization.
As usual, no one took it seriously.

2.3 Ottawa Pledges Greater Focus on Clean Fuels and Public Transit

Federal Minster for the Environment Rona Ambrose had some encouraging words for Canadians concerned about public transit in her speech for the opening of CUTA's Clean Air Day Sustainable Transportation Campaign in Edmonton. Here is a small excerpt from her remarks:

"Our new government firmly believes that the transportation sector plays an essential role in assuring air quality in Canada. Transportation is one of the largest sources of air pollution in Canada. In some of our urban centres, it accounts for up to two-thirds of smog forming pollutants.
To address this, we will clean up the air that Canadians breathe by encouraging them to get out of their cars and onto public transit. We will invest up to $1.3 billion in urban transit infrastructure public transportation, plus an estimated $1.1 billion over 5 years in the form of a tax credit to help with the cost of monthly transit passes. Increasing the use of public transit will help reduce traffic congestion in Canadian cities and fight air pollution
Increasing the use of public transportation will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Based on CUTA information that there were almost 1.6 billion urban transit rides in 2004 and an average emission of 2.8 kilograms per 10 kilometre trip, urban transit users avoid about 4.5 Mt of greenhouse gas emissions
But that’s not all. Our government will help Canadians make cleaner fuel choices by acting to increase the average renewable fuel content in gasoline and diesel fuel to 5 percent by 2010. The use of biodiesel in public transit vehicles will yield significant clean air benefits."

3 International

3.1 Public Transit Options Increasing South- and North- of the Border

Here's an interesting post from www.carjunky.net:

Dear EarthTalk: Where I live in Connecticut, our highways are parking lots many times a day. Isn't this an ideal situation for public transit? Why isn't it happening? -- John Moulton, Stamford, CT

An increasing number of public transit options are coming online throughout North America, but those of you idling alone bumper-to-bumper in your cars might not know it. Indeed, lack of knowledge about public transportation options may be the largest impediment to widespread acceptance of more efficient ways of getting around. Driving your own car back and forth to work every day is not as convenient as it once was, and public transit options are now faster and undoubtedly generate less stress and pollution.

In Connecticut, the state-owned CTTRANSIT moves 27 million people a year on well-appointed local and express buses serving all metro areas. And two full-service commuter rail lines, Metro-North and Shore Line East, routinely take riders longer distances. Similar services are available in many urban and suburban areas across the U.S. Municipal websites are the best place to find transit options, routes and schedules.

The best thing to happen to encourage public transit usage has been high gas prices. Over the last year the average price of regular unleaded rose in the U.S. by 76 cents, with prices now $3.00 or more almost everywhere. And transit agencies report a correlation between high gas prices and increased ridership. The Utah Transit Authority says ridership is up 50 percent from last year on a 19-mile light-rail system in Salt Lake City. And Washington, DCs Metrorail has seen some of its busiest days ever during the last few months. In Canada, ridership has risen as much as 10 percent in cities like Vancouver and Winnipeg in step with rising gas prices, though cars remain the travel option of choice in the countrys eastern cities.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, 14 million Americans use one or another form of public transportation every weekday, while about 17 million people drive their cars instead. The organization estimates that public transit ridership has grown by as much as 22 percent--faster than highway or air travel--since 1995. And a recently conducted Harris Poll concluded that the American public would like to see rail-based public transit have an increasing share of passenger transportation.

Meanwhile, Canadians have embraced public transit even more than their neighbors to the south. An estimated 12 million Canadians--including more than a fifth of all commuters in Toronto--use some form of public transit. Transportation analyst Paul Schimek found that public transit use is almost twice as high per capita in Canada as in the U.S. Also, car use in Canada is almost 20 percent lower per capita. Schimek attributes the differences to traditionally higher gas prices as well as more compact urban development than in the U.S.

Analysts point to the strength of the American highway lobby as the reason why Americans have been slow to embrace public transit. It has worked directly with lawmakers over the years to encourage road building and private automobile use to achieve, in the words of a General Motors ad of days gone by, the American dream of freedom on wheels. Back in Connecticut, some urban planners have been pushing the idea of turning crowded Interstate 95 into a double-decker highway in places to ease congestion.

3.2 French Transit Workers and Government Sign "Guaranteed Service" Agreement

Representatives from Riders Groups, local cooperatives and transit companies in France came together on Tuesday to sign a government-sponsored agreement which will guarantee service on the nation's public transit systems should a strike or work stoppage occur. In the details of the accord, the signing parties, from transit systems to users and syndicates, all parties agreed on solving any future problems without cessation of basic services, and that services would be provided based on local needs and available transport means in extreme cases. In its most basic sense, the agreement reached outlines the necessity of open dialogue and communication of information between workers unions and transit operators for the benefit of their riders and community groups.

3.3 Growing and Going Faster and Faster: Dallas Light Rail Doubles Up

Dallas Business Journal - 2:21 PM CDT Monday
by Margaret Allen

Between now and 2013, Dallas Area Rapid Transit will more than double the miles in its light-rail system, thanks in large part to a $700 million funding grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
The grant, made official today at a festive red-white-and-blue signing ceremony at DART's light rail Victory Station at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas, is the second-largest the FTA has ever made to a transit agency, according to Sandra Bushue, FTA deputy administrator.

"This major investment means that commuters will have a choice when it opens in 2007," said Bushue, who was in Dallas Monday to make the official presentation.
The $2.5 billion DART expansion will span 21 miles and will consist of a new "Orange" line and a "Green" line. The two will run from Farmers Branch at the northern end of the Metroplex to Buckner Boulevard in south Dallas.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, said in comments during the ceremony that the FTA's approval of the grant shows DART's track record of successfully completing its rail projects has won the "complete confidence" of the federal transit agency, which is within the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"This funding wouldn't be here today if the Department of Transportation didn't know that this project will be on time, under budget and done right," Hutchison said.
While the 13-member DART agency wasn't the first in Texas to get a mass transit system up and running, she said, it's definitely made up for lost time and has now gained the lead over other mass transit systems that had an earlier start.
"Dallas has surpassed Houston and San Antonio with their committment early on," Hutchison said.
According to the agency, DART's bus and rail network has seen a 10.2% increase in its ridership for the eight months ending May 31 compared with the same time period in 2005. Ridership was 220,553 for the period, or nearly 21,000 a day, DART said.

PTC E-News 13

2006-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

PEI Public Transit Coalition Electronic News 13

1 Local

1.1 Charlottetown Bus Service Upgrades
1.2 Update from Saskatoon, Steering Committee Meeting and Upcoming Events
1.3 Perhaps Public Transit Could Help in Summerside?
1.4 Another David Suzuki Sighting on PEI

2 National

2.1 Was BC Ferries Warned Before the Tragedy?
2.2 Politics and the TTC Labour Dispute
2.3 A Model Feasibility Study for Prince Edward Island

3 International

3.1 U.S. Mayors Voice Their Environmental Concerns
3.2 Curitiba, Brazil: A Public Transit Model from the "Developing" World
3.3 The Energy Crisis: Two Viewpoints from Two Different Perspectives-
A Conservative U.S. Solution and a Socialist Suggestion

1 National

1.1 1.1 Charlottetown Bus Service Upgrades

From The Guardian
Saturday, June 10, 2006

Revamped Bus Service Makes it Easier for Commuters

Charlottetown Transit extends hours on University Avenue Route, adds bus frequency in peak hours

Charlottetown Transit is promising that a revamped service will make it easier for commuters in the capital city to take the bus to work.
The multi-route bus service, begun nine months ago by Mike Cassidy and Bobby Dunn, is extending hours on its #1 University Avenue route so that business will roll from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and adding extra bus frequency during the peak commuting hours.
" We will be making some changes to respond to the needs of people working for the provincial and federal governments who told us that they need to be able to be sure they can get to work by eight o'clock and go home around four in the afternoon," Dunn said Friday.
Effective Monday, Charlottetown Transit will add two extra peak hour runs to its morning and afternoon service and rework some routes to make the trip in and out of town.
" In some of the suburbs we're telling people they might have to come out to the main drag, but we can have you downtown in under 15 minutes," said Dunn.
Copies of the new schedule and route information will be available Saturday afternoon at Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Charlottetown, at City Hall, West Royalty Pharmacy, Parkdale Pharmacy, and Trius Tours offices.

1.2 Update from Saskatoon, Steering Committee Meeting and Upcoming Events

Frustration. This is what I felt upon my return from the 2006 CUTA Annual Conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from May 27-31. Although many of the keynote addresses, workshops/seminars and roundtable discussions on media relations and small systems issues provided wonderful insight into the nature and difficulties facing our public transit infrastructure in Canada, it was frustrating for me to hear, upon introducing myself to transit industry professionals, politicians and transit operators, " what exactly is a public transit coalition?" However, the positive reinforcement I obtained from many of these inquisitive delegates made my appearance worthwhile in Saskatoon and provided our coalition with the incentive to keep moving forward in our quest for Island-wide public transit. Seeing so many successful systems represented in Saskatoon and being privvy to the unveiling on behalf of several transit operators (namely TransLink Vancouver, Saskatoon Transit and York Region Transit) of new and improved bus rapid transit and rail-link services showed me the importance of our industry to all communities and highlighted the enormous shift which is occurring in many of Canada's mid-sized and larger urban centres toward a more eco-friendly, commuter friendly and community-developing public transit initiative. Stay tuned for an in-depth report on Saskatoon coming soon to the website!
The Steering Committee of the PTC met at the PEI Council of the Disabled boardroom on Friday, June 2, 2006. The minutes from that meeting have been posted on this site!
Finally, to new business. David and I will be assisting a number of functions coming up later this month, namely follow-up meetings with our workshop delegates in Souris and Western PEI, as well as a number of key meetings with Ryan Gallant of the UPEI Student Union (concerning the U-Pass issue at the University), Mike Cassidy and Bobby Dunn of Charlottetown Transit, MLA Olive Crane and Minister Gail Shea. We're hoping to not only help the Student Union at UPEI facilitate the introduction of the U-Pass for its students, but in speaking to Gail Shea and Olive Crane our plans for a provincial-municipal co-operative effort in an Island-wide transit feasibility study can be better directed and, ideally, implemented.

1.3 Perhaps Public Transit Could Help in Summerside?

Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Wellness Centre traffic causes safety concern

By JIM BROWN

Brian Bernard says he hopes and prays he won't witness a serious accident near his house, close to where the Summerside Wellness Centre is located.

Motorists are travelling at excessive speeds, making dangerous U-turns into traffic, parking in private driveways and not using turn signals properly, says Bernard, who has lived on Notre Dame Street with his wife Judy for 10 years.

Both sides of St. Lawrence Street, Greenwood Drive and much of Notre Dame Street are jammed with parked cars during much of the day, said Bernard.

"It's the kids I'm really worried about. They're just running in and out of classes (at the pool)."

Bernard said he complained to police Friday but has yet to see a ticket on anyone's windshield.

Every day, it seems, there's another close call.

He keeps his first-aid kit next to him, just in case.

Notre Dame Street, from Notre Dame Takeout to Greenwood Drive, is becoming known as "the Notre Dame International Speedway," said Bernard.

Bernard supports the new Wellness Centre, but he wishes visitors would show more consideration for people who live in the neighbourhood, by driving their cars into the parking lot behind the building and not using the disabled parking spaces in front as a pick-up and drop-off zone.

Bernard, who has a disability himself, says he approached able-bodied motorists only to be told they were just waiting for their child.

Sometimes the response is harsher.

Coun. Brent Gallant says he has talked to Bernard and plans to take his complaints to the city's police services committee, which meets next Wednesday.

Garth Lyle, who chairs the police services committes, says he has seen some of the illegal practices Bernard talks about, including the misuse of disabled parking spots.

A recommendation currently before the police services committee calls for parking to be eliminated on one side of St. Lawrence Street.

Lyle says police want to deter people from illegal parking and other practices but at the same time a balance has to be struck.

"We don't want to give people a bad experience by ticketing them (excessively)."

Lyle and Gallant believe the problem will be eased once construction on the new rink next to the Wellness Centre is complete, offering more attractive parking options.

1.4 Another David Suzuki Sighting on PEI

Full house at Suzuki's lecture

By AMBER SHEA
The Journal-Pioneer

There were people covered in tattoos, people dawned in business suits, they were ages 10 to70, but they all had one thing in common - They came to listen to David Suzuki.

On June 11, Suzuki stopped into the Rodd Hotel in Charlottetown to give a two-hour presentation on his new autobiography and the importance of Mother Nature.

By about 6:45 p.m., there were about 350 people packed into one of the meeting rooms at the Rodd and soon after Suzuki entered the room, a hush fell over the crowd.

Throughout most of the presentation Suzuki remained lighthearted while he told the story of how he became enthralled with the environment and the interesting people he met along the way. But near the end, the cheer drained from his voice and it boomed throughout the room as he encouraged the crowd to stand up to the what the Canadian government is doing to the environment.

"I dont' believe for one second that what we're about is a one per cent reduction in GST," Suzuki said referring to the government's current goals.

Suzuki, who is also the founder of the Suzuki Foundation, proceeded to talk about Sustainability Within A Generation a report produced by his foundation.

It is a list of nine goals Canada can achieve by 2030 that would aid the environment.

He said the plan is being adopted by organizations in the United States and Australia, but the Canadian government refuses to meet with Suzuki to discuss implementing the strategy in Canada.

Suzuki said when he contacted Prime Minster Steven Harper to arrange a meeting, he turned him down flat.

Suzuki said he has met with numerous Canadian groups to discuss the plan and all have agreed with its goals.

So obviously it is something Canadians want, he said.

The government is ripping up the Kyoto Protocol and gutting the environment department and its funds, he said his face growing red.
Canadians need to remind Harper about the importance of the environment and the need to preserve it for future generations.
He noted that Brian Mullrooney was the best Prime Minster for the environment because Canadians made Mother Nature a priority.

"I don't think for a minute he cared about the environment," Suzuki said.

It was Canadians that made it an issue he could not ignore and that can happen again, he said.

Suzuki's tour ends today in Halifax.

2 National

2.1 Was BC Ferries Warned Before the Tragedy?

Insider says he raised alarm on B.C. Ferries
ROD MICKLEBURGH
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER — Not long before the Queen of the North passenger ship ran into a rocky island and sank, B.C. Ferries' safety director warned of "catastrophic incidents" if the fleet's safety practices were not improved, according to a writ filed in B.C. Supreme Court yesterday.
In the writ, Darrin Bowland, who resigned his $100,000-a-year management post shortly after the sinking, said the tragedy "could well have [been] prevented" if senior executives at B.C. Ferries had heeded his alarm.
"Safety protocols and practices associated with [the] fleet were woefully inadequate," Mr. Bowland charged.
As well, once the ship went down with the loss of two lives, senior management prevented him from conducting an internal inquiry into the accident, he claimed.
The serious allegations are contained in a suit for damages Mr. Bowland has launched, arguing that the ferry corporation's "refusal to remedy problems that put the public at serious risk" made it ethically impossible for him to continue in his job.
The writ (the B.C. term for a statement of claim), comes at a time when B.C. Ferries is already feeling heat over alleged safety deficiencies in connection with the sinking.
The Transport Safety Board recently sent an advisory to fleet president David Hahn after finding that some crew on the bridge at the time of the collision were inadequately trained on new steering and navigation equipment.
In what now seems like a prescient speech to the Nautical Institute one week before the ferry mishap, Mr. Bowland had expressed concern over the increased complexity of such equipment and said training standards weren't keeping pace.
The ferry, carrying 101 crew and passengers, went drastically off course as it headed south from Prince Rupert through the narrow Inside Passage in the early hours of March 22.
The large vessel crashed into Gil Island at high speed and sank in deep water an hour later, the first sinking in the history of the province's large ferry fleet.
Passengers Gerald Foisy, 46, and his companion, Shirley Rosette, 42, did not escape.
Mr. Bowland was hired in January as B.C. Ferries' director of health, safety and the environment, after 11 years' service captaining luxury liners in the Caribbean.
After a review of fleet procedures, according to his writ, Mr. Bowland went to senior management and warned them of the "strong likelihood of catastrophic incidents" without immediate improvements to safety protocols and practices.
But fleet managers ignored the warning and failed to support his attempts to improve safety conditions, the writ said.
After the sinking, Mr. Bowland went to Prince Rupert to begin an internal inquiry, but was prevented from doing so by senior management, the writ continued. He resigned a few days later.
A press released issued by B.C. Ferries said he resigned for "personal reasons," raising an inference that he had somehow been at fault in the sinking of the Queen of the North, according to Mr. Bowland's writ.
Yet management knew that he quit over "the negative experiences he had . . . concerning critical issues of public safety," he contended. "The press release was false and misleading."
As a result, Mr. Bowland claimed, his reputation has been tarnished and he has been unable to find a new job.
His lawsuit seeks damages for negligent misrepresentation, wrongful dismissal and loss of reputation.
B.C. Ferries declined comment on Mr. Bowland's charges, none of which have been proven or tested in court.
"We do not discuss personnel matters or issues before the courts," said spokeswoman Deborah Marshall.
Asked whether the public should be alarmed by ongoing allegations of the fleet's poor safety practices, Ms. Marshall replied: "We feel we are one of the safest operations in the world."
The Transportation Safety Board, meanwhile, is continuing its investigation into the sinking.
A submersible will be sent to the sunken ship this week, with investigators hoping to focus on newly installed equipment on the ferry's bridge.
Evidence to date indicates that the vessel's electronic chart system was turned off at the time of the accident because crew members found its nighttime glare too bright.
They were unfamiliar with dimming adjustments on the new navigational aid, the TSB has said.

2.2 Politics and the TTC Labour Dispute

TTC issues moved to the rear
Politics weakens growth strategy
Who will make the case for transit?
Jun. 10, 2006. 01:00 AM
KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
Rick Ducharme's ouster as chief general manager and Howard Moscoe's lame-duck status as chair of the TTC couldn't come at a worse time for commuters who hope The Better Way will one day live up to its moniker.
Issues that go to the core of the TTC's growth strategy — the future of the Scarborough RT, expanding the streetcar network, the purchase of new buses, streetcars and subways — are at risk of being sideswiped by labour woes and political interference as the upper echelon of the TTC lurches from crisis to crisis.
Political meddling here is nothing new. Because of it, the TTC has ended up with things it didn't really need, like Mel Lastman's Sheppard subway, and things that weren't properly thought through, like Bill Davis's Scarborough RT.
It has also killed things that could have proved beneficial, like an Eglinton subway to the airport, stopped by Mike Harris. And given TTC users things they could have done without like the service cuts and fare hikes through the 1990s.
Ridership is again on the increase, rising from 390 million per year in 1999 to an expected 430 million this year. Finding more ways to move more people has become essential.
For riders, transit issues ought to revolve around arrival dates for more streetcars, buses, subways, transit lanes and subway extension. All that's been sidetracked by the wildcat strike and ensuing political fallout.
"Frankly if we spend the next six months talking about labour stuff, there's going to be far more important stuff not being on the table," says transit advocate Steve Munro. "There are far more fundamental issues regarding medium- and long-term budget planning and capital works planning. If we are serious about improving the transit system, we've got to spend some money on it."
The TTC now lacks the strong leadership necessary to make that case. Ducharme, with his transit experience, and Moscoe, with his political sense and street smarts, formed a formidable pair. Now Ducharme's gone, and an under-pressure Moscoe is offering to give up his post in November.
That's bad news for riders because deals on the table to improve transit are more likely to be deferred when debated this summer by the city's budget advisory committee. The powerful fiscal hawks on that committee will have an easy time with weakened transit advocates, forcing delays to purchasing new buses, subway cars and streetcars, saving money through deferral, rather than focussing on transit priorities.
One front-burner issue: Scarborough's transit future. Will residents of the city's poorest-served transit area get a subway, a refurbished RT, or a streetcar network? With the current RT reaching the end of its life about 2015 time is running out.
It's a decision that will affect the city for decades. The province has undermined the process by giving $1 million to the city to conduct an environmental assessment to put in a subway, and the city hasn't even reached a conclusion. Will the issue even get a proper debate and resolution in this climate?
A debate is growing around Moscoe's deal with Bombardier for that Quebec-based company to be the sole source of TTC subway cars, a means to fast-track the modernization of the Yonge-University-Spadina line.
Councillors who were quiet on the issue before are comparing it to the MFP leasing boondoggle that embarrassed the city under Lastman. By the time Bombardier comes through with its offer, those left on the commission may liken it to political poison in an election year.
Ironically, the deal — struck to protect unionized jobs in Thunder Bay — may end up as collateral damage due to the TTC's labour woes. A project that had momentum may be stalled, who knows for how long.
The same thing could happen to the TTC's desire to get rid of streetcars and replace them with a modern fleet of light rail vehicles. The budget committee would rather the TTC refurbish the current fleet, extending its life for 10 years. That's bad news for those backing accessible transit, and for streets constantly in need of reconstruction because of the weight of streetcars.
What strong voice will make the case to build streetcar lines in the redeveloped port lands? Ducharme made the case that if streetcar lines don't go in concurrently with housing development, then folks moving into this downtown area will need to have two cars like everyone else.
Convincing the budget committee to give the TTC more money in this climate is laughable. And it's doubtful the TTC will find a strong voice to replace Ducharme until the labour issues are resolved.
That's too bad. There are already few enough voices advocating bus and streetcar priority on city streets. Ducharme and Moscoe were two such advocates. Ducharme is gone, Moscoe hanging on by a thread.
And commuters are paying the price.

2.3 A Model Feasibility Study for Prince Edward Island

As the Public Transit Coalition strives to have a feasibility study conducted for the establishment of an Island-wide transit system, we can take a page from the efforts of the STO (Société de Transport de L'Outaouais) to re-assess their transit infrastructure needs and provide a new template for an ever-growing service in their region. Here's the link:

http://www.sto.ca/rapibus/_images/PDF/systeme_transport_rapide_e.pdf

3 International

3.1 U.S. Mayors Voice Their Environmental Concerns

Mayors Sound Alarm on Rising Fuel Costs, Energy Crisis; USCM Hosts National Summit on Energy and the Environment in Chicago, May 10-11

WASHINGTON, May 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- With record-level gas prices and rising fuel costs in America, The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), led by Conference President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, hosted an urgent National Summit on Energy and the Environment on May 10 to 11 in Chicago to sound a national alarm on the country's energy/environmental challenges and to stress the importance of energy/environmental conservation. Approximately 35 mayors joined with industry experts and the private sector to discuss a broad range of topics including air quality, climate change, alternative energy sources, alternative vehicles, public transit and green housing and buildings.
"Mayors are very concerned about the recent spike in fuel and energy costs and the financial burden it places on American citizens and their families. We know that aggressive action is necessary to turn this tide, and we are taking the lead in addressing the nation's energy challenges to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. We can not wait on the federal government; we must do what mayors do best and act now," said Conference President Beverly O'Neill.
The nation's mayors have heard President Bush's declaration that America is "addicted to oil," and the Conference is on the forefront of the national effort to find comprehensive, long-term solutions to move the country from this energy crisis toward energy independence.
Already, mayors have implemented innovative programs in their cities that provide short-term solutions to energy dependence, and released a best practice guide that outlines these programs at the Summit. Numerous cities like Chicago, Ill., Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif. and Charlotte, N.C., contributed to the guide that illustrates specifically how mayors are dealing with this crisis on a local level.
Mayor Daley underscored the importance of the best practice guide saying, "There are things that mayors can do to help our constituents deal with the energy crisis. And that's why we're having this conference - to share ideas on how we can conserve energy and encourage the development of new forms of energy."
During the Summit, the mayors also pledged to develop an Energy/Environment Conservation Action Agenda to be issued at the Conference's Annual Meeting in June in Las Vegas, Nev. Among the items to be included in the Action Agenda, the mayors are calling for the following six initial steps to help alleviate energy problems:
1) Invest more money in transportation options including public and mass transit, bike paths, etc.
2) Encourage at the local, state, and federal level the building or rehabilitation of more energy efficient buildings in both the public and private sector.
3) Encourage automakers to make more energy efficient cars as well as encouraging individuals to buy vehicles that are more energy efficient including alternative fuels, hybrids, and plug- in hybrids.
4) Encourage more investment in renewable and alternative energy through additional incentives.
5) Encourage more mixed-use development to allow people to have more walkable communities.
6) Encourage the public and private sector, as well as citizens, to do their part in conserving energy.

