"'Le CN (Canadien national) et le CP (Canadien pacifique) utilisent déjà des véhicules qui peuvent à la fois circuler sur les routes et les chemins de fer, pour transporter des groupes d'employés d'entretien entre autres. ... Il serait facile d'adapter de même des véhicules de transport en commun pour en faire des autocars rail- route', a précisé M. Garceau".
The City-owned Prince of Wales Railway Bridge should be used immediately for a peak-hour rail shuttle between Ottawa's Transitway and O-Train and Gatineau's bus hub at Terrasses de la Chaudière, said David Jeanes, President of Transport 2000 Canada, speaking on behalf of Friends of the O-Train.
The track is intact, but requires minor maintenance by Capital Railway's existing maintenance contractor, and a permit for track occupancy from Transport Canada as far as the Domtar mill at Terrasses de la Chaudière. Costs should not be excessive and would be partly covered by savings on bus operation.
"(From) ... the first half of 2009, airlines based in the 27-nation bloc will be able to operate direct lights to Canada from anywhere in Europe (without) restrictions on routes, prices and the number of flights allowed ... ".
The deal is the most far-reaching and open aviation pact the EU has signed with a trade partner, and appears meant partly to pressure the United States to agree to upgrade its "open-skies" pact with the EU, which came into force earlier this year. ... It could spell trouble for Canada's two dominant airlines, Air Canada and ... WestJet Airlines Ltd.," AP reported.
"APTA noted that, by contrast, vehicle miles of travel (VMT) on the nation's highways declined in the same period by 4.6%, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Railway Age reported:"For rail modes, light rail (modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) had the highest percentage of ridership increase among all modes, up 8.5% during quarter compared with the comparable period last year. Light rail systems showed double-digit increases in the following areas: Baltimore (19.6%); Minneapolis (18.3%); Sacramento (16.5%); New Jersey (15.9%); Los Angeles (15.3%); Dallas (15.2%); Denver (15%); Buffalo (13.4%); and Memphis (13.3%).
http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridership.
"The draft bill would assign the presidential appointee overseeing auto industry restructuring to guarantee many of the transit agency financing deals.
"American International Group Inc. (AIG) guaranteed many of the lease-back agreements that transit agencies used to pay for buses, trains and other equipment in the 1990s. The insurer's collapse threw the deals into technical default and allowed investors to demand immediate repayment with hefty termination fees," CQ reported.
http://www.masstransitmag.com/publication/article.jsp?siteSection=3&id=7555
"The company put the measures in place Tuesday and Wednesday in Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Other stations across the country, including Ottawa, will follow suit Dec. 15."
Sun Media reported: "VIA Rail spokeswoman Catherine Kaloutsky said Transport Canada reviews the company's security annually. She said VIA will be looking at Greyhound's new security measures with interest. "VIA does security announcements, conducts random bag screening and canine patrol spot checks in its stations, Kaloutsky said."
A list of restricted and prohibited items is at:
"Only 3 out of every 1,000 commercial vehicles got roadside inspections in 2007," Sun Media reported.
The Teamster report: "The rule has been struck down twice by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court. The percentage of fatal crashes that result from driver fatigue rose 20 percent in 2005 from 2004 - the first year in which the longer hours of driving were allowed."
In Canada truck drivers can drive 13 hours a day. New Canadian regulations were put in place on Jan. 1, 2007, but no information has been released on the results. In Canada no legal actions have been attempted.
"Travaux publics et Services gouvernementaux Canada (TPSGC) ordonnait, la semaine dernière, la fermeture complète du pont pour une période indéterminée.
"Afin d'alléger les problèmes de circulation, Transport 2000 suggère que le pont ferroviaire Prince-de-Galles, sis entre les ponts des Chaudières et du Portage, (accueil une) navette ferroviaire entre les deux rives.
En 2004, la Ville d'Ottawa avait acquis ce pont du Canadien Pacifique (CP), ainsi que les voies ferrées qui vont des plaines LeBreton jusqu'au chemin Leitrim au sud d'Ottawa. ... Le président de Transport 2000, David Jeanes, estime qu'il est possible de mettre en place un train léger qui fera la navette entre (la station Bayview) et les Terrasses de la Chaudière".
City authorities have turned a deaf ear to Transport 2000's entreaties to open the Prince of Wales Bridge to train traffic, once again demonstrating their "competence", if new proof is needed. They say they defer to the NCC-led study of cross-river transit, but that has been put in the hands of the usual consulting firm*- which firm will surely recommend a bus-based system! *No other firm made a bid, given Ottawa's reputation in the transit business.
Finally, their much-vaunted Transitway is closed to buses from other transit authorities during the strike, so the Clarence-Rockland and NGPR motor coaches must use the Queensway and bypass such stops as St-Laurent and Train. A rumour does exist that the parties to the strike may reach agreement soon.