Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

5 December 2008

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 997, for 5 December 2008.

In this issue...

1 - Transport 2000 Calendar

Dec. 26: Hotline 1000 will be dictated by its initiator, Chris Holloway

2 - One-third of elementary-school children walk

"Only about one-third of elementary-school children walk or bike to school, according to a new study from the University of Montreal that highlights the public health concerns of a sedentary lifestyle. The findings, based on research involving nearly 1,500 pupils in two Quebec cities, are a factor in the growing obesity epidemic facing families across Canada, according to the study's researchers," the Globe and Mail reported on Dec. 4.

"'Our society is really car-dependent,' said Paul Lewis, the lead researcher and an urban planning professor at the University of Montreal. 'I'd say it's not an easy problem to solve.

"'Even though the majority of the children studied live less than one kilometre from school, fewer walk or ride their bikes than a few decades ago, the researchers found'. Professor Lewis concluded 'We have to bring back more adults to transit. If we do, [the] chances they can accompany children to school [are] much higher ," the Globe reported.

3 - An Accord on a Cooperative Government: Transit, Gateways, Auto sector

The coalition agreement signed by federal opposition parties on Dec. 1 includes: "an economic stimulus package designed to boost the domestic economy beginning with (but not limited to):

4 - Air-safety agencies need to co-operate

"The federal government has failed to implement fully half of the air-safety recommendations made by the Transportation Safety Board over the past years. The story broke after a pair of small-plane crashes just 10 days apart brought Canadians' attention to air safety" a Montreal Gazette editorial said. "That's why it's hard to understand why there's such a gap between what the TSB proposes and what Transport Canada imposes on aircraft operators. Transport Canada has satisfied the board in only 26 of the 53 recommendations made over the past decade."

"We believe that many Canadians would feel a lot better about general aviation if the relationship between the two agencies, and the progress of specific safety-related proposals through the bureaucracy, were more open and transparent," the Nov. 30 Gazette editorial said.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/safety+agencies+need+operate/1013465/story.html

5 - Transportation funding in Ontario rarely makes it further west than Sudbury

"Those no-good-nicks at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation have got a little love affair going with rubber and pavement. They'd much rather spend millions of dollars putting another lane on the 401, than pony up a couple hundred thousand for repairing or upgrading a section of rail track," Transport 2000's Harry Gow told a crows of 100 people Soo Today reported.

"Gow said Ontario can generally only find money for Go Transit and maybe the Ontario Northland Railway, while other provinces such as Quebec have jumped to the task of taking care of their short-line and local railways. New were supposed to be bought for the Agawa Canyon Tour Train. It's a good train, but getting to it is difficult. And it doesn't have much of a future without those cars. ... "Everyone is saying yes, yes, yes, but does anyone know if the agreement has actually been signed, sealed and delivered yet?"

Gow said he's heard that CN has two possible suppliers of refurbished passenger cars ready to strike a deal. He also talked about a Transport Canada study on possible replacements for remote rail services in the call for tenders for which there was a clear indication that the consultant would NOT have to visit the areas effected, the better to be able to recommend cold-blooded cuts to services for people it has never met, Soo Today reported on Nov. 28.

To learn more about the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains or become a member, visit:

http://www.captrains.ca/

6 - An Increase in the oversight power of the aviation industry decreases oversight

"Industry insiders are concerned with a "number of aspects" of airline oversight in Canada and are worried the government's inability to recruit and retain qualified inspectors is 'placing the safety of the flying public at risk,' a new survey has found," Canwest News Service reported on Dec. 1.

"And many outside experts have concerns with Transport Canada's move to a self-policing model of oversight, where department inspectors assess company protocols to manage safety risks in their operations instead of doing direct inspections of aircraft, records and personnel.

"Linda Duxbury of Carleton University's Sprott School of Business canvassed the opinion of seven "highly qualified" experts who have worked for many years in the industry, but have never worked for Transport Canada, as part of a larger survey of 276 pilots working as inspectors at Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, commissioned by the Canadian Federal Pilots Association".

"Industry respondents 'believe that as the amount of oversight power the industry has increases, the amount of oversight being performed will actually decline. This they see as a major problem,'" the report states," the Canwest story said.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=3153b88f-b0da-48bc-a4b2-de6323f81b4e

7 - Hamilton: Aerotropolis is shrinking

"(Hamilton) city officials have backed down on a key part of their dispute with the provincial government over the size of the proposed airport employment growth. The move appears to reduce the planned 3000-acre aerotropolis by thirty per cent, and with face-to-face talks scheduled for today between the two governments, even more cuts may be in the offing," CATCH News reported on Dec. 1.

"The chief city representative says he's now looking for a negotiated settlement on the other provincial challenges to the amount of farmland the city will be allowed to industrialize around the airport. The two governments have been at loggerheads for over a year over several assumptions made by city consultants when they calculated how large the aerotropolis should be. ... It's possible that the growth district could shrink to a quarter of the size approved by council last June, or even be abandoned entirely. The province is pressing for at least some of the job growth to be located on existing industrial lands, such as along the bayfront".

http://www.hamiltoncatch.org

8 - US moves on medically unfit truck and bus drivers

"U.S. regulators are taking steps to get medically unfit truck and bus drivers off the road after being accused for years of dragging their feet on the issue. Under a rule approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, states will be required to merge commercial truck and bus drivers' licences with drivers' medical examination certificates into a single electronic record," Associated Press reported on Dec. 2.

"Linking the two will make it easier to check whether drivers have met medical requirements to operate commercial vehicles. States will have three years to comply."

AP reported: "Seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells while behind thewheel have been cited as critical factors in thousands of serious accidents involving commercial vehicles. Many commercial vehicle drivers whose serious medical conditions are known to their employers, health care providers and others are never reported to motor vehicle licensing authorities, NTSB says."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iHoU6r8EtPt9NQ4L2IxyU2XE3deQ

9 - British Qantas Airways

"Australia left the door open today to a $5.9-billion US merger between national airline Qantas Airways and British Airways, which sent the Australian carrier's shares up nearly 10 per cent. But the Labor government, which traditionally relies on trade unions for its power base, threatened to slam the door shut if it felt Qantas was effectively being taken over," Reuters reported on Dec. 3.

"Qantas and British Airways revealed yesterday they were in talks to form a dual-listed airline, which would ensure they kept their Australian and London listings but were run as one firm.

"For Qantas, a merger would open up the European market. 'It will be a partnership that is mutually beneficial. It does help Qantas get entrenched in that European market more effectively,' said Derek Sadubin, chief operating officer of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a Sydney-based consultancy," Reuters reported.

10 - 10 miles an hour: Cape Breton Nova Scotia Railway

Transport 2000 Atlantic sources say the Cape Breton railway is in trouble. They are concerned about the condition of the track and roadbed on the CBNS. A Sperryrail car made an inspection last week and put a 10 mph restriction on the entire line. Postings on Atlantic Rails even mentioned problems with track gauge; a concern given the fact they are hauling loaded tankers of LPG. Could CN use this as an opportunity to buy the line back at a lower than normal price?

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.