3.2 Curitiba, Brazil: A Public Transit Model from the "Developing" World

The Curitiba Transport System in Brazil: An Example of Universal Design within Developing Economies

By Verônica de Lima Camisão Costa

In the area of accessible transportation, we have the example of Curitiba, with approximately two million people. It has Brazil's most accessible transport system, due to the adoption of an Integrated Transport Network. Public transportation in general and especially the solutions aimed at the disabled have been a priority inn the city's public transportation system which is done through an Integrated Transportation Network (Rede Integrada de Transporte - RIT).

Accessible Transportation: The Example of Curitiba

With various means of transportation now available, the disabled traveller has multiple options: for example, a person in a wheelchair can call the multipurpose vehicle-taxi, go to a tube station to take a Ligeirinho bus, and commute to another Ligeirinho at an integration terminal or another tube station to reach the desired destination.

Or the person can take the multipurpose vehicle-taxi to one of the special buses on the conventional line stops close the institutions for the disabled, and back.

Policies concerning attendance to the disabled are implemented and managed by the Department for Support and Assistance of the Disabled which reports directly to the Mayor's Office.

1. Direct Lines

The Direct Lines are part of the public transportation system in Curitiba. They are part of the RIT, the Integrated Transportation Network, utilizing regular stops.

On these lines the fare is collected before the passenger boards the bus to reduce boarding/alighting, duration of stops (since passengers embark and disembark through a level platform), and the numbers of stops thus increasing operational speed.

Buses on the Direct Lines stop at the tube-stations which consist of a steel and glass cylinder equipped with a turnstile both in the front and rear areas, a place for the fare collector and an attendance area for easy operation.

The established routes pass through RIT's Integration terminals located on the city's development axes and points where urban activity is massively concentrated.

To enable disabled persons to use the Direct Lines the tube-stations were equipped with hydraulic elevators to simplify the access to the station. Wheelchair users arrive at the tube-station and position their wheelchair on the lift which is operated by the fare collector from within the tube-station. The platform rises until it levels with the station enabling the disabled passenger to enter the station and pass through a small gate next to the automatic fare-collection machine, without paying the fare. As soon as the bus arrives at the tube-station, the passenger enters through the level platform and positions the wheelchair in the proper space, facing one of the doors.

The tube-station elevators are also used for baby carriages, elderly people, and temporary disabled persons (people with cast, etc.). In certain integration terminals access is done through ramps, with an 8% slant at the most.

2. The Double-Articulated Bus

To replace old Express bus lines in one of Curitiba's main transportation routes, the North-South line, a new technology was introduced: the so-called double articulated bus. The new lines were introduced within the city's strategy of facilitating the transit of the physically disabled throughout the city by means of its transportation system. The 25-meter double-articulate bus has capacity for 270 passengers per trip.

The bus provides increased comfort and faster trips, and has room to easily accommodate two wheelchairs. Boarding and alighting is the same as in the Direct Lines: through tube-stations at the regular bus stops and platforms at the integration terminals. Every tube-station is equipped with a hydraulic elevator at the intermediate stops. The platforms are provided with ramps (8% slant) and handrails to ensure easy access to the physically disabled, senior citizens, pregnant women or baby carriages. The stops along these lines are totally integrated to the RIT, Integrated Transportation Network, system covering over 300 kilometers, which provides easy access to disabled passengers.

3. Multipurpose Vehicle - Taxi Specially Adapted For Disabled Persons

To provide better service to the physically disabled besides making the access to the tube-stations easier, URBS has developed the multipurpose vehicle-taxi service. The vehicles were specially adapted for disabled persons, equipped with an electrical-hydraulic vertical elevator, a maneuvering area, and room for two wheelchairs plus support equipment, horizontal handrails, wheelchairs fastener, and safety belt.

The multipurpose vehicle-taxis have a distinct lay-out for easy identification: a black and orange checkered stripe (typical of the local taxis) printed on the side, the physically disabled access international sign printed in orange, and the taxi number printed on the upper part of the vehicle. The stripes are printed on the front, rear and side parts of the vehicle which has a an illuminated rooftop "taxi" sign.

The service was created in 1991, the vehicles were acquired by local radio-taxi companies who benefited from a Tax Exemption Law for self-employed associates, and licensed for taxi drivers. The fare is the same as that of a regular taxi ride: drivers receive about 10 to 15 calls daily, and taking a client to the desired destination takes about 40 minutes.

4. Special Education Lines
In order to assist physically or mentally disabled students attending special schools, a distinct service was created in 1985, the Integrated System of Special Education School Transportation (Sistema Integrado de Transporte Escolar de Ensino Especial, SITES).

The 18 lines that first integrated the system are now 23, benefiting around 3.000 students. The Special Education routes connect either the homes of the physically or mentally disabled students or pre-established stops to the SITES Terminal.

The students get off at the terminal aided by skilled personnel, then board a bus (the same bus on the district-terminal route) headed for the school. When school is over the bus takes the students back to the terminal where they transfer to a different bus that takes them either home or to pre-established stops.

The SITES Terminal was built by URBS in 1988 with funding from the EBTU/World Bank IV, and specially equipped to provide passenger comfort and safety. Buses equipped for disabled persons on the conventional lines stop at the terminal as well. The cost is subsidized by the entire transportation system, mileage is paid by URBS and operational costs are included in the fare.

3.3 The Energy Crisis: Two Viewpoints from Two Different Perspectives-
A Conservative U.S. Solution and a Socialist Suggestion

3.3.1 A Conservative U.S. Solution

The Supply-Side Cure to the Energy Crisis
Liberals and regulations caused it . . . conservatives and the free market can fix it.

By Peter Ferrara

Liberals say oil companies are responsible for today’s high price of gasoline. But, actually, it is the liberals who are responsible. Over the past thirty years, extreme-left liberals have successfully shut down new energy production in the United States. Hyping technologically outdated concerns over coastal oil spills, they have won bans on new oil drilling in the very promising outer continental shelf. Excessive and high-cost regulation has effectively shut down new drilling on the continental inland as well. Ditto for new oil from extensive deposits of oil shale and tar sands in the western U.S. and Canada. And let’s not forget drilling in the all-ice-covered, mostly dark, virtually uninhabitable tundra in the far north of Alaska. Liberals have stopped that, too.

Years ago, the American Left won a continuing moratorium on development of new natural-gas supplies, which caused the price of gas for home heating to soar along with the price of residential oil. Hysterical, uninformed, liberal-left agitation has also long shut down the development of new nuclear power plants in the U.S., even though nuclear power has been used quite extensively for decades in France, Japan, and elsewhere. The U.S. now runs the risk of becoming technologically backward in this area.
1. The liberals also have stoked “Not in My Backyard” concerns in order to stop the building of new oil refineries. More, those refineries that remain have been heavily regulated, with the requirement that they produce alternative gas blends for different parts of the country. The refineries also have been required to blend-in increasingly expensive and scarce ethanol. All of this raises costs and causes shortages, with no significant gain for the environment.
Finally, we now hear liberals screaming loudly about oil-company profits. But according to the Tax Foundation, the government takes about three-times as much in taxes from what you pay at the pump than the oil companies take in profits. Federal, state, and local gas taxes alone total about 46 cents per gallon, on average. Corporate income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, and other taxes tack on much more.
Liberals, in fact, have been saying for years that American gas prices are too cheap, and that we should have to pay $4 to $5 a gallon, as is the case in Europe. That would lead to so much wonderful conservation, they say. But now we have just what they wished for. How do you like it?
Frankly, the liberals now have you exactly where they want you: on your way to riding mass transit or even walking miles to work with no individual transportation freedom. Many on the left are simply opposed to modern industrialization period, and see shutting down all energy sources one by one as the way to achieve their extremist goals.
Republican politicians, oddly quiet on all these facts, need to aggressively explain to the public exactly what the causes of the currently catastrophic gas prices really are: liberal foolishness. But even more important, conservatives and Republicans need to campaign on an aggressive program to solve the problem.
Ronald Reagan very openly campaigned in 1980 on solving the last energy crisis by “unleashing the power of the free market” to produce energy. That is exactly what we need now. Indeed, increased energy supplies are the only way to bring down the prices of oil and gas. Windfall profits taxes will only reduce supply and raise prices further by sucking up the capital and incentive to produce new oil and gas. Breaking up American oil companies into smaller and supposedly more competitive pieces will also do nothing to bring down the world price of a barrel of oil. (Breaking up the federal government into smaller, more competitive pieces would likely be far more beneficial.)
Here is a specific agenda: Federal legislation should provide that half the royalties from offshore drilling in federal areas more than 3 miles at sea go to the states on whose coasts the drilling occurs. The other half should go into a pool to be distributed to the other states. This would give coastal states a sufficient incentive to overcome unreasoned local opposition to such drilling.
Of course, we also need to allow drilling in the far-north Alaska tundra. Current estimates (and these pre-drilling estimates always end up being too conservative) reveal that this effectively would add another Saudi Arabia to the world oil supply. More, there is no significant environmental threat attached to the drilling planned in Alaska.
Federal legislation also should seriously streamline the process for building new nuclear power plants. All new construction stopped on this front because the regulatory approval process was starting to drag out more than ten years. One big problem was that extremist groups were allowed to sue and become party to regulatory approval proceedings, at which point they followed a practice of trying to talk the approval process to death with scare tactics and uninformed claims.
Federal legislation needs to shut down the ability of these outside groups to sue in order to stop energy projects across the board. These groups should be allowed to submit comments and briefs in the regulatory proceedings, but no more. Just like the rest of us, they get their big day at the ballot box every two years, and they should not be entitled to an additional day in court to frustrate the public will expressed in those elections.
The approval process for new refineries needs to be greatly streamlined as well. Excessive regulation of existing refineries, which unnecessarily increases costs, should be eliminated. We also need to remove the moratoriums and excessive regulation that halts the production of new natural gas, new inland exploration and drilling, and the use of abundant tar sands, oil shale, and coal.
The market development of new fuels such as ethanol and hydrogen can also help. But there should not be government subsidies or mandates requiring their use. These fuels need to sink or swim in the marketplace on their own.
Of course, all of this needs to be done under requirements to protect the public health and safety and avoid real environmental harm. But such regulation needs to be based on real science, not hysterical, uninformed extremism.
The vast new energy supplies these policies would produce would eventually reduce the price of oil and gas dramatically. As late as 1998, the price of a barrel of oil was still only $13, compared to over $70 today. New nuclear power and natural-gas supplies would take some of the pressure off of oil, contributing substantially to the restoration of reasonable prices. While these solutions are more long-term, the market will see what is coming down the line — a process that will start to have an effect on prices much sooner than is now recognized.
If conservatives and Republicans aggressively pursue this strategy now, it will be a big positive for them in this fall’s elections — rather than the disaster liberals and Democrats now predict.
— Peter Ferrara is a Senior Fellow at the Free Enterprise Fund and Director of Entitlement and Budget Reforms at the Institute for Policy Innovation.

3.3.2 A Socialist Suggestion

A socialist response to the massive rise in fuel prices
A statement by the Socialist Equality Party
26 April 2006

The staggering increase in gasoline prices is taking an enormous toll on working families in the US, whose paychecks are already being eaten up by a host of other rising costs, from health care, to education, to housing and food. In the last two weeks alone, prices at the gas pump have risen nearly 25 cents—to an average of $2.91 per gallon—with prices exceeding $3.10 in California, New York and other states.
Some 70 percent of US adults recently polled said gas prices—which are up 31 percent since last year—were causing them financial hardship. Tens of millions of people in America forced to drive long distances to work, as well as elderly people on fixed incomes, rural residents and small business owners are being devastated, and the crisis could lead to mass layoffs in the airline and trucking industries and throughout the economy.
Underlying this crisis is the fundamental contradiction between the development of the productive forces and the social relations of the capitalist profit system, which finds its starkest expression in the maintenance of a petroleum-based economy that every day becomes more incompatible with human needs and life itself.
After warning that Americans must brace for a “tough summer,” blaming supposed “tight supply” for prices that could reach beyond $4.00 a gallon in the next several months, President Bush responded to mounting outrage by announcing a series of largely meaningless measures Tuesday. These proposals—suspending environmental rules governing gasoline refiners, halting purchases for the government’s emergency stockpile and giving oil companies more time to pay back previous loans of crude oil from these reserves—will do little or nothing to ease prices, while further feeding the profit drive of the energy conglomerates.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, meanwhile, declared that there is “no silver bullet” to bring down prices and advised Americans to tune up their cars and drive more slowly to get better mileage. For workers who are seeing their real wages slashed by the cost of long daily commutes, Frist’s remarks amount to “Let them eat cake.”
While the oil companies and their apologists in Washington have blamed world crude oil prices and environmental regulations for the price hikes, the chief cause is profiteering by oil companies, which are posting record windfalls. Over the last decade, there has been a wave of mergers and consolidations in the oil industry, allowing a handful of monopolies to tighten their grip on supplies, manipulate production levels and drive up prices. The present crisis is the result not of some natural working out of the laws of the market, but rather of definite decisions made by corporate executives who have immense personal interest in the matter.
In the 1990s, oil producers complained of too much refining capacity, not too little, and an “oversupply” of oil that was driving down profit margins. The industry responded by shutting down 25 refineries in the US since 1995 and cutting capacity by 830,000 barrels a day. In addition, competitors conspired to control the amount of oil and gas on the market, eliminate independent producers and consolidate control of supply and pricing in the hands of the oil monopolies.
In 2005, the top five oil companies—Exxon Mobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and ConocoPhillips—saw their profits surge to more than $111 billion. The world’s largest oil giant, ExxonMobil, made $36.1 billion, the highest amount in US corporate history and more profits than the next four companies on the Fortune 500 list combined. At $339 billion, its revenues exceeded the gross national products of Taiwan, Norway and Argentina.
While millions of ordinary people have been squeezed by rising gas prices, ExxonMobil’s top executives and investors have reaped hundreds of millions in compensation and rising share values. Lee R. Raymond, who retired in December, received more than $400 million in his final year at the company. Between 1993 and 2005, Raymond was paid more than $686 million, or $144,573 for each day he spent leading the Texas-based company. During this time, Raymond engineered the $81 billion acquisition of Mobil—giving ExxonMobil the capacity to produce twice as much oil as the country of Kuwait—and wiped out 10,000 jobs.
Raymond’s successor, Rex Tillerson, saw his pay raised by 33 percent last year to $13 million. All told, the top five executives at Exxon took home more than $130 million in compensation in 2005, own more than $280 million in restricted stock, and have stock options valued at $113 million. The oil bosses throughout the industry have been similarly rewarded as oil prices doubled over the last two years.
These corporations and individuals have reaped massive wealth by exploiting and exacerbating the current crisis. None of them have the slightest interest in mounting the kind of vast social effort that is needed not merely to meet current demand, but, more essentially, to develop alternative safe and sustainable sources of energy.
That the present reliance on petroleum is both unsustainable and a deadly threat is indisputable. The world’s crude oil reserves are finite and will only disappear all the more rapidly to the extent that steps are taken to expand production. At the same time, the burning of these fossil fuels is the central cause of global warming, which—the Bush administration’s suppression of science notwithstanding—threatens to make Earth uninhabitable.
Moreover, the pursuit of this finite resource has given rise to the catastrophic growth of militarism. It is the principal cause of the criminal US war in Iraq, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and those of more than 2,500 US troops. It likewise drives the open preparations for a new war against Iran as well as plans for a military confrontation with China, whose expanding economy makes it a competitor for control of global energy supplies.
The best government oil money can buy
The rising gas prices have prompted politicians—Democrats and Republicans alike—to call for investigations into price gouging and, in some cases, even to seek legislation to impose a “windfall profit tax” on the oil companies. Not a thing will come out of this posturing, which is strictly for public consumption.
Big Oil has long exerted enormous influence over both political parties in Washington, but the level of political control it commands today dwarfs what it possessed in the era of John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil at the turn of the twentieth century. With two former Texas oilmen in the White House and the votes of senators and congressmen lubricated with hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions and lobbying efforts directed toward both parties, Big Oil has nothing to fear. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have provided the oil companies with massive subsidies and tax breaks, lifted environmental and safety regulations, and provided the US military as a virtual private army to guard the companies’ oilfields and pipelines throughout the globe.
ExxonMobil’s ex-CEO Raymond, a close ally of the Bush administration, helped formulate policy regarding drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and opposing any measures to reduce global warming. In 2001, the company was a key participant in Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force, which discussed, among other things, the oil fields of Iraq and the danger that, after the end of UN sanctions, the country’s largely untapped reserves might fall into the hands of Russian, Chinese or French competitors, instead of the US or British oil companies.
Last March, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing to supposedly “investigate” price gouging by the oil companies. Again, Democratic politicians pontificated about “corporate greed” and wagged their fingers at the oil chiefs who testified. In his remarks, Rex Tillerson, the new CEO of ExxonMobil, scoffed at the impotent gestures, reminding the Senators, “I suspect people on this committee benefited from our success last year.” The lifelong oilman knew of what he spoke: among the wealthy Senators assembled on the committee was Arizona Republican Jon Kyl, a large Exxon shareholder who has long championed the industry’s interests.
The program of the Socialist Equality Party
Under conditions in which the living standards of hundreds of millions of working people in the United States are being driven down by the soaring price of fuel, immediate action must be taken to bring the cost of fuel under control.
At the same time, the larger task of developing alternative energy sources and confronting the mounting threat posed by global warming cannot be postponed.
Neither a short-term answer to the present crisis over gas prices, nor the longer-term solution to replacing an unsustainable petroleum-based economy is possible outside of a direct assault on the capitalist profit system and the powerful social, financial and political interests that are behind the policies of Big Oil.
The Socialist Equality Party advances a policy that places social needs before profit interests. We call for an immediate capping of gas prices for individual consumers and small to medium-sized businesses at $1.50 per gallon.
The exploitation of this crisis in the interests of corporate profits and the private accumulation of wealth must be halted. The actions of Big Oil must be approached objectively for what they are: criminal, anti-social behavior. Criminal investigations must be initiated into the practices of the giant oil companies, including the auditing of the personal accounts of all leading executives. The massive profits recorded by the oil companies during the past year as well as the obscene multimillion-dollar compensation packages paid out to executives must be expropriated and placed in a publicly controlled fund.
These short-term measures must be combined with a fundamental change in the financial structure and organization of the energy industry. The American people and, in fact, the people of the world are being held hostage to the profit interests of vast energy conglomerates that threaten the globe with declining living standards, environmental destruction and war. It is necessary to break this stranglehold by nationalizing the energy conglomerates—that is, converting ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, etc., into publicly owned and democratically controlled utilities.
This would begin to make available the financial resources that are needed for launching an internationally coordinated, multitrillion-dollar effort to develop alternative energy sources and confront the danger posed to the environment and mankind’s future.
In opposition to the deliberate “fixing” of the market to enrich the wealthy elite, the exploration, development and use of energy supplies must be guided by a rational international plan that is publicly debated and democratically approved by the working class. This plan must meet the needs of the world’s people for low-cost, environmentally safe and renewable energy.
In their efforts to secure vast profits, the energy monopolies and the auto industry have long conspired to prevent the development of reliable public transportation, and, in the past have dismantled existing transit systems. A rational plan for energy use must include the pouring of billions of dollars into urban mass transit and light-rail systems, as well as developing fuel-efficient vehicles.
These ideas are not utopian but absolutely necessary for the future of humanity. They require, however, that working people assert that their rights—to a decent standard of living, secure jobs, a clean environment and a future free from war—take precedence over the profits and property rights of the America’s ruling elite. To achieve this, the working class must build its own political instrument—a mass socialist party—to end the monopoly of the two big business parties and the outmoded and bankrupt capitalist system they defend. This is the perspective of the Socialist Equality Party and our candidates who are running in the 2006 elections.

PTC E-News 12

2006-05-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

PEI Public Transit Coalition E-News 12

1 Local

1.1 CUTA Annual Conference in Saskatoon will have Island representative
1.2 Getting the word out: Success and difficulty in the push for Island-wide transit
1.3 The Richmond Street View

2 National

2.1 Bombardier Gets Massive Metro Montreal Contract
2.2 Victory for Transit Union in Winnipeg Driver Assault Case
2.3 Ethanol Examined by Ottawa Within Alternative To Kyoto Plan

3 International

3.1 The Answer to the Energy Crisis? Batteries!
3.2 Florida Cities Get Hybrid Buses- At A Cost
3.3 Altair to Co-operate in Creation of Hi-tech Prototype Buses
3.4 Berlin's New Rail Hub Just in Time for World Cup 2006

1 Local

1.1 CUTA Annual Conference in Saskatoon will have Island representative

With the Canadian Urban Transit Association holding its Annual Conference in Saskatoon this weekend, even with an Island-wide public transit system in place on Prince Edward Island, the trip from Borden to Saskatchewan would be a lengthy one. However, the Public Transit Coalition will be sending a representative, Outreach Officer Aaron Hawkins (he does not carry a sidearm), to the meeting with the aim of increasing the Coalition's insight into all things transit-related and hopefully bring home a better understanding of the intricacies of and obstacles to public transit on our Island. Be on the lookout for Aaron's photojournalistic report due upon his safe return to Charlottetown!

1.2 Getting the word out: Success and Difficulty in the Push for Island-wide Transit

It has been a month of wonderful highs and brain-scratching lows for the PEI Public Transit Coalition. The end of April saw a hugely successful Earth Day Loonie Day on the Charlottetown Transit capped off by our Annual General Meeting (see the minutes for the meeting posted here on our blog) and the PTC's attendance at the Federation of PEI Municipalities annual meeting in Souris on May 1! At the latter meeting, David and Aaron arranged a meeting with Transportation Minister Gail Shea to discuss our transit goals and to get moving on Island-wide transit. Yet the euphoria accompanying these events was short-lived with the "a bus here, a bus there" funding announcement from Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen and the Minister's declaration that, so far, there were no takers on the Province-wide transit front. Despite the public transit "ignorance" of the Provincial Government, the Coalition is moving forward with our open letter to Minister Shea in which we outline the need for a Feasibility Study, to be conducted along the lines of the ENTRA study, but in this case on a Provincial scale. David and Aaron also intend to set up a meeting with Industry Minister Michael Currie as well as to consult with MLA Olive Crane, a noted proponent of Rural municipal enhancement, to keep the heat on the Province to initiate, in conjunction with Island municipalities as well as a PTC-headed oversight committee, the movement toward a provincial transit feasibility study! To borrow from an old race-car catechism, We've Got The Pedal to the Metal!!

1.3 The Richmond Street View

Another month, another hurdle for the PEI Public Transit Coalition. It seems that the closer we get to making some real headway with the Provincial Government on the Island, the devilishly difficult political scene on Prince Edward Island rears its ugly mug yet again to stomp out any momentum the Provincewide transit movement might have had! All is not lost, however. Were we to think this way, no respectable social or environmental cause would ever see the light of day! Advocacy is key to building the bridges between those who are passionate about an emerging issue and those who have the power to put the theory of an issue into practice. My feeling is much akin to one of the great statements from one of the world's greatest statesmen: "Never has so much been owed by so many to so few." Churchill's assessment of the role of his fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain may not correlate directly with the emergence of public transit on this Island, but I see the job done by those of you on the ground, those of you who have toiled in public transit circles for decades, pressing for relief from an utter paucity of public infrastructure, as having in great measure made our present-day situation as ostensibly advanced as it is with respect to public transportation. Without the voices of those who realized how vitally important a bus system would be and has been to both Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island, the Draconian sluggishness of our Provincial politicians to embrace public transit would have been magnified one hundred-fold. As we continue to fight on the beaches and fight on our shores for an Island-wide system, we can take heart knowing that at some point, the struggle of so few to enhance the lives of so many will force action out of those who for so long have ignored the compounding costs of not having the transit service we all strive for.
This, Mesdames and Messieurs, has been the View from Richmond Street.

2 National

2.1 Bombardier Gets Massive Metro Montreal Contract

Bombardier to Get $1B Montreal Metro Contract

Updated: May 11th, 2006 10:57 AM PDT
Home > Top Transit News
The Canadian Press

MONTREAL (CP) -- The Quebec government will award a $1.2 billion (US$1.09 billion) contract to supply new subway cars for the Montreal metro to Bombardier without public bidding, Montreal La Presse reported Wednesday.
Several sources said that Economic Development Minister Raymond Bachand would take the decision to the cabinet Wednesday, the newspaper said in a story from Quebec City.
The Montreal transit authority, backed by the provincial government, is looking to replace the aging fleet put into service in the late 1960s.
Transportation giants Bombardier and Alstom have been vying for the contract to replace 336 metro cars. Bombardier built the original rail cars.
Bombardier Transportation was recently selected by the Ontario government to supply more than 200 new train cars for the Toronto subway, without an open bid. The cars will be built at Thunder Bay, Ont.
But French-owned Alstom Canada wanted the Quebec government to hold a public bidding process.
The French industrial giant said it could build the cars at its plants in Sorel-Tracy, Que., where Alstom makes rail wheel sets, and Calgary, where the company maintains locomotives for Canadian Pacific Railway.
Bombardier Transportation is based in Berlin, Germany, and most of its plants and markets are in Europe, but the cars for the Montreal metro will be built in La Pocatiere, Que.

2.2 Victory for Transit Union in Winnipeg Driver Assault Case

Transit union claims victory after a Winnipeg man receives 26 months in jail for an assault on an ATU Local 1505 driver.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - May 17, 2006) - After years of seeing people who assault transit workers walk away with little or no punishment a court decision in Winnipeg yesterday has given transit and inter-city bus workers reason to believe that change is on the horizon. Rick Ganton, 46, pleaded guilty to one count each of assault and mischief for a drunken attack on March 16th, 2006, against Winnipeg bus driver Murray Tarvis, a member of ATU Local 1505. Mr. Ganton was sentenced to 26 months in jail for the assault.
"For us it was a victory," said Ken Foster, Director of the Amalgamated Transit Union's Canadian Council. "The judge fully understood what the implications are. Hopefully, it will be a deterrent to others." The ATU's Canadian Council procured the assistance of criminal lawyer, Josh Weinstein, of the Myers Weinberg firm in Winnipeg, to consult on the case.
Ganton was drunk and the lone passenger on the bus when he realized he had missed his stop and started swearing and yelling at Tarvis, said community prosecutor Susan Helenchilde. Ganton became "increasingly agitated" as the bus returned downtown and Tarvis called twice to security for assistance, Helenchilde said. Tarvis had just pulled up at City Hall when Ganton, enraged, charged at Tarvis, pulled him out of his seat and punched him in the face, breaking his glasses. When Tarvis was attacked, he didn't have a chance to take the bus out of gear and activate its emergency brake, endangering the lives of 10 to 15 passengers who had since boarded the bus, Helenchilde said.
Murray Tarvis' determination to see this case through to its resolution combined with the ATU Canadian Council's early and persistent involvement to ensure that it resulted in this unprecedented sentence. When handing down the sentence on the 16th of May, 2006, Judge Glenn Joyal said bus drivers are in a position of vulnerability and deserving of protection. "Bus drivers are at the mercy of whoever gets on the bus ... The only safeguard is the belief the court will respond purposefully and severely."
While this conviction and sentence is a victory in the ATU's campaign against assaults the recent, and vicious, assaults in Vancouver and Edmonton reveal that the battle is far from over. An ATU survey found that 60% of Winnipeg bus drivers reported being physically assaulted on the job. In 2006 alone, there have already been 12 reports of assaults on Winnipeg bus drivers.
Bus drivers have a right to a safe work environment. While some transit properties have taken this issue seriously and taken measures to improve security, share relevant data and work with the ATU, others have exhibited indifference. They will not cooperate with the union in either revealing their statistics on assaults or in taking substantive measures to afford drivers more protection. This has prompted the ATU to conduct their own surveys and research, stage a national conference on violence, create their own assault reporting form, and lobby the federal government for amendments to the criminal code to better protect public transit and inter-city bus workers.
"Irrespective of whether every transit system is on board with the assault issue, we will continue to move forward with those that are and take action to ensure that our members have a safe work place and that when they're victimized through violence the perpetrators will be charged and adequately sentenced" said Foster.

2.3 Ethanol Examined by Ottawa Within Alternative To Kyoto Plan

Ottawa seeks help finding Kyoto alternative

Ethanol initiative targets emissions

BRIAN LAGHI
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Ottawa — The Conservatives will move today to blunt criticism that they have forsaken the Kyoto accord by asking provinces to help develop a plan to boost ethanol production as part of a made-in-Canada plan to reduce greenhouse gas.
Federal cabinet ministers will meet with provincial counterparts in Regina to kick-start an initiative to keep a Tory pledge that would raise to 5 per cent the amount of ethanol used in gasoline. Experts say ethanol fuel, most of which is derived from corn and agricultural crops, would contribute to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The meeting comes as the Conservative government continued to come under fire from international environmental groups yesterday and the European Community urged Canada to respect goals the Liberals previously agreed to under the Kyoto accord.
Canada's commitment to Kyoto is wavering as a leaked internal report says Conservatives do not support deeper emission-reduction targets for the agreement in the future.
The government eventually hopes to develop an incentive program to increase production of ethanol, but first needs to test support across the country. Provincial programs vary widely, with some jurisdictions well ahead of others in efforts and targets to produce ethanol.
The federal government would like to harmonize the provincial regimes as much as possible before moving ahead with its program.
Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, who was roundly criticized this week for the government's position on Kyoto, will lead a half-day of discussions in Regina that will include Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl and Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn.
Currently, only about 1 per cent of gasoline contains ethanol. The Tories want to reach 5 per cent by 2010.
A spokesman for the industry said yesterday that the best answer to push the industry forward might be through tax incentives that encourage industry to boost production.
"The programs that we like and that most industries like are tax measures similar to what the petroleum industry is getting on the oil sands," said Kory Teneycke, executive director of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. "Something along those lines, we think, would be a good way of proceeding."
Mr. Teneycke said it is also crucial for the government to get approval from the various jurisdictions if the plan is to go ahead.
"There's been lots of activity at an officials' level, but until you get that buy-in and high-level nod of approval, it's hard to proceed past a certain point."
When and if the government gets provincial support, the government will face a number of thorny questions in delivering on the promise.
For example, the United States already heavily subsidizes its corn industry, giving ethanol plants a ready-made and cheaper source for its product.
Federal officials are concerned that encouraging ethanol production in Canada may end up benefiting U.S. producers and need to find a way to ensure Canadian farmers benefit from the idea.
There are critics who suggest the amount of fossil fuel used to plant, cultivate and harvest the crops used to produce ethanol outweighs the benefits.
Some have also criticized the fact that farmers end up growing crops for fuel rather than for food.
Meanwhile yesterday, the European Union's environment commissioner said Canada should honour its Kyoto pledges.
"What I expect is that the Canadians will honour their commitments," Stavros Dimas told reporters in Brussels.
"The Canadian government of [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper is trying to sabotage 15 years of international efforts to address climate change," the Climate Action Network added in a statement.
Canada is leading negotiations at the May 15-26 UN climate talks in Bonn, and has said it cannot meet a legally binding target to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases by 2012 and that it will only take part in an extension if all nations agree.

3 International

3.1 The Answer to the Energy Crisis? Batteries!

THE ANSWER TO OUR ENERGY PROBLEMS: A BIG BOX OF BATTERIES.
Baseload power plants operate 24/7. Electricity is generated, fuel is consumed and pollution emitted for electricity that's made but not consumed when people are snug in their beds and business is at a standstill. Utility companies offer lower overnight rates to encourage people and industry to adjust their schedules to buy some of this power. It's better to sell it at discounted rate than not sell it at all.
It could be that unused power from baseload powerplants could go a long way toward solving the energy shortage that's slowly arriving. Stored overnight energy, too, can reduce demand on peakload powerplants in the daytime, particularly saving natural gas that is being sucked up by peak-period power plants at an alarming rate.
The New York Power Authority has awarded ABB a $3.2 million contract to build a 1.2-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) for New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)
Using 6400 sodium sulfur battery cells (320 in each of 20 modules) supplied by Japan-based NGK, the BESS will be built at the Long Island Bus Depot in Garden City, New York. The facility services 220 natural gas fueled buses.
The BESS will be charged at night when rates are low and power stored will be used in daytime, working hours. The low-cost, saved power will save MTA so much money that it will allow MTA's maintenance crew to work in daylight hours instead of at night.
The BESS in New York won't be the largest in the world. That honor goes to a football field-sized BESS built in Alaska in 2003.
Wouldn't it make more sense to build batteries the size of a Walmart - that use available but unused power - than to build more power plants?
The MTA BESS will also serve as backup power and deliver reliability to the local power grid.
The NY BESS project is being funded by research organizations including the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the New York Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Visit ABB at http://www.abb.com/ , NGK at http://www.ngk.co.jp/

3.2 Florida Cities Get Hybrid Buses- At A Cost

FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Five new shuttle buses pricey -- but burn clean
Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport has purchased five new hybrid buses.
BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ
dmoskovitz@MiamiHerald.com
Broward airport officials hope five new hybrid shuttle buses will help make the county's air a little cleaner.
But the environmentally friendly buses come with a cost: close to twice the price of a traditional bus.
The buses were added to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's fleet in March. The airport also runs more than 50 buses and three trams using biodiesel fuel -- a mixture of traditional diesel with fuel taken from products like corn and soybeans.
Airport officials said the airport is the first in the state to run its entire fleet on biodiesel.
Like hybrid cars, hybrid buses are more expensive than their traditional counterparts -- about $510,000 each compared with $283,000 for a regular bus.
And biodiesel fuel prices tend to be higher than ordinary diesel.
But the additions are worthwhile because of their environmental benefits, said Randy Bond, general manager for ShuttlePort, the company that operates the fleet.
The company runs fleets in airports across the nation, but Fort Lauderdale is the only one using biodiesel. Other airports, like Phoenix and San Jose, use compressed natural gas, but Fort Lauderdale doesn't have the infrastructure necessary to support that, he said.
''It's because of the clean air initiatives of the county, and the airport is trying to make it a cleaner environment,'' Bond said.
Hybrids use less fuel and have lower emissions, meaning no thick black clouds of exhaust puffing out of these buses.
Biofuel also has been touted for its lower emissions, although some scientists disagree about the fuel's overall savings.
Hybrid shuttles are similar to hybrid cars. They run on a combination of battery power and burning fuel. The batteries are recharged while the buses run on fuel.
A new battery is needed every six years.
''You don't have to plug it into a wall socket,'' Bond said.
They are more fuel efficient. The traditional bus ranges between 2.7 and 4.2 miles per gallon at the airport. The hybrid gets between 3.6 and 5.1 miles per gallon.

3.3 Altair to Co-operate in Creation of Hi-tech Prototype Buses

TROY, Mich. -- Altair Engineering and Automation Alley's Technology Center -- in conjunction with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. -- have secured a $2.2 million Federal Transportation Authority (FTA) grant to design and build of two advanced technology prototype buses.
The FTA had previously provided a $550,000 grant for the Altair BUSolutions project to revitalize public transportation through more economical and reliable fleet service. The test project will also provide fresh opportunities for the region's growing research and product development sector.
The Altair BUSolutions initiative will design and build two demonstration buses that are easily maintainable and efficient to operate in the existing transportation infrastructure, at greatly reduced cost. Altair worked closely with regional transportation authorities -- the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) and the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) -- to meet regulatory requirements and address the needs of the bus drivers and riders. The project is also included in the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) Regional Transportation Improvement Plan.
The $2.2 million federal funding came from two sources. The Department of Transportation Research and University Research Centers account provided $1.5 million; the additional $700,000 million was provided from the Department of Transportation's FTA Bus Grants account.
"Not only does this $2.2 million grant validate the government's initial investment in our preliminary work," said James R. Scapa, president and CEO of Altair, "it also is a testament to the exciting synergy we've created when regional government and business leadership work together. This is a great opportunity to showcase the terrific talent we have in this area, as well as to attract new technology resources to Southeast Michigan."
"Automation Alley is delighted to collaborate with Altair Engineering on this venture," said Tom Anderson, director of the Automation Alley Technology Center. "This partnership is a great example of how the Southeast Michigan region is taking a national leadership role on emerging technology issues."
"An efficient public bus system is a key component to meeting our region's transportation needs," said U.S. Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), a key sponsor for the program. "For fleets to meet their full potential, however, conventional buses must be brought into the 21st century. The bus prototypes to be produced by Automation Alley Technology Center and Altair Engineering have great promise for addressing the challenges public transportation systems face."
"Automation Alley is very grateful for the support we have received from U.S. Congressman Knollenberg, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI)," said Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley. "Michigan is fortunate to have these strong advocates for Michigan's advanced manufacturing sector in Congress."
"Integrating the right technologies and methods tightly into the design process can have dramatic results," said Michael Heskitt, vice president of Altair Global Engineering. "BUSolutions uses advanced optimization techniques in a design process that is fundamentally different than traditional approaches, while using conventional construction methods, materials and components. The result is a transit bus design that is 30 percent lighter and 40 percent less expensive to own, at a 15 percent lower manufacturing cost. Reduced weight means lower fuel consumption; less wear on city streets and regional roads; reduced brake and tire wear; and reduced noise and pollution."
Once the feasibility of the concept has been completely demonstrated and the performance of the prototype buses has been thoroughly tested, analyzed and evaluated, Altair Engineering plans to commercialize the BUSolutions technology and make it available for public use.

3.4 Berlin's New Rail Hub Just in Time for World Cup 2006

Berlin's New Railway Hub
Updated: May 12th, 2006 10:30 AM PDT
Home > Top Transit News
Stefan Nicola
UPI

For the past 15 years, Berlin has been planning and building the largest, safest and most modern train station in Europe.
Today a small army of orange-jacketed construction workers stream back and forth between track rails; hammering and screeching fills the air; and construction dust still covers the vaulted 351-yard long glass ceiling, through which, on opening day, light should flood unhindered into the brand-new Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl launched the construction project in October 1995, and his longtime protege, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will officially open the station on May 26.
Located in the government district, the Hauptbahnhof -- formerly the Lehrter Bahnhof -- is the last of the expensive unification projects to be completed; other projects included the reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz and the Reichstag parliament building.
Planning for the station began in 1991, soon after Germany's reunification, in a bid to facilitate and centralize travel in the once divided city. West-bound passengers currently use the Zoo station; east-bounders mostly exit at the Ostbahnhof. The new main central station will put the two facilities virtually out of business.
Taking up 1.9 million square feet, Hauptbahnhof will be Europe's largest train hub, serving 300,000 passengers with almost 1,100 long-distance, regional and local trains passing through daily, officials say.
Hamburg-based architects Gerkan, Marg and Partner have incorporated stones from Austria and China, some 9,000 glass plates and six 30-person panorama elevators in the station's design.
The five-level station cost Germany, the state of Berlin and German railway giant Deutsche Bahn some $890 million. But company spokeswoman Gabriele Schott said costs for the Bahn's new transport concept, which also included modernizing local train systems and opening no fewer than eight additional stations this month in Berlin and nearby Brandenburg, total a staggering $12.7 billion.
"This is a small revolution for the Bahn," Schott said, leading a tour of the station.
Standing in front of the station's main entrance, at the Invalidenstrasse, she said, with a sweep of her arm: "After German reunification, there was nothing here. The Hauptbahnhof has the chance to create a new center in downtown Berlin."
The plaza in front of the main entrance in the north will be named Europe Square, while the vast area in front of the southern entrance, with a clear view of Merkel's chancellery, will be called Washington Square, she said.
While the station will not link Europe with the United States, it will ease travel between Berlin and the rest of Germany, Schott said. Some 900 jobs (300 of them at Deutsche Bahn) have been created in the process.
All 80 shops inside the station will be open to customers on May 26, Schott added, despite rumors that the Hauptbahnhof would not be finished in time for the grand opening.
While security will be a focal point at the opening and during Merkel's visit, thorough measures will be a constant at Hauptbahnhof. Extensive precautions have been taken to combat such modern threats as terrorism, and to ensure passenger and mechanical security.
The station's lowest level lies 22 yards below the ground; before construction could begin, experts scanned the soil for World War II bombs.
"We found a massive amount of duds," Schott said.
Inside the station, man-high security walls have been built between tracks, so that in the unlikely event of a derailment, passengers on other tracks will not be endangered. A third rail has been built adjacent to each track as an emergency fall-back rail.
Officials had to update the station's security concept after the 1998 Eschede train accident, in which an ICE highspeed train derailed in Lower Saxonay, killing 101 people. The incident led to a massive overhaul of the German railway network.
With recent terror attacks targeting mostly mass transit systems, officials are eager to make the Berlin Hauptbahnhof as safe as possible.
Dozens of surveillance cameras will penetrate every corner of the station; the Bahn's security personnel will be on hand and Germany's federal police, the Bundespolizei, will have its own ward in the station.
"Like any main transportation hub, security is a big factor," said Michael Baufeld, spokesman for security and customer service at the station.
The new Hauptbahnhof will face its first big test in June, when Germany hosts the FIFA Soccer World Cup. Several games will be played in Berlin and nearby Leipzig, and officials expect a multitude of travelers during that time. Baufeld said there is a special service and security program for the World Cup.
"We want to adhere to the World Cup's motto: 'A time to make friends,' so we want our guests to feel comfortable," Baufeld said. "But at the same time we will watch very closely what goes on."

Report from the Federation of PEI Municipalities Meeting

2006-05-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Report on Public Transit Coalition’s Attendance at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of PEI Municipalities

When: Monday, May 1, 2006

Location: Souris Legion

Overview:
As a last minute entry into the promotional area of the Federation of PEI Municipalities meeting in Souris, the PEI Public Transit Coalition was not only able to set up a display advocating the benefits and the necessity of public transit to municipal leaders, but also briefly discuss public transit with Transportation and Public Works Minister Gail Shea and arrange a meeting with the minister at a later date. Following several exchanges with community figures and provincial cabinet ministers, the Coalition members present were imbued with a sense of guarded optimism with respect to the development of Island-wide public transit.

Description:

Having procured a spot as a display guest at the Federation of PEI Municipalities meeting only on the Friday prior to the Monday event, the Coalition rushed to devise a simple yet effective presentation to showcase our literature and our Island-wide transit designs. Set-up was to be completed by 8:30 AM at the Legion in Souris, with proceedings for the FPEIM members commencing at 9:00. The agenda for the meeting basically meant that the PTC was a spectator for much of the day, waiting for the opportunity to discuss public transit with interested municipal figures and approach several key community leaders from among our workshop participants. Two such figures, Nancy Wallace of O’Leary and Elmer Arsenault of Tignish voiced their support for proceeding with an Implementation Plan either at the local municipal level (for example, to be done in the Tignish-Alberton-O’Leary area) or on a province-wide mandate, and both were keen to be present at any formal meetings with cabinet ministers in the future.

Other delegates to the annual meeting also showed a keen interest on behalf of their communities in examining public transit in their areas. Peter Meggs, deputy Mayor for the Town of Cornwall, was able to update us on the status of the joint Cornwall-Stratford feasability study to take place and seemed optimistic that a link could be forged between the existing Charlottetown Transit and those two communities. Also, councillor Jamie MacKay of Kensington expressed an interest in having the Coalition hold a workshop in that part of the Island in order for the town council to assess the possibilities of public transit for Kensington and surrounding areas. Councillor MacKay noted that the bus service which once linked Charlottetown with Kensington had been eliminated in favour of a Summerside-only bus stop on the off-island SMT/Acadian Lines run, and he hoped that some type of affordable service could be established to help Kensington maintain its transportation links to the capital as well as to Summerside and points in between.
Finally, Chairperson Matt McGuire of Tyne Valley was also quite receptive to our queries about linking that region with Lennox Island and Summerside-Tignish-Alberton-O’Leary through public transit.

The afternoon session featured guest speaker Gordon Steeves, Vice President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Winnipeg city councillor, as well as an address by Premier Pat Binns. For the Coalition, perhaps the most productive part of the day was the mentioning in her address of public transit by Transportation and Public Works Minister Gail Shea, a positive change in position from non-inclusion in discussions to referring to the issue in an important public speech. Afterwards, David and Aaron had the chance to press Minister Shea about her commitment to public transit and were able to arrange a “long” meeting with her for the near future. David also had the chance to speak with Provincial Treasurer Mitch Murphy, who agreed wholly with David when he explained to the Minister the enormous health costs generated to the Province from motor vehicle accidents. Minister Murphy intimated that he had read the material provided to him by the Coalition in late March, a step in the right direction for the Coalition and a sign that our material had done its job, at least preliminarily.

Our part in the meeting wound up just after 5:00 PM. In all, our presence at the meeting was at the very least visible and, more notably, productive in terms of our commitment to making Island-wide transit a reality. As a result of the Federation of PEI Municipalities invitation, the PEI Public Transit Coalition will be approaching Minister Gail Shea about the prospects for moving ahead with province-wide public transit, and in conjunction with a number of community leaders who showed their support our mission, we can now go ahead with a solid municipal support base and hopefully influence the debate over province-wide public transit at the levels which matter the most.

Minutes of the PEI Public Transit Coalition Annual General Meeting, April 27, 2006

2006-05-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Annual General Meeting of the PEI Public Transit Coalition

Thursday, April 27, 2006
Basilica Rec Centre
12:00 PM

Members Present: David and Aaron (PTC), Jim (T2000), Erkki (ResourcesWest), Marg (CNIB), Irene and Matt (PEISF), Lisa (AHRSC), Annie (PEISCF), Leo (PeopleFirst), Ann (CooperInstitute), Gus Clinton and Bill Trenholme (SourisTownCouncil), Ron (PEISF), Morley (EKCE)

Meeting Minutes:

Agenda for the meeting was as follows:

Introductions
Approval and/or additions to Agenda
Public Education and Outreach
Report on Social Equity and Public Transit Project
Update from Bobby Dunn of Trius Tours/Charlottetown Transit
UPEI U-Pass initiative status
Update on Transport 2000 Fall meeting in Charlottetown
Update on request to have Provincial government undertake a PEI public transit feasability study
Other Business

Introductions:

David- gave a brief rundown of the Coalition, its member groups and its activities in the past few months as well as over the course of the last few years (remember its inception was November 2000)

- David- mentioned our successful workshops in West Prince and Souris from March and about moving forward with community coalitions in those areas (see Erkki’s comments later on)

- also- a note of reminder about the Federation of PEI Municipalities meeting in Souris on Monday, May 1, 2006

Approval and/or additions to Agenda:

- as usual, the agenda is never followed to a “T”- Erkki Pohjolainen included under the “Other Business” heading to discuss movement in West Prince toward funding and approving a Feasability Study for that region

Public Education and Outreach:

David (and Aaron)- the PTC ran a successful Earth Day event in co-operation with Trius Tours/Charlottetown Transit with all proceeds from the “Ride the Bus for a Loonie Day” going towards our promotional and public educational activities for Island-wide public transit- local and national politicians were on hand to celebrate the event at the Confed Centre- coverage by the Guardian as well as CBC Radio 1 “Main Street”

- contact made with Ministers Gail Shea (Transportation and Public Works), Elmer MacFadyen (Community and Cultural Affairs), Philip Brown (Tourism) as well as MLA Wayne Collins of Winsloe-West Royalty- a media package similar to the literature review and transit history handed out at the workshops was presented to all MLAs- currently we are sending this same package to Island municipal leaders (Mayors, Chairpeople, Councillors)

- E-News- finally all member groups and individuals are on a mailing list- you can check out the blog we have online at http://www.peiptc.blogspot.com- also- back issues of the E-News are also available on the blogspot

Update from Bobby Dunn of Trius Tours/Charlottetown Transit:

- Bobby Dunn, manager of the Charlottetown Transit, was our guest speaker-

- Bobby- some new angles/advances that Charlottetown Transit is considering- a focus on Youth- school students (at the Prince St. School- a bus ride initiative as well as an introduction to the routes for students- to show them how the fare system works)- looking to promote student transit in co-operation with school administration
-Stratford and Cornwall are looking to undertake a feasability study together instead of relying on a survey of people’s views
-Bobby- bus shelters- under federal budget announcements Charlottetown Transit should get 25 bus shelters for commencement in the fall 2006- also- they are looking at establishing a main depot apart from the front of the Confed Centre/Queen St.- how to establish a focal point downtown
Bobby- arrival of two new buses by June 15- two more in July, and a final bus in August
- finally- the cheque for proceeds from Earth Day Loonie Day for the Public Transit Coalition was presented by Bobby to David and Aaron

UPEI U-Pass Initiative Status:

David- UPEI U-pass is on the board again at the university- Environmental Studies Professor Almut Beringer is starting a task force to increase support for a U-Pass in time for a fall vote- a YES vote would mean the implementation of a U-Pass for January 2007

Update on Transport 2000 Fall Meeting in Charlottetown:

Jim Munves- in October 2006, Transport 2000 Atlantic will be holding their fall meeting in Charlottetown- they hope to invite some transit managers from Halifax and Moncton (Codiac Transit) to speak to interested public and answer transit questions
David- PTC is looking at combining this meeting with a Symposium/Summit on Public Transit and its Health benefits the Friday before the T2000 meeting ( apparently the T2000 meeting will be held on a Saturday)- more to come on this

Update on request to have Provincial government undertake a PEI public transit feasability study:

Erkki Pohjolainen- at a recent Growth Symposium in West Prince- public transit issues were broached- Transportation West group promoted Ride-Share and car-pooling initiatives which fell on deaf ears- so- at Tuesday’s meeting in West Prince- the idea of public transit was again brought up- what did it mean to the group attending the meeting?- it was decided that it would be right to go ahead and examine the ways and the means of conducting an Implementation Plan- Erkki suggests that when David and Aaron go to meet with Gail Shea that representatives from both Eastern Kings as well as West Prince be present to voice their opinions and to press for such a study- Erkki intends to speak at an upcoming Summerside West meeting about public transit and about Western PEI PTC’s goal of getting an Implementation Plan in place for the region
Errki- an important issue for that region (West Prince) is student outmigration- can this be combined with the issue of Seniors Housing and accessibility in the region to help bring about a study?- an ENTRA-like analysis of the factors and needs involved in Western PEI would suit a number of core groups (students, seniors, agricultural workers, commuters)

-as a follow up, Aaron and David will be meeting with MLA Wayne Collins to best determine how to approach the upcoming meeting with Transportation and Public Works Minister Gail Shea later this month- stay tuned for an update from this meeting (week of May 15)

Other Business:

Jim Munves- Jim brought to my attention some questions about the maps for the Charlottetown Transit service- could we get BIG maps put in key places/hub centres?- also- perhaps some smaller scale but sizeable maps could be put in Coffee Shops, at UPEI, at the Farmer’s Market, and at both Confederation Court and Charlottetown Malls
- this is another project to go ahead with as well as a resizing/restructuring of the current schedule package- right now it is a bit too cumbersome- how can we best downsize it to perhaps one double sided page?- also- David suggested that the system in Charlottetown take advantage of the public transit schedule CYLINDERS which can hold schedules and rotate on an axis for patrons to look for times and places

- ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ADJOURNED AT 2:00 PM.

PTC E-News 11

2006-04-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

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.

PTC E-News 10

2006-03-31T11:47:00.000-08:00

PTC E-News 10

1 Local

1.1 And what about public transit for PEI? The 2006 Budget Address
1.2 Budget reveals another deficit
1.3 The Richmond St. View

2 National

2.1 Halifax MetroLink Phase II in operation!
2.2 GO Transit to initiate SmartCard service
2.3 Two-tiered transit in Toronto?
2.4 Transport Canada reveals urban traffic congestion study

3 International

3.1 Toledo, OH buses go hybrid!
3.2 Singapore's new fully automatic Metro line
3.3 EU committee outlines importance of public transit to climate change

1 Local

1.1 And what about public transit for PEI? The 2006 Budget Address

Based on past contributions, it should have been a foregone conclusion that the provincial budget address failed to provide hope for Islanders interested in getting moving on public transit. In spite of the inclusion of a number of sub-sections on community development, seniors and tourism in his budget speech, Treasurer Mitch Murphy will apparently require more convincing with respect to the community and health benefits of public transportation. Please follow this link to access a PDF version of the 2006 Budget Address for more in-depth analysis:

http://www.gov.pe.ca/budget/2006/address.pdf

1.2 Budget reveals another deficit

PEI Tories post another budget deficit

ALISON AULD
Canadian Press

Charlottetown —

Prince Edward Island's Tory government posted a small deficit Thursday in a budget described by the province's treasurer as a stay-the-course document that will put the Island on track for a balanced budget next year.
The 2006-07 deficit was projected at $12.5-million, with expenditures rising 2.6 per cent to $1.2-billion. The province, with a population of 138,000, carries a net debt of $1.3-billion.
Provincial Treasurer Mitch Murphy tried to put an optimistic spin on the bland financial statement, insisting that the country's smallest province is on its way to more robust economic times.
“We're pleased with where the economy is,” he told reporters before reading his third budget in the provincial legislature. “It represents a major turning point in the government's direction.”
It's the third consecutive time Premier Pat Binns' government has recorded a deficit since the most recent election in September 2003.
“We've taken this as a balanced approach, a very deliberate approach to continue the economic progress that the province is making,” Mr. Binns said.
“No one should be alarmed by the fact that we have a small deficit. What they should be happy about is that deficit continues to come down.”
The province recorded a $33-million deficit in 2004-05. The deficit forecast for 2005-06 is $18 million.
The Island sits almost alone with its deficit among several other provinces that have recently posted surpluses or balanced budgets.
Newfoundland tabled its budget Thursday, posting a $6.2-million surplus for 2006-07.
Of the eight other provinces and territories that have brought down budgets this year, only Ontario and Nunavut have recorded deficits.
Still, the budget is unlikely to offend Island residents as it contains no new taxes and a modest increase in overall spending.
About 38 per cent of the Island's budget — $458-million — comes from federal payments. That almost covers the province's health-care costs.

1.3 The Richmond St. View

I wrote this letter in response to two posts on the Stratford town website from citizens concerned about public transit and increased taxes in Stratford:

The long-term cost of not bringing public transit to Stratford heavily outweighs the short-term gain in municipal tax contributions you MIGHT receive by maintaining the status quo!
Stratford is growing at an extraordinary rate and will only continue to do so within the next several years. In order to allow ALL citizens of Stratford to reap the benefits of this increase in population and consequently in tax revenue, future civic infrastructure needs to IMPROVE community services. More people will mean, unfortunately, more vehicles and more space required for parking these vehicles. Road infrastructure, which is already in a regrettable state on many of our local roads, will only require further tax dollars for maintenance and improvement. Public transit actually curbs road destruction. Furthermore, by implementing a public transit service in Stratford, not only will those citizens who cannot access a private vehicle obtain access to the services in town that they require, but the environmental and health improvements provided by public transit would be putting tax dollars toward a COMMUNITY project from which all citizens could benefit. Stratford is a wonderful community that will only be bettered by a public transit system. A designated tax specifically oriented towards subsidizing Stratford public transit would be, in my humble estimation, supported by an overwhelming majority of our residents.

With respect to the "dismal" Charlottetown Transit system, I wonder what we will be thinking when in a few short years our gas prices rise to over $3.00 per litre and many of us are forced to change our daily habits because we cannot afford to drive private vehicles...
The Charlottetown Transit, which is still in its infancy, has continually posted growing ridership numbers and should be a model for the entire province. For many of us not "fortunate" enough to have access to a private vehicle, public transit is our lifeline. Charlottetown Transit should be commended for providing ALL of us with a wonderful public service which will only continue to grow.

Most irksome to me, however, is the car-driven mentality which consumes many of us on Prince Edward Island. How is it possible that Prince Edward Island is incapable of providing its citizens with extended public transit services across the province when most Caribbean Island nations have an extensive public transportation system available for all? It makes me wonder sometimes if, in fact, we are a First-World nation in name only. For this reason, Stratford should act as a talisman for the growth of public transit on PEI and implement this beneficial public service.

Aaron Hawkins
PTC Public Education and Outreach

2 National

2.1 Halifax MetroLink Phase II in operation!

On Monday, February 20th 2006, Mayor Peter Kelly, along with Federal, Provincial and Municipal officials, launched Phase II of Halifax Regional Municipality’s (HRM’s) limited-stop direct MetroLink service from the Sackville area to the downtown.
The introduction of Phase II is a culmination of over two years of planning after HRM was awarded funding through Transport Canada’s Urban Transportation Showcase Program. Others partners in the project were the Province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Regional Municipality. The MetroLink service was designed to attract new riders to public transit and ultimately to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Urban Transportation Showcase Program aims to demonstrate how communities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve other benefits such as cleaner air and reduced congestion through integrated sustainable transportation initiatives. Halifax is one of five cities across Canada under the program that is leading by example and sharing their experiences with other communities to help foster the implementation of similar approaches.
“The Government of Canada will continue to work with the provinces and municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through programs like the Urban Transportation Showcase Program ”, said Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “Innovative projects such as MetroLink provide Halifax and Canadians alike with sustainable transportation options while helping achieve our goals of reducing GHG emissions.”
Nova Scotia Minister of Energy, Cecil Clarke added, “The province is pleased to support projects that encourage alternate transportation modes while contributing to a healthier and greener province. It’s vital that initiatives such as these continue in order to reduce the production of harmful emissions.”
At this morning’s launch, Mayor Peter Kelly said “The introduction of phase II of the MetroLink service to the Sackville area clearly demonstrates the success of this new service to HRM. The municipality’s transit system is a key component of the proposed Regional Plan and the fact that we’re already working towards those improvements with projects like the MetroLink service is key to the plan’s success.”
HRM’s MetroLink is a $13.3 million project, which includes the establishment of two MetroLink corridors using transit signal priority and limited stops to create competitive trip times. Twenty buses will be used to service both Portland Hills and Sackville corridors, with 10-minute peak service.
Transport Canada contributed $4.1 million; HRM contributed $8.4 million; the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works contributed $705,000, while the Nova Scotia Department of Energy provided $80,000 towards the project. TRAX of the Ecology Action Centre is a public education partner in the project.
Phase I of the MetroLink service was launched in Portland Hills in August 2005 with unprecedented success.

2.2 GO Transit to initiate SmartCard service

KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

GO Transit wants to give "reward miles" to commuters, build a dedicated bus lane on the Don Valley Parkway and run local transit services to feed its suburban stations, says its top official.

"We're pushing forward with small successes," general manager Gary McNeil told a transportation summit run by the Strategy Institute think tank at the Delta Chelsea. "It's one little battle after another, but eventually we are going to win."

Currently, GO is part of a provincial pilot project to bring "smart card" fare payment to transit users across the GTA, the first step to a reward-based fare system. The pilot project will be underway in 2007 for commuters on Mississauga's Milton line. They'll swipe a card through a reader to pay their fare.

When the project rolls out in full, GO will abandon its monthly passes and 10-ride passes in favour of a program where the more you take GO, the less you'll pay each time, McNeil said.

The fare card will act as a transit bank account; when you use the system, money will be deducted.

"Your ticket price will gradually decrease as you use the system. You won't have to worry whether you should buy a monthly pass this month if you're going on vacation, or whether you should buy a 10-ride ticket. The card will do the thinking for you.

"You won't have to think about the cost of transit any more. It will be on a card — it will make it more convenient.

"It's got a computer chip that makes it smart. It knows where you are when you get on and off, and charges you for it."

Other proposals include:

Encouraging suburban municipalities to stop allowing big-box development around GO stations, instead asking them to build business centres that would promote train use.

Paying municipalities to put in bus-priority lanes.

Trying to convince the City of Toronto to agree to dedicated bus lanes on the DVP. McNeil said GO is willing to foot the $2 million bill for upgrading the shoulders on the DVP for use by buses only, but said the project doesn't appear to be a priority for city staff.

Starting up local transit systems, or having that service contracted out, to get suburban commuters to GO train stations faster. As it is, transit in places such as Oakville, Brampton and Whitby try to serve students and seniors, preferring to let GO commuters make their own way to the station by car.

"We've embraced the car by providing more parking lots," said McNeil, who said GO added 8,000 spots over five years to bring the total to more than 45,000. "We're probably the largest parking authority in the GTA."

But space is limited for new lots and it makes sense for GO to run its own service to save parking spaces, McNeil said.

"I'm saying ultimately if local transit doesn't respond to this stuff, we've got to do it," he said. "We're running out of land and it costs a lot of money to build parking structures. I'd much rather people came by local transit if the service was there ... It's a case where we maybe provide the contractor with little shuttle buses and then define the route."

GO also has plans to extend trains to 12 cars from 10, build new tracks to beef up service and buy double-decker buses to add seating space.

McNeil said the ridership growth strategies will eventually mean GO Transit will recoup 95 per cent of its operating costs through fares by topping 50 million passengers annually in 2010.

GO already recoups 86 per cent of its operating revenue through fares, tops in the world except for a couple of systems in Asia that make money through land development and leasing deals, McNeil said.

"We are probably the top performer in the world," said McNeil, adding the TTC would be second at about 78 per cent. "If you are an accountant, that's good news because it shows we're taking care of the bottom line.

"But as a transit authority, it means we're pushed to the limit of our capacity, standing room only and pent-up demand."

2.3 Two-tiered transit in Toronto?

Toronto Star, March 25, 2006

Is two-tier transit coming to Toronto?

GABE GONDA
CITY HALL BUREAU

Is two-tier transit coming to Toronto?

A private company plans to begin selling tickets today for a bus that would take people to Union Station from the condominiums along Lake Shore Blvd. west of the Humber River.

The bus will be an alternative, the company says, to overcrowded streetcars that can't keep up with the demands of a booming lakefront condo population.

The service is pegged to cost $199.99 for a month's pass.

There's just one potential problem with the proposed Humber Bay Express: The Toronto Transit Commission thinks it's illegal and one official says a move will be made to shut it down.

"The City of Toronto Act says the only people who can run public transit is the TTC," Vince Rodo, the TTC's general secretary, said this week.

And Etobicoke-Lakeshore Councillor Mark Grimes thinks it should stay that way.

Grimes, a TTC commissioner, has been working with the Humber Bay Shores Condominium Association to try to persuade the TTC to add express bus service to an area that has seen condominiums springing up. He said the commission will consider adding a route if he and the condo group can sell 70 monthly Metropasses in the area. So far, that hasn't happened.
But when told about the Humber Bay Express, Grimes was unequivocal.

"I wouldn't be in favour of it," he said.

Howard Moscoe, who chairs the TTC, said: "The TTC has a monopoly on public transit. If people start creaming off lucrative public routes, it would do irreparable damage to the system."

Rodo said services like the Humber Bay Express have been proposed before and most of the time prospective owners drop their plans when they find out about the law. Jim Lord, head of the Humber Bay Shores Condominium Association, said the bus plan highlights the need for transit service in the area.

For Anna Chakina, a resident of 2088 Lake Shore Blvd. W., the decision is easy. She would use the private bus to get to her waitressing job at Yonge and Queen Sts. "The streetcar is too busy and the seats are uncomfortable."

The latest proposal comes when the TTC appears to be a victim of its own success. For 2006, ridership is expected to top 437 million — well on its way back to its 1988 peak of 463 million. But fuel costs are also on the rise, its fleet is aging and funding is limited. There is also pressure to service growing neighbourhoods like the Humber Bay area. And this week's provincial budget will have little immediate impact.

The TTC's monopoly doesn't mean all alternative forms of transit are banned.

The city prohibits corporations from charging a direct fee, or fare, for transportation, but makes a wide range of exceptions, including for tour buses, charters that charge a group fee and free shuttle services. Furniture giant Ikea, for example, runs a free shuttle to its store on The Queensway in Etobicoke from the Kipling subway station.

And many condos, including several in the Humber Bay area, offer residents shuttle-bus services as part of their amenity fees, a practice that is allowed. The oldest condo in the area, the Palace Pier, has offered shuttle services to Union Station since 1979.

Promotional material on the Humber Bay Express website describes the bus as a solution to "the rising cost of the TTC; the slow, crowded Queen St. streetcar; difficult access to the subway; expensive taxi fares (an average ride downtown is $25); the cost of gas; limited and expensive downtown parking; environmental concerns — The ultimate carpool."

The express is scheduled to run along the same stretch of Lake Shore Blvd. W. where the TTC has a stop for its busy Queen St. streetcar line. The bus would pick up residents from six waterfront condos, making four weekday morning runs to Union Station beginning at 6:45 a.m., with the last evening bus returning at 6:55 p.m.

The service's proposed launch date, April 1, coincides with a TTC fare increase. The company plans promotional runs Thursday and Friday for $2 a ride.

Attempts to reach Humber Bay Express president Daniel Tatomyr were unsuccessful this week and calls to the company's sales office, set to open today at 2067 Lake Shore Blvd. W., weren't answered. As of yesterday, a letter from Tatomyr to potential clients had been removed from the company's website along with other references to him.

But there is support for the service in the neighbourhood. "Is it going to stop in front of my restaurant?" said Joseph Muscatello, proprietor of Baroli Caffe, at 2083 Lake Shore Blvd. W.

Muscatello drives to work from his home north of the city in Caledon every day. Still, he said, with such a high concentration of first-time homeowners in the area, the Humber Bay Express might appeal to people looking to save on parking and car payments. "I think it's a great idea."

Others say TTC service suits them fine. Scott Knox lives in the Waterford condominium and drives to his job at a Mississauga golf course every day. His live-in girlfriend, meanwhile, takes the streetcar to work downtown at the Hospital for Sick Children. "She has no problem with it," Knox said.

In the meantime, Jim Lord of the condo association is hoping to meet with the TTC again to find another solution to selling 70 passes.

"It's hard to get someone to buy a pass for a bus that's not going."

2.4 Transport Canada reveals urban traffic congestion study

Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, last week announced the findings of a study entitled The Cost of Urban Congestion in Canada. The study examined the cost of urban traffic congestion for Canada's nine largest urban areas: Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The study reviewed data and situations where congestion occurs daily because demand exceeds the capacity to move people and goods. It also served to examine costs due to travel delay, additional fuel consumed, and additional greenhouse gases produced. The study found that recurrent congestion in urban areas costs between $2.3-billion and $3.7-billion per year (in 2002 dollar values). More than 90% of this cost is associated with the time lost in traffic to drivers and passengers; 7% occurs because of fuel consumed; and 3% is from increased greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, visit the Transport Canada web site or contact Marco D'Angelo at (613) 842-3616.

3 International

3.1 Toledo, OH buses go hybrid!

WTOL News, March 8, 2006

TOLEDO -- TARTA buses are about to take a ride down the hybrid lane. The company's bio-fleet will be showcased at 3:30pm Friday, when the public transit company opens its biodiesel fueling facility. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur will join TARTA General Manager James K. Gee at the event.

TARTA is taking part in a study that's looking at the impact of using a mixture of biodiesel fuels and petroleum-based diesel fuel. The study is funded, in part, by a $1.5 million federal grant made possible through the efforts of Marcy Kaptur. TARTA says the congresswoman is committed to moving America toward energy independence by replacing imported petroleum with renewable energy such as biofuels.

The TARTA study will be conducted by the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Toledo, using two different fuels: ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD), and a mixture of 80% ULSD fuel and 20% methyl ester biofuel which is known as B20.

B20 is derived from soybean oil and yellow grease that consists primarily of recycled cooking oil.

Forty-eight TARTA buses and a number of diesel-powered vehicles in the city's Division of Streets, Bridges & Harbor will take part in the vehicle testing. The study will examine the differences in emissions, engine performance, and operating costs.
An additional TARTA vehicle involved in the study is a mini-bus called BH-1, for bio-hydrogen. The study will look at the benefits of injecting a small amount of hydrogen in the air intake of the vehicle using B20 fuel.

In addition to Marcy Kaptur and James Gee, members of the University of Toledo's Intermodal Transportation Institute and members of the city's Department of Public Service and Division of Streets, Bridges & Harbor will attend Friday's event.

TARTA asked to be included in the study, making them only the second Ohio city to participate. Columbus is the other Ohio city that's participating.

Other partners involved in the study are H2 Engine Systems and Shrader Tire and Oil.

Soon you'll be able to spot the TARTA buses running on biofuel because they'll be marked for easy identification.

3.2 Singapore's new fully automatic Metro line

I was perusing through some international transit system web pages and I came across this slightly postured, pro-business press brochure for the new automatic metro line which opened in Singapore in June 2005. Here's the link:

http://www.transport.alstom.com/_eLibrary/brochure/upload_73748.pdf

3.3 EU committee outlines importance of public transit to climate change

EU Committee position:
Public transport must play a key role in the battle against climate change

The European Union Committee 1 of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) welcomes the European Climate Change Programme and the Green Paper on Energy Efficiency but calls for more focus on the transport sector to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Knowing that transport is responsible for 31% of energy consumption and 21% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, the EU Committee reminds the Commission that the transport sector should be a prime target in the fight against climate change. Particular focus should be put on urban mobility as 40% of all transport related GHG emissions in the EU are produced in cities.

In an official position paper, UITP clearly demonstrates the advantages of public transport in energy savings. Guido del Mese, President of the EU Committee, summarises the 'green benefits' of the sector as follows: "Public transport consumes three times less primary energy than private cars. Differences in energy savings between cities with a high modal share of public transport and cities relying mainly on the private car represent around 400 to 500 kg of fuel per inhabitant annually2 . In the current energy context, this should be taken into account in any strategies and
plans.”

This is the reason why the UITP-EU Committee strongly recommends addressing specifically the issue of urban mobility in the European climate change and energy efficiency policies, by:
- Developing a strategy for modal shift towards transport modes producing less GHG emissions and consuming less energy;
- Investing in public transport and promoting high quality public transport systems;
- Encouraging road charging schemes and environmental tax measures to rebalance costs between private car and public transport use, and better integrate external costs;
- Creating Sustainable Urban Transport Plans such as mentioned in the "Thematic Strategy for the Urban Environment"3 , including mandatory targets for a shift towards environmentally friendly modes of transport. This should become mandatory for cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants;
- Carrying out benchmarks on the regional and local entity level to make comparisons and measure improvements in reducing GHG emissions;
Increasing public awareness on the consequences of daily travel behaviour and the choice of transport modes on climate change;
Using investments from European Cohesion funds, infrastructure funds, European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in priority for transport projects focussing on high energy efficiency and low GHG emissions.
UITP believes that these actions, taken at a European level, would strongly help the European Union to address the urgent issues of climate change and global warming.

If you want to know more about the UITP EU Committee position, read the full paper: http://www.uitp.com/eupolicy/publications.cfm

1 The UITP EU Committee brings together the urban, suburban and regional public transport undertakings in the European Union
2UITP Study : Mobility in Cities Database , Brussels , 2005.
3COM(2004)60 and COM(2005)718

PTC E-News 9

2006-03-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

PTC E-News 9
Friday, March 24, 2006

Contents

1 Local

1.1 Stratford plans transit survey
1.2 City bus service adds two routes
1.3 Souris workshop on rural public transit a success!!
1.4 The Richmond Street View

2 National

2.1 Manitoba communities start to reap gas tax benefits
2.2 Ontario budget adds money to public transit infrastructure in Toronto
2.3 Public transit ridership in Canada increases
2.4 2006 Montreal Youth Summit coming up!

3 International

3.1 New poll suggests Americans want increased rail passenger traffic
3.2 Arizona transit system gets rave reviews
3.3 A Blast from the recent past: public transit and U.S. conservative policy

1 Local

1.1 Stratford plans transit survey

The Stratford transit committee was to have met on Monday, March 20 to discuss a proposed transit survey to be sent out to residents. The impetus behind the survey idea was to gauge the demand for a transit system in the area that would connect and operate in cooperation with the existing Charlottetown Transit. With a survey firmly in hand, the Stratford transit committee would then hold a public meeting to deal with issues such as route design and bus sizes. This recent return of interest in Stratford public transit coincided with contacts maintained in months previous between the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the town, and resulted in the creation of a town transit committee which promptly applied for a $750,000 slice of the $3.4 million-dollar Island share under the federal New Deal for Municipalities.

The federal government provides municipalities in Canada with money to help with start-up costs for a transit service, but actual operations capital needs to come from the municipalities themselves. For example, Trius Tours in Charlottetown receives subsidy from the City of Charlottetown. The aim of the municipal subsidy is to gradually decrease funding as ridership increases.

Some Stratford Transit facts:

- It will cost $750,000 to initiate a Stratford transit system
- the town has applied for federal money
- 7,000 people in Stratford were to be polled in the survey
- in spite of possible high demand, a system would not launch this year

1.2 City bus service adds two routes

Starting Monday, March 13, 2006, Charlottetown Transit has added two new routes to its service to cater to a wider variety of riders. One bus is serving both routes, bringing the total number of buses operating in the system to five. Each route currently has one bus. According to transit manager Bobby Dunn, the two new routes will improve flexibility and reduce waiting times. The new route #6, says Dunn, will better serve those riders who work after 9:00 AM as well as students and seniors. Both of the new routes came about as a response to customer feedback. Deputy Charlottetown Mayor Stu MacFayden noted that the high ridership volume is a pleasant surprise, with more than 8,000 riders tallied in January alone.

For schedules, check out www.thebus.ca

1.3 Souris workshop on rural public transit a success!!

The PEI Public Transit Coalition recently held the first of its two scheduled public transit workshops on Friday, March 17 in Souris. Facilitator David MacKay spoke about the benefits of public transit to the 20 or so delegates attending the workshop, and proceeded to highlight some of the important steps needed to implement rural transit services in the Eastern Kings area based on his extensive personal involvement in bringing public transit back to the city of Charlottetown. Most importantly, from a among the dedicated group of community leaders and concerned citizens in attendance, it was agreed that a task force to push forward on public transit for the region be formed from among the delegates! In all, the workshop was a great success for all and many thanks go out to the staff of the Bluefin Restaurant in Souris for hosting the event. We look forward to seeing more interested public transit supporters at our second workshop in Souris this Monday, March 27 in O'Leary. For further information, call Aaron at 566-4696.

2 National

2.1 Manitoba communities start to reap gas tax benefits

February 27, 2006

GAS TAX FUNDS BEGIN TO FLOW TO MANITOBA MUNICIPALITIES

Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade Minister Scott Smith announced today the first funding agreements have been signed with 56 Manitoba municipalities for the payment of federal gas tax funds. The value of funds flowing so far is $2.45 million.

Municipalities receiving their gas tax payments for 2005-06 today include the Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Alonsa, the Town of Souris, the R.M. of Lakeview and the City of Portage la Prairie. These municipalities were the first four in Manitoba to sign funding agreements with the province.

“We are pleased to see these funds flowing to Manitoba municipalities to address their local infrastructure investment needs through stable and predictable funding,” said Smith.

These payments are part of a total of $167.3 million to be invested in cities and communities across Manitoba over five years by the Government of Canada through it’s commitment to share gas tax revenues. On Nov. 18, 2005, Manitoba and Canada entered into the agreement to provide for the transfer of the federal gas tax revenues to Manitoba municipalities.

Municipalities will be able to use their gas tax funds for environmentally-sustainable municipal infrastructure projects. Eligible project categories include roads and bridges, water and sewer facilities, solid-waste management, public transit, community energy systems and municipal capacity building. Decisions on how these funds are invested will be made locally in a way that responds to the infrastructure needs of each community and results in environmental benefits such as clearer air, cleaner water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions for all Manitobans.

The Province of Manitoba is administering the federal gas tax funds made available under these agreements on behalf of Canada including making payments to individual municipalities and communities. All municipalities have received funding agreements. Payments will be made to other municipalities as those agreements are signed.

From http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2006/02/2006-02-27-02.html

2.2 Ontario budget adds money to public transit infrastructure in Toronto

KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

The daily commute in the Toronto area should get easier thanks to a provincial budget that will provide funding for a Toronto subway to Vaughan, a bus-only route for Mississauga and a Brampton express bus service.

The gridlock-battling proposals got the green light yesterday as part of the $1.2 billion in new infrastructure spending outlined in the Ontario budget. Much of the money will be spent in the Greater Toronto Area.

"These investments are the beginning of a new era in public transit in the GTA," Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan told the Legislature.

While there are still some funding issues to work out — the province will pay one-third of costs but local governments and Ottawa will have to fund the rest — the early indicators are encouraging.

The federal government has indicated it is prepared to discuss the various transit projects, and the province said it will help cities find ways to raise money to pay their share.

Overall, it points to a willingness to tackle traffic congestion, a problem that costs the Toronto region $2 billion annually in lost time, wasted fuel and harm to the environment. The budget also outlined the usual spending boosts for health care and schools.

The Greater Toronto Area was the biggest beneficiary with $838 million committed by the province for transit funds. And much of that money will go to the Spadina subway extension.

Duncan said the province will place $670 million into a trust fund by next Friday to help Toronto and York Region expand the Spadina subway to Jane and Highway 7, where Vaughan hopes to build a "downtown."

Subway extension is a $2 billion project, but the provincial commitment is irrevocable. "We want the subway," Duncan told reporters. "We put our money in the trust. That money is not coming back to the province. It's there for public transit. This is the city of Toronto's top priority. This is the Region of York's top priority. We're clear: This money is for public transit."

The Spadina subway extension, which could take up to seven years to build, will carry about 100,000 riders, eliminating 83,000 car trips a day, while taking some commuting pressure off the over-packed Yonge St. line, Duncan said.

It could also help unite a region, which too often acts like a house divided.

"That link is a critical transportation link in Toronto because it links downtown to the 905 and creates a new transportation hub in Vaughan," said Toronto Mayor David Miller. "We should be city building. These links should have been done years ago."

It will also spur development, helping create a "downtown" Vaughan at a new terminus at Jane and Highway 7. That is now a hodgepodge of car shops, parking lots and big-box stores.

"We're talking about jobs and businesses locating in those areas," said Bill Fisch, York Region chairman.

York University officials were also ecstatic about the prospects of improved service for 65,000 students and staff but pointed out it was just as significant that the subway crossed the 416-905 divide. "It's one of the few projects that talk about knitting the region together," said Ned Purves, president of the York University Development Corporation. "There is a city of Toronto but there's really an Ontario growth strategy. That's what this is all about."

Money will also go to:

Develop the Mississauga Transitway, a dedicated bus-only line along Highway 403 and Eglinton Ave. ($65 million).

Build Brampton's Acceleride bus-priority program whereby buses get "queue-jump" lanes to get ahead of cars at traffic lights ($95 million). Brampton commuters could see express service by 2008, with buses 5 minutes apart on Queen St. and Main St., in the $280 million project, Mayor Sue Fennell said.

"Five years ago we didn't have a plan," Fennell said. "I'm very proud we were able to put this together."

Those projects will also require one-third federal and municipal assistance, but Duncan expected both to chip in.

"It's not contingent on the feds," said Duncan of subway building. "We are encouraged by what the feds have said about public transit and infrastructure investment."

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon had indicated a willingness to participate, saying recently they wanted to see the projects before committing.

Opposition Leader John Tory said he would encourage Flaherty to participate in the funding if he was asked.

Assisting municipalities in raising their share of money includes the possibility the private sector will finance the subway through a new fundraising tool called "tax-increment financing." It would allow cities to issue bonds tied to taxes related to the increasing property value of land that will develop around new subway stations.

There's also $1 million for an environmental assessment for the Scarborough subway to replace the aging light rail transit system there, and $7 million for York Region to investigate how to build bus-only lanes on Highway 7 and Yonge St.

The province also confirmed it will introduce legislation to create a Greater Toronto Transportation Authority that will manage the fare card system to create a single fare system using a swipe card for regional transit.

The GTTA would not have funding ability, but it would "plan, co-ordinate and set priorities for public transit and major regional roads." Officials say all the area municipalities are on board, including Toronto and Hamilton. Legislation is expected in spring.

Another $400 million was committed to road resurfacing and bridge repair across the province, including:

Extending Highway 404 to Ravenshoe Rd. in East Gwillimbury.

Extending the 410 to Mayfield Rd. in Caledon.

Completing an environmental assessment to extend Highway 427.

In another change, the province will loosen restrictions on gas tax money. Previously, municipalities could only use the money for capital expansion projects. Now they can use the money for any transit initiative.

A separate program for buying new buses will be axed in 2007.

WITH FILES FROM VANESSA LU,

RICHARD BRENNAN

From The Toronto Star, Friday March 24, 2006

2.3 Public transit ridership in Canada increases

Mid-year Transit Ridership Shows Further Growth
Public transit ridership for the first six months of 2005 continued to demonstrate strong growth, extending a trend begun in the mid-1990s. According to CUTA's recently released mid-year ridership data, the first half of 2005 saw a ridership increase of 1.2% over the same period a year earlier. If this pattern continues to the end of 2005, Canada will again be surpassing an all time record for total transit ridership set in recent years.

From http://cutaactu.ca/en/mid_year_transit_ridership_shows_further_growth_0

2.4 2006 Montreal Youth Summit coming up!

2006 YOUTH SUMMIT APPLICATION DEADLINE IS
APPROACHING
The 2006 International Youth Summit on Sustainable Urban Transportation
will be taking place in Montreal, Quebec from 12-17 July. Posters have
been distributed to transit systems across Canada for recruitment at the
local level. Spaces are available for 80 action-inspired youth between the
ages of 18 and 24. Travel, accommodations and conference fees will be
funded for winning delegates from Canada. International applicants are
responsible for seeking out funding partners to cover their expenses. The
deadline for applications is Friday 31 March 2006 (and Friday 7 April
2006 for International applicants). Transit systems are reminded to submit
their Mentors for SustainableTransportation form, containing local contact
information as soon as possible. A variety of exciting sponsorship
opportunities are also open to CUTA Business members. Updates about
the event are available at http://www.cutaactu.ca. For more information
contact Elizabeth Allingham at (613) 842-3631.

3 International

3.1 New poll suggests Americans want increased rail passenger traffic

The Harris Poll® #14, February 8, 2006

Americans Would Like to See a Larger Share of Passengers and Freight Going By Rail in Future
Safety and energy efficiency seen as top priorities for future of passenger transportation

As personal travel and freight transportation grows in the future, the American public would like to see an increasing proportion of that traffic going by rail. Commuter and long-distance trains top the list of nine modes of transportation that adults would like to see "have an increasing share of passenger transportation." When it comes to freight, railroads top the list of six modes of transportation that adults would like to see "have an increasing share of all goods and commodities movements in the United States."

These are the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,961 U.S. adults conducted online by Harris Interactive® between December 8 and 14, 2005.

Key findings from this survey include:

The modes of transportation which the largest numbers of adults would like to see "have an increasing share of passenger transportation" are:
Commuter trains (44%)
Long-distance trains (35%)
Local bus service (23%), and
Airlines (23%)
The transportation modes which the smallest numbers of adults would like to see have a bigger share of passenger traffic are:
Long-distance bus service (6%)
Pedestrian travel (8%)
Long-distance travel by car (10%)
Local travel by car (11%), and
Travel by bicycle (11%)
Freight railroads (63%) come far ahead of all other modes that adults would like to see have an increasing share of freight transportation. They are followed by:
Air freight (35%), and
Trucks (24%)
The modes which the smallest numbers of adults would like to see have an increasing share of freight transportation are:
Inland barges (8%)
Pipelines (13%), and
Coastal shipping (17%)
Of a list of six possible priorities for the future of passenger transportation, the top priorities chosen by the largest number of adults are:
Safety (47%)
Energy efficiency (44%), and
Cost (29%)
Responsibility for the Transportation System

This survey also included questions on who should be "mainly responsible for maintaining and improving the transportation system" both, "in your community," and "in the nation as a whole." Overwhelmingly, the public thinks that these are government responsibilities rather than something the private sector should be mainly responsible for. However, the level of government seen as having this responsibility varies greatly for local and national transportation. Specifically:

State government (36%) and local government (27%) are seen by the largest numbers of adults as having the main responsibility for "maintaining and improving the transportation in your community." Fewer think that the federal government (16%) or private companies (10%) should have this responsibility.
When it comes to the transportation system "in the nation as a whole," two-thirds (68%) of adults believe this should be a responsibility of the federal government. Relatively few see this as the responsibility of state government (13%), local government (2%) or private companies (8%).
These results show that for most adults, transportation is a "public good" for which government has the primary responsibility. However, that does not mean that they are opposed to the private sector providing much of the actual transportation; only that they believe that government, not the private sector, should make transportation policy.

For the tables and further information go to http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=638

3.2 Arizona transit system gets rave reviews

It's 6:45 a.m. in Ahwatukee and the commute is in full swing.

In a steady stream, solo drivers pull into a parking lot on Pecos Road, get out and line up to board one of the I-10 Rapid buses.

If it's standing room only, some wait 10 minutes for the next bus, just to get a plush recliner so they can settle back with a book or an iPod on the way to downtown Phoenix.

"Now, if you're not on the bus by 7 a.m., you can count on standing," said Toni Brouillard, a 50-year-old east Chandler resident who works as an executive assistant at JPMorgan.

Increasingly, this scene plays out every day in park-and-ride lots throughout the Valley.

Over the past two fiscal years, the number of riders on the region's commuter buses has jumped 57 percent. While the raw numbers were still small, an average 5,213 per weekday, the surge outpaced a healthy 11 percent jump in overall bus ridership. This year, ridership on Rapid and Express buses is on pace to grow an additional 14 percent.

The reasons are varied, from gas prices to expanded service. But if the trend holds, transit officials say, it signals transit is beginning to woo its hardest fans, those higher-income suburbanites who are joined to their cars at the hip. It also could build support for bus and light-rail expansions.

No one is saying yet that the Valley has arrived as a big-league bus and rail town, like Los Angeles or Atlanta. But the signs of a deepening buy-in by the public are more pronounced.

"Commuters want this kind of service. They're sick of congestion and sick of unpredictability," said David Schwartz, executive director of Friends of Transit. "The biggest complaint I hear is: 'I live in - pick a community - when are we going to get it?' "

Until recently, buses have historically been the domain of the working poor. In the Valley, the heaviest ridership occurs in dense central urban neighborhoods where three homes in 10 have no car.

According to a 2001 Valley Metro study, the average annual income of people who rode local buses was $26,000, compared with $49,600 for express riders.

'Choice' riders

Lower-income riders will remain the system's anchor. They need and demand transit more. But to put a greater dent in reducing traffic and smog, transit officials also want to attract "choice riders," those who choose how to commute. That means running service, by bus or light-rail, into middle-class suburbs.

Valley Metro, or the Regional Public Transportation Authority, now runs 19 Rapid and Express routes.

In coming years, the commuter routes will expand dramatically.

Last month, RPTA got its first check from Proposition 400, which was approved two years ago and will inject $3 billion into expanding and improving bus service over the next 20 years.

The first of those changes will occur this summer, when a new rural bus route to Wickenburg begins and 62 new buses arrive, most to replace aging vehicles.

Over the next two decades, RPTA will bring in 2,100 new buses and add as many as 31 express routes. It will also improve service on as many as 34 local streets where buses cross city lines. The RPTA board authorized last week spending $630,000 to move ahead with half a dozen studies to plan long-term bus service.

The first big boost in Rapid service comes in 2008, when six new routes begin. Next year, RPTA adds a single Rapid route to serve the north Route 101 loop.

"Prop. 400 allows us to go much further. We have an opportunity we haven't had in years, if ever. The sky's the limit," RPTA Executive Director David Boggs said.

Commuters choose the bus over their cars for a variety of reasons: time, money, employer discounts or peace of mind.

Laura Webb, who lives in Ahwatukee, began taking the I-10 line two years ago after she learned about it from word of mouth. The 46-year-old rides the Rapid to her job near the state Capitol, where she's a project specialist at the Department of Corrections. She first noticed people standing in the aisles about six months ago.

'Always on time'

"The buses have a good reputation. They're always on time - always," Webb said. "They're comfortable, the air-conditioner works, and they give me a chance to catch (up) on my reading. And I don't have to put miles on my car."

The Ahwatukee park-and-ride lot fills quickly with all manner of cars, including a Jaguar or two along with the Hondas and family vans.

Perhaps the biggest boost to commuter buses has been gas prices.

"People who rode the bus in September when gas was $3 a gallon stayed with it," said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association. "In city after city after city, it's a pattern we're seeing. None of us knows if this is the start of a brand-new trend or another spike."

The Valley's rapid growth on the fringes also has fueled demand.

In recent months, officials from Anthem to Avondale to Pinal County have clamored for express lines. When the city of Surprise last fall asked for one ahead of schedule, Boggs, the RPTA director, worked out a deal with an out-of-state transit agency to get used vehicles fast. Within two months, Valley Metro had a bus on Grand Avenue, paid for by city money.

The household budget, with help from employers, also is driving demand.

A single Rapid or Express fare costs $1.75, 50 cents more than a local ride, or $51 for a monthly pass.

Brouillard, the east Chandler commuter, gets half off her monthly pass because her employer, JPMorgan, picks up the other half as part of a regional trip-reduction program to discourage solo drivers.

She saves about $1,900 in gas and parking, plus an additional $950 from wear and tear each year.

But that's not the biggest selling point. "I'll do anything to get in that HOV lane," Brouillard said.

By car, her 25-mile trip would take an hour, door to door. By bus, it's 45 minutes, including the drive to the park-and-ride lot.

Drawbacks

Commuters still face many obstacles in making the bus system work for them.

Geoff Goodrich, 45, of northwest Phoenix, used to ride the 582 Express every day, going from the Metrocenter Mall to the Phoenix Art Museum, where he works as security chief.

But his work schedule changed. On weekends and later in the evening, he can't count on a bus. So, he rides it two or three days a week.

It's similar on other routes.

The last run of the evening for the Scottsdale Express, Route 512, leaves downtown Phoenix at 4:54 p.m. Because of traffic and distance, it doesn't reach the last stop at Palisades Boulevard until 6:23 p.m.

The Mesa Express, Route 540, pulls out of the Decatur Street stop at 4:50 a.m. but reaches downtown Phoenix until an "estimated" 5:40 a.m., according to the bus book, which advises passengers not to count on the schedule to make transfers.

Despite the limits, more commuters are giving it a try.

Goodrich said gas prices drove him to the bus at first, but after he began enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the paper on the way, he liked it.

"Even if it doesn't save me money, I'd still ride the bus just for the relaxation," he said. "Going home, there's not that hide-in-the-closet detox time after work. I do that on the bus."

Sean Holstege
The Arizona Republic
March 24, 2006
Contact the reporter at (602) 444-8334 or sean.holstege@arizonarepublic.com

3.3 A Blast from the recent past: public transit and U.S. conservative policy

Conservatives and Public Transit:
Is It Time for a New Look?

A study prepared for the American Public Transit Association by the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, a conservative think-tank led by Paul Weyrich, says public transit not only works but that government has been one of the main culprits behind the current sprawl mess that is beginning to strangle our nation.

Although the Florida Sustainable Communities Network typically refrains from posting material with a political slant, this report goes deeper than politics to explore the core of old cliches and illusions. Well-researched and data-rich, the study looks at the history, financing, and use of public transit in the United States and debunks many of the myths propagated to discourage investment in transit. Public transit can be effective, said the authors, Paul Weyrich and William S. Lind, at a recent press conference, and case studies from Chicago, St. Louis, and San Diego prove it. Of particular interest to long-time transit boosters are some refreshing conservative ideas for strengthening public transit.

Executive Summary

Traditionally, mass transit has not been of much interest to conservatives. Their disinterest stems from three perceptions: mass transit is a government creation that would quickly cease to exist in a free market; no conservative constituencies use mass transit; and mass transit does not serve any important conservative goals.

Each of these perceptions has some reasons behind it, and each is true in some situations. But all are also open to question, on conservative grounds. The dominance of the automobile is not a free-market outcome, but the result of massive government intervention on behalf of the automobile. That intervention came at the expense of privately owned, privately funded, tax paying public transit systems. Without government intervention, public transit might have a substantially higher market share than it now enjoys.
A growing conservative constituency does use mass transit, when transit is high quality. That usually means rail transit or bus on high speed busways. As high quality commuter rail, light rail and busway systems reach out into suburbia, they carry a growing number of people whose demographics indicate they vote conservative. Conservative policy-makers who ignore these constituents are neglecting part of their base. Mass transit can serve some important conservative goals, including economic development, moving people off welfare and into productive employment, and strengthening feelings of community. Again, the quality of transit strongly affects its ability to serve conservative goals.

All these factors suggest there are reasons for conservatives to take an interest in transit policy. At the same time, there are equally valid reasons for transit authorities and advocates to listen to conservatives' ideas about transit. Government subsidy has resulted in inefficiencies in transit operations, and conservative ideas such as regulatory reform and public-private partnerships have the potential to provide better transit at less cost to the taxpayer.
It is time for an informed dialogue between conservatives and transit authorities and advocates. Each can learn from such a dialogue, and together they may find ways to provide better transit service that is also more efficient.

Cynthia Pollock Shea, Contributing Editor

Posted 24 August 1999 on http://www.myflorida.com/fdi/fscc/news/world/9903/1cmmnt.htm

PTC E-News 8

2006-03-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

1 Local News

1.1 John Pearce has his say!
1.2 Public Transit Workshops upcoming
1.3 The Richmond St. View

2 National

2.1 VIA goes wireless!
2.2 Maple Ridge mini-bus introduction
2.3 CUTA-ACTU Youth Summit on Sustainable Urban Transportation
2.4 7th World Congress on Railway Research steams into Montreal

3 International

3.1 Investments to curb air pollution pay off economically: UNEP
3.2 A look at the Portland, OR Trimet hybrid buses!!
3.3 The eco road trip

1 Local

1.1 John Pearce has his say!

Past Transport 2000 Atlantic president John Pearce was in Charlottetown last week and he took the time to hop on the Charlottetown Transit to informally evaluate the city's new bus lines. Here are his rough notes he sent to us:

PEI Charlottetown Transit Comments after rides on all four routes:

1. The wood seats in currently leased buses (Champlain: Quebec City) are
O.K. but not too comfortable. More comfortable ones should be specified for those
purchased later in 2006.
2. From passenger analysis for one day, it would appear that route 1 is
the most popular followed by route 4. (see analysis of one day ONLY,
below). A breakdown of traffic by routes should be sought to assess
which routes should have more frequent or longer hours of service.
3. The extra morning rush hour express runs are good news. More should
likely be added morning and later afternoon on #1 route and perhaps #4.
4. The inter-bus radio communication is good. Bus drivers are using it
to advise other drivers of transfers and to help new drivers running
late, uncertain of route etc.
5. Drivers seem helpful and interested but complain of low pay ($11. per
hour vs. $24 in Vancouver). But I wouldn't want to drive a bus in
Vancouver's very congested traffic.
6. UPEI and the Queen Elizabeth hospital seem underserved. There is
great potential at UPEI if a U-pass system can be started AND the 3
different stops on 3 routes can be co-located. There is only one bus
(#4) to the hospital and since it doesn't run in the evening it is not
much help on 12 hour nursing shifts or for evening visits to in-patients.
7. There is a need to intervene to promote the U-pass at UPEI (and
perhaps Holland College) with bus management, the city, and UPEI
administration and students!!
8. As noted above, the next expansion should be a more frequent morning
and late afternoon rush hour service, especially between downtown and
UPEI. Both students and hospital staff/visitors would benefit from
parts of routes #1 and #4 extended into the early to mid-evening (say 9
pm).
This would likely require a "split shift" for some drivers (i.e. 6 to 9
am and 3 to 8:30 pm) with perhaps bonus pay.
9. I understand shelters are coming for busy, exposed corners.
10. Bus stop signs should contain numbers of routes served as in Halifax
and (if possible) a map and timetable in weatherproof case as in Ottawa.
11. Route maps and timetables should be agressively distributed by
drivers, in the media, and by Eco-PEI, Transit Coalition, and Transport
2000.
12. Of course, political overtures should be made to ensure receipt to
federal transit funding.

Average passengers observed at Charlottetown Mall and Confederation
Centre 10 am to noon and 2:30 pm to 5:15pm on Feb. 24: (* = evening
rush hour, needs more service, I suspect) #1 2,5,9,4,11* = 6 average. #2 1, 6, 1, 1 = 2
#3 1, 1, 1 = 1 #4 2, 2, 6, 0, 13* = 4 1/2
(Go down to Confederation Centre and do occasional statistical counts,
get a reliable date base and perhaps publish them).

1.2 Public Transit Workshops upcoming

We're one week away from the first of two Public Transit Workshops being put on by the PEI Public Transit Coalition! The first workshop, in Souris on March 17, will run from 10:00 to 14:00. Anyone still interested in participating should call Aaron at the PTC Office at 566-4696 to register. The workshop scheduled for West Prince will take place on March 27, times and location still to be worked out. Again, get in touch with Aaron to confirm your attendance! Come on out and learn more about the benefits of rural public transit for all Islanders!

1.3 The Richmond St. View

This is a new section, one I hope future bloggers on this site will contribute to.
Here is my weekly rant:
My problem is always cash. Cash is a commodity nowadays, as it seems everything is dependent on plastic instead of paper. Bank cards are steadily becoming the fastest and the easiest way to add to our burgeoning GDP. I know our transit system is chronologically in arrears, seeing as it was just yesterday in October that life was again restored to Canada's smallest provincial capital. Yet I want a bus card already. The first day I rode the bus I had to fork over to the driver a five-dollar American bill for a chance to "try" them. I know, you're thinking, "what the heck was he thinking?", but I had no time to get change nor could I convince any bystanders to throw me a toonie. I heard Olive Bryanton mention at our PTC Steering Committee meeting that putting a machine or at least allowing the driver to make change for needy passengers (read ME) was not an issue due to the threat of robbery and the way it would slow down the service. My first response is that if Charlottetown has turned into the Old West then perhaps I should move to Arkansas. My second response is that, after checking out a number of transit services on-line, the most successful systems are operating WITH either a machine, with rider cards or with change available for tokens on board! I know that Charlottetown Transit is in its infancy; some of these transit services I looked at have been in operation for decades. But part of me cries out to want to LEARN from what others have done and push for a user-friendly purchase option (this is a PUBLIC transit system, right?) that will not only increase ridership but save me from making an a** of myself on the corner of Queen and Grafton as I dance a hornpipe for a toonie.
I welcome your comments because, after all, this is the view from Richmond St.

2 National

2.1 VIA goes wireless!

DIANA PEREIRA
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
So much for the view: On trains from Toronto to Montreal and Quebec, it's not uncommon to see suits hunched over their laptops, desperately typing before arrival. Now, business travellers can also surf the Net while they ride the rails. Last week, Via Rail became the first train system in North America to launch wireless Internet service. Access is currently available on board Via 1 class trains, with more to come.

2.2 Maple Ridge mini-bus introduction

Maple Ridge Times On-Line , from June 14, 2005

Mini-buses gets unveiled

A fleet of new mini-buses will be coming to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows later this summer, serving smaller routes than TransLink has bothered with in the past.
The 35 buses will serve the Port Coquitlam area along with local routes, said Brenda Fernie, Coast Mountain Bus Company's manager of community shuttles.
The shuttle buses can carry up to 24 passengers, including two wheelchair or scooter passengers and have a front-mounted bike rack for two bicycles.
One of the new shuttles was on display near the Maple Ridge downtown core last Friday as part of Bike to Work Week festivities. However, that shuttle is actually a prototype and will be sold to West Vancouver Transit, Fernie said.
The first of the new buses to actually enter service will arrive in August, and more will be added until November.
The shuttles are aimed at two types of routes that are currently not served, said Fernie.
Firstly, the buses will be put on the more rural and suburban routes where it isn't economical to assign a full-sized bus. The shuttles are cheaper to run and don't need to pick up as many riders to break even, Fernie said. The shuttles will also be put onto routes in the urban core areas where buses simply couldn't fit.
Narrow roads and sharp turns keep large buses off some routes that the shuttles can serve.
The shuttle routes will connect to the conventional bus routes.
There have been shuttle buses on some Lower Mainland routes for a few years, but the new buses will be slightly larger and are made by a different manufacturer.
TransLink has switched from a Ford-based bus to a GMC model called the Aero Star Elite.
The change has included a number of upgrades, including the bike and wheelchair accommodations and the fact that the change box will be easier to reach.

2.3 CUTA-ACTU Youth Summit on Sustainable Urban Transportation

[as posted to GoodWork 1. http://www.GoodWorkCanada.ca ]
[plus topical links and resources, below - ed ]
EVENT / LEARNING / NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
International Youth Summit on Sustainable Urban Transportation
/ Le Sommet international des jeunes sur le transport urbain durable
Canadian Urban Transit Association CUTA
/ Association canadienne du transport urbain ACTU
http://www.cutaactu.ca
Date posted to GoodWorkCanada.ca: Mar 7, 2006
Application deadline: Mar 31, 2006
Summit Dates: July 12-17, 2006
Location: Montréal * Quebec * Canada
"Building leadership in urban sustainability"
Are you interested in sustainable cities? Would you like
to get involved in a sustainable transportation project or
initiative but don't know where to start?
While the road to urban sustainability may be challenging,
it is also exciting and worthwhile. Cities in Canada and
around the world are taking sustainability seriously and,
as leaders of tomorrow, youth have an important role to
play in creating positive change. From leading by example
to launching new projects and initiatives it is clear that
sustainable transportation matters!
The International Youth Summit on Sustainable Urban
Transportation creates an opportunity for delegates to:
* Discuss and discover the role of transit, walking
and cycling in fostering urban sustainability
* Learn about international best practices in urban
and transportation planning
* Initiate a mentor assisted project or activity relating
to a sustainable transportation theme
* Build a network of contacts who are national or
international leaders in: urban and transportation planning,
the transit industry, quality of life, traffic calming and
urban sustainability
* Meet people with common interests and HAVE FUN!
Spaces available for 80 action inspired youth, between
the ages of 18 and 24.
TO APPLY / FOR MORE INFORMATION
To download an application form and for more
information go to: http://www.youthsummit.ca
Application Deadline:
* Friday 31 March 2006 (Canadian Applicants)
* Friday 7 April 2006 (International Applicants)
____________________________________________
Le Sommet international des jeunes sur le transport urbain durable
« Pour bâtir le leadership de développement urbain durable »
Montréal * Québec * Canada
Du 12 au 17 juillet 2006
Es-tu intéressé par le développement urbain durable? As-tu
envie de t'impliquerdans un projet ou de poser une action
pour le transport durable sans savoir par où commencer?
Même si la voie vers le développement urbain durable
s'avère être un défi, elle est également stimulante et
valorisante. Les villes canadiennes et du monde entier
prennent le développement durable au sérieux et, en tant
que leaders de demain, les jeunes ont un rôle important
à jouer afin d'apporter un changement positif. Que ce soit
en montrant l'exemple ou en lançant des projets, il est
clair que le transport durable, ça compte!
Le Sommet international des jeunes sur le transport urbain
durable offre une occasion aux délégués:
* De discuter et découvrir le rôle du transport en commun,
de la marche et de la bicyclette dans la quête du
développement urbain durable
* D'apprendre sur les meilleures pratiques internationales
en planification du transport et du développement urbain
* D'amorcer un projet ou une activité dirigée portant sur
le transport urbain durable
* De développer un réseau de relations avec des leaders
nationaux ou internationaux dans les milieux tels que : la planification des transports et du développement urbain,
l'industrie du transport en commun, l'étude de la qualité
de vie, la réduction de la congestion urbaine et le
développement urbain durable
* De rencontrer des gens qui ont des intérêts en commun
et avoir du plaisir!
Il y 80 places disponibles pour des jeunes motivés et
inspirés, âgés entre 18 et 24 ans.
Pour télécharger le formulaire de demande d'inscription et
obtenir de plus amples informations, visitez le :
http://www.sommetdesjeunes.ca
Date limite pour les demandes:
* Vendredi 31 mars 2006 (Candidats canadiens)
* Vendredi le 7 avril 2006 (Candidats Internationaux)

2.4 7th World Congress on Railway Research steams into Montreal

Feb 8, 2006 (From http://www.railcan.ca/sec_new/en_new_details.asp?newId=892)

More than 600 world leaders and innovators in the railway industry from 30 countries will meet in Montreal in June to share their knowledge, experience and insights into moving the billions of tons of freight and millions of people that they move by rail each day now, and in the future.

The occasion will be the 7th World Congress on Railway Research June 4-8 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. The Congress will also attract to Montréal the CEOs and their deputies who run the member railways in the Paris-based International Union of Railways, (AREMA) Board members’ and committee chairmen of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association and the AAR Railway Technology Working Committee. Three hundred technical papers have been vetted for the conference.

The theme of the conference, Progressing Together “reflects the need for railways to work together, and with their partners, to develop modern technologies and processes that help prevent problems and create solutions,” says Congress chair Roy Allen.

Topics under discussion “will include the technical, societal and financial challenges facing railways around the world. Awards will be presented for the best research papers given at the conference.

Bombardier Inc. is the Congress’ Platinum sponsor; VAE Nortrak, Gold sponsor and Siemens, Silver. CAD Railway Services, Plasser Canada, Agence métropolitaine de transport and the Railway Association of Canada are in the special sponsors’ category.

The Montreal conference will provide industry suppliers with the first opportunity to show their wares not only at the hotel exhibits but also on the tracks at nearby Lucien L’Allier Commuter Station. Locomotives, freight and passenger rolling stock, and specialized training equipment will be on display there. There will also be technical tours of rail facilities such as maintenance centres, intermodal yards and research venues in the Montreal area and Ottawa.

Mike Lowenger, Vice-president of Operations and Regulatory Affairs with the Railway Association of Canada, and chairman of the host committee, says Montreal was a natural choice for the conference. VIA Rail, CN, Canadian Pacific Railway, AMT, CANAC, other suppliers and short line operators all have extensive facilities here.

Having the conference in North America will shift the focus of the event more closely on the freight-dominated railways of Canada and the United States. At the same time, the North Americans may gain valuable insights from the Europeans and Japanese on how to improve passenger rail service.

“It is an opportunity for us to show what we do in North America,” said Lowenger. “That includes the use of advanced trackside detectors to monitor the condition of wheels and other gear on passing trains, locomotives with greatly reduced pollution and emissions and futuristic track maintenance systems.”
North American railways have made major strides in the last few years in working together to handle a growing volume of freight traffic and to accommodate a rising demand for passenger, especially commuter, transportation. As well, railways are making major strides in improving security overall, he noted.

The Railway Association and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will explain the proximity initiatives they have developed to help railways and communities get along and grow, safely, together, Lowenger added

The Congress in Montreal will not be all work and no play, though. Organizers are planning social events for delegates and spouses that will build on the receptions and dinners already on the full program.

The first research congress was held in 1994 in Paris, the home of the International Union of Railways. It was inspired by the success of a railway research workshop held in Tokyo in 1992 that attracted more than 1,000 delegates. Then, as now, the aim was “to promote and enhance international co-operation among railway companies, manufacturers and their component-suppliers, as well as representatives from the fields of research and science, through papers, poster-sessions and open discussion.”

It was followed by sessions in Colorado Springs, Italy, Japan, Germany and Scotland in 2004. The 2008 congress will be in Seoul. The National Railways of the Republic of Korea, the Korean National Railway Authority and the Korean Railway Research Institute will be responsible for organizing that event. The host railways will collaborate with the Japanese Railway Technical Research Institute, and the China Academy of Railway Sciences.

For more details, visit www.wcrr2006.org.

Contact Information:

Roger Cameron
Railway Association of Canada
Tel: 1-613-564-8097
rogerc@railcan.ca

Peggy Herman
Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
Tel : 1-719-584-0576
peggy_herman@ttci.aar.com

Paul Véron
UIC (International Union of Railways)
Tel.: +33 1 44 49 20 50
veron@uic.asso.fr

3 International

3.1 Investments to curb air pollution pay off economically: UNEP

7 February 2006 – Governments that invest in air pollution control measures can save billions of dollars as health care costs are slashed, worker productivity soars and ecosystems flourish, according to a report released today in Dubai by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
These savings, along with other economic gains such as sounder bridges, public buildings and other infrastructure that endure less corrosive air pollutants can be six times greater than the initial investments in techniques and equipment to curb air pollution, says UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook Year Book 2006.
Released at the environmental agency’s Global Ministerial Environment Forum now underway in the United Arab Emirates, this year’s Year Book focuses on energy’s impact on air quality. The leaders gathering at the Forum, which ends tomorrow, are looking at ways to deliver sustainable energy and environmentally safe tourist activities.
Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director, said governments should set the framework for industry, trade unions and civil society to promote energy efficiency and diversify the world’s sources of energy away from fossil fuels.
“The benefits, as the new GEO Year Book shows, are potentially huge, covering health, environment, improved management of natural resources, reducing the risks of climate change and, last but not in least, improved security regionally, nationally and at the level of households,” Mr. Toepfer said.
The report’s findings on the economic savings emanating from investments in air pollution controls stem from work by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the experiences of city governments in Mexico City and Santiago, Chile.
The United States agency, for example, estimates that the economic benefits of the country’s Clean Air Act will total $690 billion over the 20-year period that ends in 2010. A Santiago study assessed the financial benefits stemming from compliance with the Santiago Decontamination Plan at $4 billion during a 15-year period.
These studies mirror a new report by the European Commission on achieving improved air quality standards by 2020. The Commission estimates that an investment of around €7 billion to reduce air pollution will deliver €42 billion in economic benefits as a result of “fewer premature deaths, less sickness, fewer hospital admissions and improved labour productivity.”
The Year Book finds that indoor air pollution may be responsible for up to 2.4 million premature deaths a year while outdoor air pollution from industries and vehicle may trigger about 800,000 premature deaths annually, with 65 per cent of the deaths occurring in the developing countries of Asia.
In a related development at the Forum, environment and health ministers agreed to a new global initiative aimed at making chemicals safer for humans and the planet.
Called the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, the new initiative covers a wide range of activities surrounding the manufacture and use of chemicals, from harmonizing labeling to dealing with obsolete and stockpiled products.
It also carries provisions for national centres aimed at helping countries, especially in the developing world, train staff in chemical safety and to deal with spills and accidents.
The voluntary agreement puts governments on track to meet a commitment made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.

3.2 A look at the Portland, OR Trimet hybrid buses!!

TriMet's environmentally friendly hybrid bus

TriMet cares about the health of our environment and has taken numerous steps to protect it. Right now, we're among only a handful of transit agencies in the country testing the next generation of cleaner, more efficient buses.

Innovative technology and design

TriMet is testing a new version of hybrid bus. Its diesel engine powers an electrical generator which charges a battery pack on the roof. The batteries then power an electric motor that turns the wheels. (The diesel engine also powers the air conditioning.) When the bus slows down during braking, it sends extra energy to further charge the batteries. This is called regenerative braking.

Creating the perfect bus

The hybrid electric engine performs at its best in stop-and-go traffic, where it can make the most of regenerative braking. That makes it ideal for transit buses. Hybrid bus manufacturer, New Flyer of America, along with its hybrid propulsion system suppliers Allison Drives, Inc., and Cummins Corp., have partnered with TriMet to test and evaluate these exciting new buses over the next two years.
Cleaner
TriMet is drastically reducing the pollutants from our buses. Electric hybrid buses will reduce the amount even more-possibly cutting current emissions by 75 percent. That's because the hybrid's diesel engine is smaller—more like an engine in a large pickup truck. A regular diesel bus emits the most pollution when it accelerates from a stop or goes up hill. The hybrid bus uses electric power from its batteries, drastically reducing emissions in these situations.
Quieter
With its smaller diesel engine, the hybrid bus has lower engine noise. This innovative bus also accelerates and goes up hills without revving the engine.
More efficient
Electric hybrid buses are up to 50 percent more fuel efficient than regular buses. Currently, TriMet spends approximately $10,000 a year to fuel a regular diesel bus.

Less costly to maintain
Hybrid buses also cost less to maintain, due to:
Brakes that last twice as long, thanks to regenerative braking
No transmission to maintain
Decreased wear on the suspension

Down the road

If these tests succeed, TriMet will buy more hybrids to replace its regular diesel buses as they are retired. Diesel-electric hybrids offer the most promising fuel alternative for air-pollution reductions until zero emission "fuel cell" technology is developed. Fuel cell technology is expected to be available for transit vehicles within the next 10 years.

3.3 The eco road trip

OMAR EL-AKKAD
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
‘We're addressing some fundamental needs in transportation and energy,” Pierre Rivard says. “I think the two are linked in a fundamental way.”
To put it simply, the president and chief executive officer of Mississauga-based Hydrogenics Corp., wants to forever change the way we view vehicles. The head of Canada's second-largest fuel-cell company has a vision of future road travel that flies in the face of today's car culture. Instead of guzzling increasingly expensive gas, fuel-cell powered vehicles are about as green as they come.
And if Hydrogenics' relatively new technology eventually penetrates what Rivard calls “the ultimate market” — the cars on the road — the result could be better-performing cars that make the traditional road trip a much less expensive adventure. Even at a fairly infantile stage of development, today's rare hydrogen cars get two to three times the mileage of regular cars.But besides the savings on energy, fuel-cell vehicles will also allow car makers more flexibility when designing new models. The DVD players, iPod docks and all manner of gizmos that currently strangle the batteries of conventional cars will have a lot more juice to feed on. And without a conventional engine chugging along, the ride will be a lot smoother.
Of course, Rivard, a mechanical engineer by training, knows there are a lot of potential speed bumps between today and a time when fuel-cell cars are the norm — or at least a viable alternative to the regular car. The cost of the new technology is still sky-high, and demand for alternative energy tends to rise and fall with the price of oil, which drivers seem able to tolerate even at $70 (U.S.) a barrel.
But that's not stopping Rivard and Hydrogenics from dreaming big. One of his most audacious goals is something he calls “the Internet of energy” — linking up fuel-cell cars to a stationary electricity grid, so that the cars function as moving batteries while driving across a city. Essentially, cars would send the excess electricity they generate back to the grid, so it can be used elsewhere.
It's a long shot, but if Rivard's vision turns out to be accurate, it will change everything from how developing countries generate electricity to how you take that road trip to Whistler.

PTC E-News 7

2006-02-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

1 Local
1.1 Transit numbers continue to rise
1.2 PTC hires educational and outreach officer
1.3 PTC organizing workshops for March

2 National
2.1 Federal Government Unveils New Cabinet
2.2 Federal Government Expands Bus Catalytic Converter Retrofit Program
2.3 Anti-idling by-law introduced in Collingwood

3 International
3.1 More Than 700 Transit Leaders Convene In Washington
3.2 Administration Releases FY 2007 Budget Proposal
3.3 Custom text messages keep metro customers informed

Local

1.1 Transit numbers continue to rise

Charlottetown's transit numbers continue to increase. The city reported Monday 8091 passengers used the buses in the month of January, an increase of 1500 from the number of people who used the service in December. "Those figures are way beyoond what Trius projected," said Coun. Kim Devine. "Right from the beginning ridership was way beyoond what they projected. I think it reflects the need for public transit in the city. It says a lot about how people are getting around the city."
www.theguardian.pe.ca

1.2 PTC hires educational and outreach officer

On Tuesday, February 7, Aaron Hawkins began a position with the PEI Public Transit Coalition as intern educational and outreach officer. His role will be essential to the PTC's mission to familiarize all Islanders with the benefits of public transit. The PTC wishes him welcome. Aaron will be working out of the ECO-Net office (566-4696) at 126 Richmond St.

1.3 PTC organizing workshops for March

As part of the workplan for the Social Equity and Public Transit project, the PEI PTC is planning on doing two workshops before mid March. The Public Transit Coalition believes that a Province wide public transit system should be the basis for sustainable economic and social development in rural PEI. During the workshop on public transit and community development participants will examine the important role transportation plays in their lives and the lives of their community. The workshop will also examine the many benefits (social, economic, environmental) of public transit and what needs to happen to get public transit moving in their community and in PEI.

Tentative Workshop dates: Souris Friday March 17th, 10 AM - 2PM location to be confirmed and Monday, March 27th, 10 AM- 2PM Bloomfield area, West date and location to be confirmed.

National

2.1 Federal Government Unveils New Cabinet

Stephen Harper was sworn in today as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister and announced his new cabinet, in which Lawrence Cannon (Pontiac, Québec) becomes Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; Rona Ambrose (Spruce Grove - Edmonton, Alberta) becomes Minister of the Environment; and Jim Flaherty (Whitby-Oshawa, Ontario) is Minister of Finance.
www.cutaactu.ca

2.2 Federal Government Expands Bus Catalytic Converter Retrofit Program

Environment Canada has confirmed a further extension of its Diesel Oxidation Catalytic Converter Retrofit Program with an additional $200,000. In an agreement with CUTA, this will allow for another 100 transit buses built before 1993 to be equipped with catalytic mufflers that will reduce emissions of smog causing pollutants. Some 239 buses located in 15 municipalities across Canada have already benefited from the retrofits as a result of earlier phases of the program. Under the Program, the federal government contributes $2,000 to buy new catalytic mufflers while public transit authorities take responsibility for the installation. Retrofitted buses emit 20 percent less particulate matter, 40 percent less carbon monoxide and 50 percent fewer hydrocarbons. In order to meet the federal emission standards, 2007 model year buses are expected to emit up to 60 times less particulate matter, a major smog-forming emission, than a 1990-1993 model year bus.
www.cutaactu.ca

2.3 Anti-idling by-law introduced in Collingwood

In Ontario, the Environment Network has convinced Collingwood’s city councillors to introduce an anti-idling by-law. Michele Rich outlined her strategy: "We brought it to their attention," then "we sat back and watched," then "we did a great deal of research and pointed city councillors into various directions." Enforcement of the by-law will begin in March.
www.greencommunities.ca

International

3.1 More Than 700 Transit Leaders Convene In Washington

More than 700 members of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) will convene in Washington, D.C. at the APTA Legislative Conference March 6-7 to discuss a variety of topics including: implementation of SAFETEA-LU; Department of Homeland Security transit security funding; financing issues for the next reauthorization bill; new starts; and coordination of transportation services. On Tuesday, March 7, the 700+ APTA members will visit their congressional representatives.
www.apta.com

3.2 Administration Releases FY 2007 Budget Proposal

The Bush Administration released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Budget proposal, which recommends a funding level of $8.87 billion for the federal transit program. The Administration's proposal represents an increase of $370.3 million or 4.4 percent over the FY 2006 final appropriation level. While the proposal adheres to the transit program authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in most respects, it would fund only $100 million of the $200 million authorized in FY 2007 for the new small starts program. Thus, the Administration's proposal, if adopted, would provide $100 million less than the $8.97 billion authorized and guaranteed for the federal transit program in FY 2007.
www.apta.com

3.3 Custom text messages keep metro customers informed

Cincinnati’s 390-bus Metro transit system is offering a new "Commuter Alerts" program that uses text messaging and e-mail to send time-sensitive information about detours and other immediate service changes to customers. The alerts are customized for the routes and time slots that the customer requests. Metro is one of the first transit systems in the US to offer this service. Through Commuter Alerts, Metro sends text messages instantly to cell phones and PDAs that accept text messages (Palm Pilot, Blackberry, pager, etc.) to alert customers about immediate changes affecting their routes at that time. Customers can register to receive both text message and e-mail notifications or just e-mail notices.
www.transitnews.net

PTC Steering Committee meeting - Minutes

2006-01-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Jan 6, 2006

Present: Judy Bayliss, Olive Bryanton, Bob Dunn, Leo Garland, Ron Kelly, Irene Larkin, Jane Ledwell, Len MacPherson, David McKay, Jim Munves, Matt Ward, Ann Wheatley

12:10 meeting began

-Introductions

-David McKay began by reading feedback from the survey conducted in December, with Bob Dunn responding to some key points.

-Some positive feedback: attractive comfortable buses, staying on schedule, City willing to continue monitoring and improving schedules and bus stop locations.

-Some people are still having trouble finding schedules. Bob Dunn explained that large signs with routes and schedules will be posted at 26 landmark locations pending partial funding from the “One Tonne Challenge” – the funding is currently on hold until after the election.

-Charlottetown Transit has plans for an 8 page insert “Transit Tabloid”
It was suggested that they could also just post the daily schedules directly in the newspaper. The Guardian has informed the PTC that they would print these for free. As well, because the Guardian reaches mostly a middle class readership, the “Transit Tabloid” should be included in the weekly flyers.

-UPEI will be voting soon to add transit to student fees. Holland College is still deliberating on the idea of including transit in the student fees.

-There have been comments on the buses being quite dirty on the outside. Although water conservation should be a consideration, keeping the buses attractive and clean encourages use. Bob Dunn assured that they are up early every morning cleaning the buses. The amount of dirt and salt from the roads that get on the buses is unavoidable to a degree during the winter months.

-Plans to expand: No Cornwall officials have been made formal contact with Charlottetown regarding transit. Stratford Council is evaluating three proposals offered to them by Charlottetown.

-It was highlighted that snow removal for pedestrians and the trolleys must be a priority for the system to work well and safely.

-Currently, only one bus is wheel chair accessible. They are having some trouble with the salt and cold resulting in the ramp getting stuck. The next buses will have new folding ramps to avoid this. In the event that they jam, they can be unfolded manually.

-In order to keep the new system in the public conscience, it was suggested that Charlottetown Transit does daily public notices on the radio – a 30 second transit update.
Bob Dunn said that they are low on staff right now, and thus could not commit to that. The PTC offered to organize the radio spots if Charlottetown Transit provided them with the info.

-The “Caboose” bus is currently running what was previously known mistakenly as the “Senior’s Bus” route. This route works in conjunction with the rest of the system.

-Bus shelters are not expected until late summer or early fall.

-The PTC has offered to help distribute schedules.

-Jim explained a letter that he researched and wrote regarding a province wide system. In the letter, he details the funding that is available to each province for infrastructure and solely for public transit – funding that the Province has yet to commit to public transit. It was also suggested that the letter be submitted as a guest opinion piece in the Guardian. The PTC endorsed the letter.

1:10 meeting adjourned

PTC Enews #6

2006-01-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

1. Local
1.1 Dunn meets with PEI PTC
1.2 City urged to join transit

2. National
2.1 CUTA Federal Election Strategy
2.2 Premiers release transportation plan
2.3 Action Centre Promotes Transit During Federal Election

3. International

3.1 Final FY 2006 Transit Funding Set at $8.5 Billion
3.2 Future Highway and Public Transportation Financing
3.3 Enhancing mobility options for older Americans
3.4 Transit ridership showed increases in all modes in 3rd quarter

1. Local

1.1 Dunn meets with PEI PTC

On Friday, January 6, Bobby Dunn, representing Charlottetown Transit met with members of the PTC Steering Committee. The PTC used the opportunity to present results of a survey conducted in December, discussing the strengths of the new system and the areas that should be a priority for improvement. Dunn updated the PTC on the progress of the new system. Now that the system is well established, the PTC will be working with the City and TRIUS to help increase awareness and ridership of the system.

1.2 City urged to join transit

The PEI PTC wants summerside to jump on the public transit bandwagon and help the group in its goal of introducing a provincewide system. David MacKay, representing the PTC, made presentation to the council's public relations and recreation committee on Tuesday, Jan 10. The PTC will continue making similar presentations across the province.
Journal Pioneer

2. National

2.1 CUTA Federal Election Strategy

With a federal election now called for Monday 23 January 2006, CUTA is implementing a federal election strategy, consisting of five initiatives. First, each CUTA member will receive a Federal Election Toolkit, including tips on how to sensitize local candidates to transit issues, generating grassroots support for transit during the election, and guidelines on letter-writing and organizing meetings with candidates during the campaign. Second, Transit Information Kits will be provided to candidates across the country. Third, CUTA's Transit Action Centre website will be equipped with election content and we are encouraging all members to include a link to the centre on their own websites. Fourth, CUTA will be contacting all major federal political parties and providing members with an in-depth analysis of their platforms as they relate to public transit.
www.cuta-actu.com

2.2 Premiers release transportation plan

The Council of the Federation, composed of Canada's provincial and territorial premiers, last week released a national transportation strategy and infrastructure investment plan. The strategy calls for the continuance and extension of federal investment in urban transportation, as well as dedicating the unallocated portion of the federal fuel tax to a Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Fund. According to the Council, such a fund should be distributed on an equitable basis to provide stable and adequate core funding for air, rail, marine, highway, urban road and public transit infrastructure.
www.cuta-actu.com

2.3 Action Centre Promotes Transit During Federal Election

The CUTA Transit Action Centre is an excellent resource for promoting transit issues during the current federal election campaign, and CUTA encourages all members to provide a link from their corporate web sites to maximize the exposure of transit issues during the campaign deliberations. The web site provides direct links to the public transit sections of the respective web sites of the major federal political parties and highlights the two key components of CUTA's platform: infrastructure investment and a tax exemption for employer-provided transit benefits. It also allows individuals to send postcard messages to their current Members of Parliament by completing a structured form. Please visit the Transit Action Centre and promote its use in your community. We are also encouraging members and local elected officials to meet with federal candidates and show how important public transit is as a local election issue. Specific transit information kits have been sent to all transit systems and to
candidates across Canada.
http://transitaction.ca

3. International

3.1 Final FY 2006 Transit Funding Set at $8.5 Billion

Shortly before adjourning for 2005 on December 22, both Houses of Congress passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 2863). As the last appropriations bill of the year, the bill became the legislative vehicle for a number of issues unrelated to defense spending. The bill included a 1% across-the-board cut of FY 2006 funding for all discretionary programs, including regular Department of Defense funding, but excluding programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs. President Bush signed the bill into law on December 30, thus enacting the 1% cut, which is technically a rescission of previously appropriated FY 2006 funds. The federal transit program, like highway and other discretionary spending programs, is subject to the cut, and consequently the federal transit program is funded at $8.504.5 billion in FY 2006. The cut will be applied proportionately to each program, account, item, project, activity and earmark. Funding programs within the Department of Homeland Security, including rail and transit security grants, will also be subject to the 1% across-the-board reduction.
www.apta.com

3.2 Future Highway and Public Transportation Financing

A new study by the National Chamber Foundation (NCF) of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce calculates the funding shortfall that immediately threatens national mobility and identifies and quantifies specific strategies to address this deficit. This study is the first to provide a detailed blueprint for policymakers containing long-, medium-, and short-term strategies for closing the funding gap and transitioning to a new financing mechanism.

The implementation of these strategies will require policymakers at all levels of government to make difficult decisions, but their leadership and the successful implementation of these strategies will help fuel U.S. economic productivity and competitiveness. Specifically, the federal government should provide incentives for the states to employ new financing mechanisms that will help fully fund transportation.

This study is the second phase of a two-part study researched by Cambridge Systematics and sponsored by NCF. Phase I found that the federal funding share falls short of what is needed to maintain and improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Phase II lays out long-term options to fully fund our transportation system and quantifies specific strategies that can guide the transition to a new financing mechanism. This study was initiated in response to the gridlock, the decaying roads and bridges, and the inadequate transportation infrastructure that are costing the U.S. economy billions in productivity.

All levels of government -- federal, state, and local -- are responsible for maintaining, building, and upgrading transportation systems to meet the needs of industry and the public. Current revenues, however, fall far short of what is needed to maintain or improve existing infrastructure. Maintaining existing infrastructure means that pavement and bridge conditions and travel levels of service will remain the same. Below this level, conditions will deteriorate and congestion will grow. Improving transportation infrastructure means that all additional highway and transit spending will have a positive benefit/cost ratio and will improve U.S. economic productivity.
for more: www.apta.com

3.3 Enhancing mobility options for older Americans

In the next 25 years the number of Americans age 65 and older will double. Americans 85 and older comprise the fastest-growing segment of the population. As life expectancy exceeds the age at which many Americans typically cease or significantly limit driving, the need for increased and enhanced mobility options to enable Americans to age in place will become more urgent. Today’s transportation infrastructure is unprepared for the transformation in America’s demographic shape. Older adults identify mobility with driving. Other options, such as public transportation and walking, are often inconvenient or inaccessible. A recent report has shown that over half of all non-drivers age 65 and older stay home on any given day.

In communities throughout the country, many innovative programs have been developed to help older adults maintain mobile lifestyles. In June 2004, AARP convened over 40 experts, policymakers, and practitioners in the fields of aging and transportation to develop priorities and strategies that would contribute to reaching a five-year goal of increasing the percentage of adults who have the mobility choices they need to remain independent as they age. Meeting this goal will require even more innovations in service, as well as changes in the policy framework and new levels of coordination among policymakers, human services agencies, transportation planners, advocates, engineers, transit agencies, road builders, and other stakeholders.
for more: www.apta.com

3.4 Transit ridership showed increases in all modes in 3rd quarter

With high gas prices in the third quarter of 2005, national transit ridership grew by 3.3 % from the same period in 2004, according to a report released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) today. At the same time that transit ridership was increasing during the 2005 third quarter, Americans parked their cars and vehicle miles of travel (VMT) decreased by 0.2%, according to the Federal Highway Administration statistics. Additionally, a recent survey of transit systems conducted by APTA indicates that this growing ridership trend continued in November, despite a drop in gas prices that month.

"The increased ridership results of the third quarter, combined with the November ridership increases, indicate that more and more Americans want other options besides the automobile," said APTA President William W. Millar. "Transit ridership was on the move in 2005 and I fully expect that it will continue to grow as more people discover the convenience and affordability of public transportation."
for more: www.apta.com

visit our weblog: www.peiptc.blogspot.com

The PTC E-News is a monthly newsletter sharing local, national, and international Public Transit related news stories.

To add or remove an address, please email us at ptcpei@canada.com

PTC E-News #4

2005-11-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

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.

Have you tried the new bus yet?

2005-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks for this, Olive!

HAVE YOU TRIED THE NEW BUS YET?
By Olive Bryanton

Yesterday I tried the new public transit bus for the first time. It was a wonderful experience and I will definitely use it at every opportunity. I boarded the bus at 11:25 am at UPEI (as the schedule said), and after a pleasant ride downtown arrived at the Confederation Centre at 11:50 am again on time according to the schedule. I joined my daughter for lunch and then did some shopping and was ready to catch the 2:00 pm bus back to UPEI. The bus was at the Confederation Centre about 1:45 pm but it does not leave until 2:00 pm, I got back to UPEI at 2:20 pm and again on time and again I enjoyed the experience.

Why did I enjoy the ride on the new public transit bus? I think it was a combinations of things: the relaxation of letting someone else do the driving, the friendliness and helpfulness of the bus driver and the other young man who was monitoring time, answering questions and handing out schedules. Also the passengers were obviously happy and enjoying the ride. Everyone was chatting and making the most of the experience. It was fun to see people standing waiting for the bus in the various locations, and hearing the positive comments and seeing their smiles as they boarded the bus.

One senior had gone on the bus circle to see where the bus stopped and how long it would take to get to where he would be likely to travel most times. When we stopped at various locations people were coming to have a look inside and also to get a schedule. Half of the people on the bus were seniors and they certainly seemed to be enjoying the experience. One senior lady talked about the freedom she now has because she can get from downtown to the Malls anytime she wants, and does not have to rely on family or friends.

I am involved with the Seniors Active Living Centre which is located at the MacLauchlan Arena side of the CARI building, and I look forward to the day when the public transit bus starts making the main door on that side of the CARI facility one of the regular bus stops. This will accommodate the needs of seniors who want to come or are coming to the Seniors Active Living Centre. The bus would not need to stop there in the early morning runs or the last run in each direction. The Centre opens at 9:00 am and closes at 4:00 pm so stops within those times would be very helpful.

It is wonderful to have public transportation and as a senior I really appreciate this option. I hope all seniors will take advantage of this new service. I know it is not perfect yet, but they are working toward a system that will be more frequent in the future. The bus is on time, is distinctive, has the daily newspaper so you can catch up on what is happening in the world or you can enjoy socializing with your fellow passengers both young and old. See you on the bus.

PTC E-News #3

2005-11-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

PTC E-News #3

Local
1.1 PTC meets with Mike Cassidy
1.2 Charlottetown Transit System in full operation
1.3 Saint John may expand transit service

National
2.1 Transportation and Affordable Homeownership
2.2 Finance minister confirms transit provisions in Bill C-48
2.3 CUTA membership reaches all-time record

International
3.1 Expanding the Transportation Options in an Aging Society
3.2 Urban Transport and Air Pollution
3.3 Effects of Katrina on Transportation
3.4 Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development on Public Transportation Ridership

Local

1.1 PTC meets with Mike Cassidy

The PTC will be having a monthly Steering Committee meeting Friday, Nov 4. We are pleased to see that people are taking an interest in public transit and showing support for the new system. Mike Cassidy, co-owner of Trius Tours, will be attending the meeting and updating us on the progress of Charlottetown Transit, and we will be able to bring some concerns that we’ve been hearing to him, such as difficulty with signage and finding schedules.

1.2 Charlottetown Transit system in full operation

Charlottetown Transit has is now operating on all four routes. The routes were implemented separately throughout October to give passengers and drivers time to get used to the new system. The City will be adjusting the routes as needed and making permanent signs and bus stops, andit is expecting to expand the system in the new year. The current routes are as follows:

Winsloe - University Avenue
West Royalty - North River Road
Sherwood/Parkdale - St. Peter's Road
East Royalty - Kensington Road

Charlottetown Transit operates regular schedules Monday - Saturday from 6:30am - 7:15pm. Fair is $2.00 cash. Monthly passes are expected to be available in November. For more information phone Trius Tours at 566-9962

1.3 Saint John may expand transit service

Commuters may soon be able to step on a bus to get to school and work in Saint John. Common council has agreed to spend federal cash on a city transit expansion that would send buses to Grand Bay-Westfield, Rothesay-Quispamsis and Hampton. The plan could reduce traffic, pollution, and parking problems in Saint John. Saint John councillor Chris Titus helped draft the plan with Saint John Transit and the Saint John Parking commission. He says the service will require eight new buses, and outlying communities will have to contribute money to maintain it after the first year. "I think this will grow the community," Titus said. "It will help the community in its entirety. In a year's time, the outlying communities will have a decision to make - do they want to pay their share?"

Councillor Bill Farren supports the plan in general, but he says the new federal money for transit could be better spent improving bus service for city taxpayers. "All this money we were hoping, at least me as a councillor was hoping, for upgrading our old buses, we're going to be providing services for people outside our area." The new transit plan also went before Rothesay town council Tuesday night. Titus says the proposal cannot succeed without cooperation from the province and federal government.

www.cbc.ca

National

2.1 Transportation and Affordable Homeownership:
A Feasibility Study of "Transportation-Savings Mortgages"

This study examines the appropriateness and feasibility of adopting a relatively recent type of mortgage product to the Winnipeg market, which for this report is being called the “Transportation Savings Mortgage” (TSM). In the United States, such products include Location Efficient Mortgages and Smart Commute Mortgages. TSMs are designed to promote locational decisions on the part of homebuyers that favour residential districts close to public transit, shops and services, generally in central areas. The rationale behind TSMs is that, owing to more convenient access to transit, shops and services, central city locations sought to make car-lite or car-free lifestyles more viable than outer suburban locations. Such lifestyles permit a homeowner to accrue substantial financial savings in transportation costs that may then be applied to one's mortgage. Transportation Savings Mortgages are being studied in this report as a means of promoting home ownership in Winnipeg communities targeted for investment in local
and provincial revitalization programs.

http://ius.uwinnipeg.ca/wira_publications.html

2.2 Finance Minister confirms transit provisions in Bill C-48

Last week, in recognition of the growing importance of public transit in the face of rising energy costs, and to give municipalities greater certainty for their own planning purposes, federal Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale confirmed that the $400 million, previously provided for under Bill C-48, will be made available in each of the next two fiscal years for municipalities to boost investments in urban transit infrastructure. This removes the conditionality previously placed on these funds and allows Minister of State (Infrastructure and Communities) John Godfrey to proceed with the conclusion of transit funding agreements with each province and territory.

www.cutactu.ca

2.3 CUTA membership reaches all-time record

CUTA is pleased to welcome eight additional business members and two affiliate members. Recently joining the Association as business members are CMI Enterprises of Elkhart (Indiana), Drivecam Inc. of San Diego (California), Dynetek Industries of Calgary (Alberta), Ecocing Corporation of Calgary (Alberta), Kirkman Bus Sales of Calgary (Alberta) KlinkerSire of Toronto (Ontario), Lamar Transit Advertising of Burnaby (British Columbia) and Safety Vision of Houston (Texas). Joining as affiliate members are the Toronto Board of Trade and the Urban Studies Program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.

www.cutaactu.ca

International

3.1 Expanding the Transportation Options in an Aging Society

In a recent report by the American Public Transportation Association, they list some of the transportation problems that are expected to increase with an aging population. Over the next two decades, America’s baby boom generation will reach retirement age in unprecedented numbers. Critical opportunities lie immediately ahead at all levels local, state and federal to provide older Americans with greater independence, choice and control over their lives and their contributions to our communities.

- Over 36 million Americans are age 65 or older today. By 2030, this number will double and one in five Americans will be 65 or older.

- Americans over 85 will comprise the fastest growing age group in the decades ahead.

If we fail to expand and sustain mobility options for our older family members, neighbors and friends, the future of older Americans will result in further negative social and economic consequences.

- Heightened safety risks. Continuing to drive later in life dramatically increases safety risks.

- Limited options, lost mobility. More than one in five Americans (21%) over age 65 do not drive. Currently, half of all American households do not have access to adequate transportation options. In rural areas, nearly two-thirds of all residents have few, if any, transit options.

- Isolation and reduced independence. More than 50% of non-drivers age 65 and older stay home on any given day partially because they lack transportation options. 5 Rural and suburban residents, African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans, and households with no cars are more heavily affected.

- Diminished quality of life and health. Older non-drivers have a decreased ability to participate in the community and the economy. Compared with older drivers, non- drivers make:

. 15% fewer trips to the doctor
. 59% fewer shopping trips and restaurant visits
. 65% fewer trips for social, family and religious activities

Check out their homepage for more details on this report and a list of projects that are being undertaken to address these issues.

www.apta.com

3.2 Urban Transport and Air Pollution

Roads and urban transportation are critical to economic development but rapid growth has occurred with substandard quality of infrastructure, or little development planning. Capital costs have hindered development of high capacity urban transit. More cars and other vehicles, poor public transit, congestion, air pollution, and lack of transport for the poor are growing problems. Many agencies commonly oversee tranportation so that planning, developing and managing transport systems is disjointed, inefficient, wasteful of resources and costly. Improvement have included:

- Mumbai has a metro rail system. New Delhi is in the planning stages for a new metro rail integrated with buses which feed into the rail system.

- Cleaner fuel such as lead-free gasoline and low-sulphur diesel, propane and natural gas for commercial vehicles, emission control standards and regular vehicle inspection, restriction on diesel vehicles and phasing out of certain vehicles. New Delhi has banned all diesel buses and trucks and converted the bus fleet to compressed natural gas. All public transit vehicles run on natural gas. New Delhi and Mumbai restrict entry of older vehicles into city areas and plan to phase out two-stroke three wheelers.

- Private sector involvment. Toll roads and rail transit in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manila have private sector participation. Dhaka has private operators provide bus services. A franchising scheme in Pakistan has led to private provision of fleets of buses in Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Intelligent Tranport Systems Technology ITS provides electronic road pricing, traffic management, integrated ticking for different types of public transit modes and traveller information.

Examples are:

- Variable Message Signs on expressways
- Traffic surveillance and incident management
- Hong Kong and Singapore have more advanced electronic toll and parking fee management systems
- Smart card integrated ticketing for public transit systems introduced in Hong Kong in 1997 with a common ticketing system for 30 transit operators including bus, ferry and rail.
- Involving the community leads to a better planning process. In the Rattanakosin area of Bangkok, community participation in bringing an integrated approach to transport design.

Bangkok has made some progress on its major smog problems although traffic and congestion are still highly problematic. A Thai website recommends, "It is not a good idea to drive your own car in Bangkok. The number of car accidents is astounding, with unofficial numbers putting the death toll at close to 30,000 per year... Thai car drivers have no concept of defensive driving, as a result of unrestrained male hormones since birth." The website notes that the skytrain and new subway are major improvements though only a few lines have been built with extensions planned but slow to be constructed. Compared to road traffic, they are much, much faster than car or bus.

3.3 Effects of Katrina on Transportation

On October 6, 2005, the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration briefed Committee Members on the status of transportation infrastructure in the region impacted by hurricane Katrina At that time, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama had made substantial progress towards reopening most major highways in the region to traffic. Significant roadways remained closed however, as the states worked to assess how best to repair, replace or reconstruct damaged roads and infrastructure.

Transit facilities were also significantly damaged or destroyed as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Most notably, the transit facilities in New Orleans suffered greatly. The Federal Transit Administration estimated that a substantial portion of the city’s rolling stock was affected, much of it potentially destroyed. Because of the ongoing nature of the assessment of the effects of the hurricane on both highway and transit infrastructure, the complete picture is only slowing becoming apparent. Many roads were submerged for long periods, and require direct assessment to determine their condition. Similarly, buses, coaches and trolley cars stood in water for lengthy periods, requiring individual inspection one-by-one.

Work is currently underway on many of the area’s damaged highways and bridges, including: restoring two-lane traffic in each direction on the I-10 Pascagoula Bridge, providing one-lane traffic in each direction across Lake Ponchartrain on the I-10 Twin Span Bridge east of New Orleans, and completing a temporary US-90 along the Mississippi Gulf Coast between Pass Christian and Biloxi. A total of $48.4 million in emergency transportation funds has been released by FEMA to DOT as mission assignments for the purpose of funding bus routes and services in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and along the Mississippi Coast. These funds are managed by the Federal Transit Administration and are made available to transit agencies to move workers, commuters and families in the Gulf Coast regions directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. In Baton Rouge, the city’s population has doubled from 400,000 to 800,000 due to the influx of evacuees from New Orleans, overwhelming the local transit system’s capacity.

http://trb.org/news

3.4 Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development on
Public Transportation Ridership

The Florida Department of Transportation has released a report that examines how transit-oriented development affects travel behavior in terms of mode share, number of vehicle trips (VT), and vehicle miles of travel (VMT). The report suggests that land use may be less important than other factors in affecting mode choice, VT, and VMT. According to the report, income, attitudes and preferences, and auto ownership are among potentially more important factors.

http://trb.org/news

Contact for Charlottetown Transit

2005-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

To comment on transit service

email: charlottetowntransit@pei.aibn.com
telephone: 566-9962

Online Bus route

2005-10-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Lobie for directing us to this:

" For all the technically inclined bus supporters...Peter Rukavina created an unofficial Google map with annotated schedule for the new bus route in Charlottetown. You can view Peter's map at http://ruk.ca/bus/ "

The schedule can be found as well on the City's homepage:
www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca

PEI Public Transit Coalition E-News #2

2005-09-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

1. Local
1.1 Michael Roschlau to speak at PTC meeting
1.2 Charlottetown Transit begins Friday
1.3 UPEI bicycle bursary application now online
2. National
2.1 Federal budget submission calls for permanent transit investment
2.2 Soaring gas prices boost public transit
3. International
3.1 Signing By President Bush Of New Transportation Bill

1.1 Michael Roschlau to speak at PTC meeting

The PEI Public Transit Coalition will be hosting a meeting open to the
public on Friday, September 30 at 12 noon, in the Coles Building.
Michael W. Roschlau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), will be the guest speaker.
CUTA represents providers of urban transit services, suppliers to the
industry, government, individuals and related organizations in Canada.

Michael has been with CUTA for over 19 years and, before being appointed
to his current position, was responsible for a variety of association
services such as education and training, major conferences and trade
events. He holds a Ph.D in transportation geography from the Australian
National University. In addition to his role as President of CUTA,
Michael serves on the Board of Directors of the Centre for Sustainable
Transportation and the Ontario Community Transportation Association, and
is co-chair of the Canadian Motor Carrier Passenger Council.

The theme of his presentation is the economic, social and environmental
benefits of establishing a PEI public transit system. As Charlottetown
prepares to launch a new public transit system for October, this is an
excellent opportunity for the public to meet Michael
and learn about CUTA, and to get involved with the PEI Public Transit
Coalition.

1.2 Charlottetown Transit begins Friday

The PTC has been informed by TRIUS co-owner Mike Cassidy that the new
Charlottetown Transit buses will start running the first route on
Friday. The intention is to "soft open" each route with downtown to
Winsloe being the first. The routes will be gradually introduced over
the next few weeks, and the full system will be in operatioon by Oct 19.
During this time, they will focus on educating the public and
attracting ridership. Initial service will be offered from Monday to
Saturday, 6:30am to 7:00pm. Fare is $2 per ride. The PTC encourages
everyone to try out the new system and show support as it grows.

1.3 UPEI bicycle bursary application

You can find the upei bicycle bursary application online at:
http://www.upei.ca/environment/UPEI_bike_bursary_appl_30_8_05.pdf

2.1 Federal budget submission calls for permanent transit investment

In its submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance,
as part of this year's pre-budget consultations, CUTA is
calling for two specific actions beyond the investments contained in the
2005-2006 federal budget. CUTA has prepared a new submission,
with recommendations consisting of (a) making the current level of
public transit infrastructure investments permanent in order to allow
transit systems across the country to carry out the necessary
comprehensive and long-term planning for renewal and expansion; and
(b) amending the Income Tax Act to eliminate the inequity between
employment benefits for drivers and transit users, thereby making
employer-provided transit benefits income tax-exempt. The first of these
recommendations is intended to extend the additional $400-
million per year in funding from the federal gasoline tax included in
the 2005 budget amendment beyond its two-year time frame on an
indefinite basis. The content of this submission will be formally
presented to the Finance Committee during its hearings in Ottawa later
this year.

www.cutaactu.on.ca

2.2 Soaring gas prices boost public transit

The recent spike in pump prices appears to be driving thousands of
cost-cutting Calgarians to use public transit, says a city spokesman.
Ron Collins, Calgary Transit's communications co-ordinator, said
yesterday that July posted an increase of about 170,000 users of
C-Trains and buses over this time last year. "It's a significant
increase," he said. "It is difficult to measure how many are coming
because of spiking gas prices, but we feel that is why some are coming
our way." The Canadian Automobile Association claims it costs about
$9,000 a year to own, operate and maintain a car, while it costs just
under $1,000 to be a regular transit user in this city. "When you look
at $70 a month for an adult transit pass and at how much it is to fill
up the gas tank on a private car ... it's sure good bang for your buck,"
Collins said. Collins said LRT use doubled in the past 10 years while
overall public transportation ridership is up by about 50%.

About 230,000 Calgarians use the C-Train on any given weekday. But
despite the recent jump in oil prices, Collins said transit hasn't
looked at the issue of escalating fuel costs yet. He says it is a
non-issue for the C-Train which is a wind-generated system, and the city
has pre-purchased its fuel requirements for its diesel-run buses for the
remainder of the year. On the heels of hurricane Katrina, Calgarians
have been paying record high pump prices which have hit more than $1 per
litre. City officials have said the jump in fuel prices and the added
cost it poses to run municipal fleets will eventually translate into a
cost for taxpayers, by as early as January.

Calgary Sun

3.1 Signing By President Bush Of New Transportation Bill Will Make A
Difference For All Americans

"President Bush's signing of the transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, is an
historic moment that will make a positive difference for all Americans,"
said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation
Association (APTA), who is attending the signing ceremony in Aurora,
Illinois today. "Public demand for transit is on the rise and this new
multi-year federal legislation will give a much needed boost to meet the
needs of a growing public transportation system," said Millar. "Last
year there were 9.6 billion trips on public transportation and since
1995 public transportation use has grown by 23 percent." SAFETEA-LU was
approved by Congress on July 29. The $286.4 billion transportation bill
includes $52.6 billion in guaranteed funding for public transportation
for six years, through Fiscal Year 2009.

"This significant increase in transit investment by the federal
government is a recognition of the importance of public transportation
to our communities, whether urban, suburban or rural," said Millar.
"APTA is also pleased that Congress and President Bush guaranteed the
transit money," added Millar. "This means that transit agencies across
the country will be able to make long-term transportation plans and
better serve their riders and communities." "With the signing of this
very important bill we move forward into the 21st century with funding
to maintain our existing infrastructure and develop new transit projects
that are important to relieve congestion, improve mobility for all
Americans, and strengthen our economy," said Millar.

publictransportation.org

Please send suggestions and current pt related news
stories/events to ptcpei@canada.com.

E-News

2005-08-22T09:55:00.000-07:00


PEI Public Transit Coalition
E-News

1. Local
  1.1 PEI PTC Receives Funding From Health Canada
  1.2 Mike Cassidy of TRIUS Tours meets with PTC
  1.3 PTC members view new bus
  1.4 University to hand out free bikes
2. National
  2.1 Canadian Transit Ridership Breaks All-Time
Record in 2004
  2.2 Bill C-48 Passed in the House of Commons
  2.3 Centre for Sustainable Transportation Newsletter
3. International
  3.1 National Biodiesel Board, DOE, USDA Officials
Dispute Biofuels Study

******************

1. Local

1.1 PEI PTC Receives Funding From Health Canada

Funding for three years has been approved by Health
Canada to help the PTC with a project focusing on the
issue of social equity as related to mobility rights.
The first year will see the PTC establishing an
advisory committee specifically for this project,
conducting public forums throughout the province,
reviewing literature, and publishing a document on
social equity and mobility rights.

1.2 Mike Cassidy of TRIUS Tours meets with PTC

On Friday, Aug 5, the PTC hosted Mike Cassidy, co-owner
of TRIUS Tours, at a monthly Steering Committee
meeting.  TRIUS Tours has been contracted to run a new
Public Transit  System in Charlottetown.  The PTC was
pleased with Mr. Cassidy's enthusiasm and willingness
to share information.  As a coalition of key user
groups, the PTC understands that clear communication is
essential between the City, TRIUS, and the PTC in order
for the new public transit system to be succesful.  The
Coalition will be requesting that each member group
establish a travel policy that priorizes the use of the
City Transit by staff and volunteers.

Key points suggested by the PTC coming out of this
meeting follow:

-The PTC believes that bus shelters are a key selling
point for the system, especially in winter months, and
is urging TRIUS to work with the City on the issue and
also approach advertisers who may wish to subsidize
construction of the shelters in return for advertising
space.

-The PTC believes that the City should hire at least
a part-time administrator familiar with public transit
to provide oversight and to work with TRIUS to
continually improve the system.

1.3 Public Viewing of new buses

Members of the PTC have viewed one of the City's new
buses that they will be using in the public transit
system, scheduled to begin this October.  They have a
retro trolley look with wooden benches inside, and
panelling outside.  The buses seat 41 and are fully
accesible. One entrance has a ramp that extends
for wheelchairs with locks and space 3 wheelchairs
inside.

1.4 University to hand out free bikes

UPEI will lend bikes to some students this fall as
part of a new bike bursary program, although just five
people who apply for a bike will get one this year. 
While it has modest beginnings, there are hopes the
program will grow in coming years.  Almut Beringer,
who's spearheading the project to give out the
refurbished bikes, got the idea from a similar program
at the University of Victoria. "Students who are
getting a bike will be signing a contract taking
liability and responsibility for the bike," Beringer
said.  "Part of the student responsibility is to keep
the bike in roadworthy, working order during the year
and part of the university's commitment is to pay for
one annual tune-up. The university will also be
supplying locks for the bikes."  Students do have to
buy their own helmets. Student Union president Ryan
Gallant likes the bike-loan idea, and said might be
able to increase the stable.  "Other than throwing my
support behind it," he said, "I do have an old bike
that I think if they blow up the tires a bit more and
align the wheels they should be able to use for the
bike bursary program."  Next year Beringer plans to ask
the Charlottetown Police to donate stolen bikes that
haven't been reclaimed.  Beringer said she is looking
for donations of unused bikes that are still
"roadworthy and safe."  The university is spending
$500 on the project this year.

www.cbc.ca


2. National

2.1 Canadian Transit Ridership Breaks All-Time Record
in 2004

Canadian transit ridership for 2004 set a second
consecutive all-time record, breaking the previous
year's high.  A total of 1.59 billion transit trips
were taken across Canada last year, representing a 2.4
percent increase over 2003, a 3.8 percent increase
over 2002, and a 7.8 percent increase over 2001.  This
marks a significant milestone, representing a trend
towards continually increasing transit use.

www.cutaactu.on.ca

2.2 Bill C-48 Passed in the House of Commons

Late on the evening of Thursday 23 June 2005, two
months after an amendment to the original federal
budget for 2005 was negotiated between Prime Minister
Paul Martin and NDP Leader Jack Layton, Bill C-48
passed Third Reading.  This bill is historic in that it
approves the first-ever universal federal investment in
public transit.  One cent per litre (10%) of the
federal gas tax will be transferred to municipalities
across Canada over the next two years specifically
for investment in public transit.  This amounts to
$800-million and is over and above the $5-billion
committed as part of the original budget bill, a
significant part of which is also expected to go to
transit infrastructure.  The specifics will be the
subject of individual agreements with each province and
territory, two of which have already been signed in
Ontario and Quebec

www.cutaactu.on.ca

2.3 Centre for Sustainable Transportation Newsletter

The Centre for Sustaible Transportation's most recent
newsletter, Monitor 11, is available online.  The
Centre's move to the University of Winnipeg is the lead
story. The Monitor also deals with accomplishments of
the Centre to date, Emissions from Freight Transport,
Canada's Climate Change Plans, the recent Memo of
Understanding with the Auto Industry, Health and Youth
and Glimmers of Hope in achieving sustainable
transportation.

www.cstctd.org


3. International

3.1 National Biodiesel Board, DOE, USDA Officials
Dispute Biofuels Study Pimentel/Patzak Study Deeply
Flawed, Researchers Say

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB)
today condemned a recent study that claims biodiesel
takes more energy to produce than it yields, citing
instead more thoroughly conducted, peer-reviewed
studies that show biodiesel actually yields more than
three times the amount of energy it takes to produce.
The study that says biodiesel has a negative energy
balance was conducted by David Pimentel, an insect
specialist at Cornell, and Tad Patzek, a former oil
company employee who is now director of the University
of California Oil Consortium.

More than 500 major fleets use biodiesel nationwide
(USA). Biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable and
essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Biodiesel
offers similar performance to petroleum diesel while
providing superior lubricity. It significantly reduces
emissions. To see the DOE/USDA study and a more
detailed response on the study

visit:

www.biodiesel.org.


*Each PTC E-News will be posted on the weblog:
www.peiptc.blogspot.com

Please send suggestions and current pt related news
stories/events to ptcpei@canada.com.

Meeting Minutes

2005-03-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

MINUTES: March 2, 2005 – PTC Steering Committee

12:10pm

-David MacKay spoke with John Pearce (T2000). He suggested contacting Andy Patterson of King’s Transit in Nova Scotia to speak at a PTC function. All agreed that this would be an important PTC event. Andy Patterson is retiring this year from his position as manager. Andy, who comes from a retail background, is credited largely with the success of King’s Transit. With the population it serves, and the effective growth of the King’s Transit system as a community based and people oriented system, PEI can use it as a guiding model.

- It was suggested that we bring Andy over for a couple days in early or mid April, invite him to a business mixer in the day with Charlottetown Rotary, Chamber of Commerce in the afternoon, and an open public forum in the evening. It was also highly recommended that we invite him to a function in Summerside.

-It is agreed that the PTC must widen our representation and establish credibility across the Island. The province seems to be a major hold-out to transit. Cooperating with Summerside and including other areas that we hope the system will grow to service is key to discussions with the Province.

-The PTC should increase discussions with business community, ie TIA PEI, and Downtown Business Development.

-The PTC has received funding from Health Canada thanks to a proposal by David MacKay and many letters of recommendation from our member groups.

-It is suggested that the PTC set up a meeting with Wayne Collins, Chair of the Provincial Standing Committee on Climate Change. Have province commit to an implementation strategy.

-The recent federal budget has shown more money allocated for transportation infrastructure. The PTC should meet with MP Shawn Murphy to see if there are any conditions that the Fed. Gov. sets that ensures Fed. money gets used properly and directly for public transit. ie user groups get consulted.

-Some main guiding points that PTC must continue to highlight publicly: 1. Include user group consultation. 2. Encourage province wide business implementation plan 3. City (or Prov.) must hire public transit commissioner.

Meeting adjourned at 1:15pm.

Free Transit Week

2005-02-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

The PEI Active Living Alliance, UPEI, Go for Green, and Trius Tours are offering a week of FREE public transportation for the public (with a schedule and route geared toward UPEI students) next week (February 21-25). They are hoping to have as many people as possible using the bus from Downtown to UPEI (and the Royalty Center) in an attempt to show the need for a comprehensive public transit system. Please help spread the word.

Laura Meader from CBC TV is going to do a story on Tuesday, Feruary 22nd so the more people on the bus the better.

For additional information or contact Andrea MacDonald at 569-7688.

Thanks for your support.

City of Charlottetown Transit Survey

2005-02-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

Following is the letter submitted to the Guardian re: Transit Survey

Editor,

The Public Transit Survey that is currently circulating in Charlottetown and connected communities has raised a number of issues among members of the PEI Public Transit Coalition. We are a volunteer Coalition made up of 27 diverse community groups, sharing the common goal of establishing sustainable public transit for all citizens of Charlottetown and across the Island. Certainly, we are encouraged by any increase in public discussion of transit, but our experience working with government officials and the public for over 5 years has made us wary of misguided efforts. The current survey is an example of such a redundant use of resources. Public transit is a necessity and the right thing to do, not a response to consumer demand. The need is established by social demand, environmental and health demands, and demand for equal access to mobility for city residents of all ages.

Further investigation of the need for public transit in Charlottetown is a costly duplication of effort. The City already commissioned a thorough study by ENTRA Consultants, which was published in 2002. This study clearly articulates the need for public transit and provides a practical and innovative implementation plan.

We do not believe the current transit survey will provide reliable results for many reasons:
- It is available on the Internet, where at least two of the initial core user groups, seniors and citizens in a lower economic bracket, may not have access;
- It presupposes that all users will immediately be riding public transit. The reality is that a full system (or systems) has to be established, well advertised, with proper rest stops and maps, and functioning efficiently for at least 6 months to a year before peoplewill catch on and change their routine;
- The wording of some of the questions in the survey has an obvious negative bent, which in at least one case simply is not accurate (“It is estimated that a 15 minute trip by private car will take about 45 minutes using public transit. At this point in time, how interested are you personally in possibly using public transit as an alternate form oftransportation?”)
- Another survey question asked whether respondents would be willing to payhigher property taxes to fund public transit. As already noted, the survey is more likely to reach a larger number of property owners with Internet access and a probableaversion to higher property tax rates than to reach public transit's core user groups, who are less likely to own property on which to pay taxes.

It is the responsibility of all levels of government to set priorities that provide the maximum benefit to citizens, and we must insist that public transit is a high priority. We do not recall being surveyed to determine if we were willing to pay higher property taxes to finance rinks or pool facilities. We charge our municipal government with the work of setting budget priorities, and we affirm to the mayor and all councillors that public transit is our highest priority budget expenditure for the City of Charlottetown for the foreseeable future.

The great news is that studies show that public transit in the City will bring downtown revitalization. As well, pedestrian and automobile traffic will become safer, the physical and mental health of the population will improve, and all these benefits will occur while lessening our burden on the environment.The need for transit is well established, and we encourage the City to begin moving forward on the issue. We would like to renew our offer to share our experience and knowledge in any further discussions of public transit initiated by City Council. Direct consultation with core user groups is the key to establishing a successful public transit system in Charlottetown.

Becoming a Co-operative

2005-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Public Transit Coalition has been given the opportunity to take over the Public Transportation Co-operative of PEI Ltd. Although the non-formal structure has not been a problem to date for the Coalition, it is now apparent that in order to progress from this point we must become more formalized.

Having this basic formal structure will help make the objectives of the PTCclearer to our members and to the public. As well, it will give us more credibility when forming alliances with businesses and other organizations that could lend a greater push to public transit (ie Downtown Charlottetown Inc.). Limited liability and eligibility for co-op funding are also benefits of such a move.

In order to re-start the co-op, we simply need to appoint a slate of three directors and notify the Corporations Division and the Credit Union of the change in signing officers. The morphing process will also require three people (perhaps the same three people) or three organizations willing to join for $5. As a co-op, we will have to hold an Annual General Meeting, but most will agree that is a positive thing.

Many members of the Public Transit Coalition were also previously members of the Public Transportation Co-operative of PEI. For those of you who were not, you should know that the PT Co-op grew out of an informal coalition of groups advocating for public transit. The groups worked on the issue informally for a couple of years and then decided to incorporate as a co-operative in 1998 to address the same issues that the original coalition of groups had been working on. The Co-operative had a period of initial success over a couple of years, but the end of the Millennium coincided with a loss of momentum and the co-op ceased active advocacy in late 2000. The current Public Transit Coalition took on the advocacy and research role as we moved into a new century.

I believe there was some hesitation expressed from a few when we were a much smaller group and this was proposed before, but I expect that most of you now will be pleased with the move to becoming a co-operative. It will indeed be a great boost to our Coalition and our cause. But certainly, if you have any questions or concerns, please send (or phone 566.4696) them to me over the next few days.

Thanks to Lobie for providing the details on the co-operative process and the history of the PT Co-op.

Charlottetown Transit Survey

2005-02-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

The City of Charlottetown has made the new transit survey available online. Certainly, there are flaws with the survey, and the City's intentions seem questionable, and many people feel that it won't provide accurate results, but it is important that we voice our support for public transit. Please note that there is a box for comments at the end of the survey.

http://www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca/transitsurvey.cfm

PEI Public Transit Coalition

2005-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the PEI Public Transit Coalition weblog. We will use this as a forum to keep members and the general public updated on the move toward public transit in PEI. Please visit regularly and offer your input. Best Regards.