Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

25 September 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1039, for 25 September 2009.

In this issue...

1 - Calendar

2 - Governor urged to halt new Detroit River international crossing

"A new open letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Legislature from Michigan and Canadian environmental and transportation activist groups calls for the state to halt all spending on a proposed new Detroit River crossing," Crain's Detroit Business reported on Sept. 21.

"(Transit Riders United) and other groups have similar environmental concerns about that project's spanning effort, which faces legal and political opposition of its own in Michigan and Canada. Also signing the letter were Citizens Environmental Alliance, Ontario Smart Growth Network and the Ontario and Canadian Transport 2000 groups," Crain's Bill Shea reported. http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20090921/FREE/909219975#

Transport 2000 Ontario's Aug. 11 presentation on DRIC to Dave Penfold, Policy Advisor to the Minister of Transportation is at:

http://windsorcityon.blogspot.com/2009/09/letters-we-get-letters.html

3 - Double tractor-trailers: I hope to see many more on the highways

Ontario Trucking Association chief David "Bradley explained some of the details of Ontario's long combination vehicle (LCV) pilot project to the business group, and said about 18 LCVs are currently operating in Ontario. That number will likely reach the pilot's capacity of 100 by the end of the project and "once that pilot is over, I hope to see many more on the highways" eSource Canada Business News Network reported on Sept. 24.

"Bradley also spoke of the association's wish for mandatory electronic on-board recorders, admitting "the paper-based logbook system is a joke." This is another controversial issue, he admitted, however he said drivers who are opposed to EOBRs should realize "every time somebody cheats, you're giving your service away to the shipper for free," eSource Canada reported.

4 - La journée sans voiture: Normand Parisien, Transport 2000

« Wow, les moteurs! Pour une septième année consécutive, une partie du centre-ville de Montréal va, pour quelques heures aujourd'hui, se draper dans le vert revendicateur de la journée sans voiture. Objectif? Sensibiliser les urbains aux affres du tout-automobile... mais avec un peu moins de substance et de pertinence que par le passé, faute d'actions concrètes en faveur des transports en commun, dénoncent toutefois plusieurs penseurs de la ville » Le Devoir a rapporté le 22 septembre.

«Ce créneau horaire, c'est une imposture», dit Normand Parisien, de l'organisme Transport 2000, un groupe versé dans la promotion du transport collectif au Québec qui voit là la tenue d'une journée sans voiture favorisant tout de même son usage. «Ça soulève effectivement des doutes sur les convictions de l'administration municipale en matière de transport en commun » Fabien Deglise a rapporté.

5 - 1,500 cities marks Car Free Day

"Motorized vehicles are barred from parts of downtown Montreal as the city marks Car Free Day on Tuesday. The annual global event was born in Europe a decade ago as a way to reduce air pollution. Montreal is one of some 1,500 cities around the world to take part in the event. ... It's the seventh year Montreal has taken part in Car Free Day. Toronto was the first Canadian city to join the global event," CBC News reported on Sept. 22.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/09/22/montreal-car-free-day.html

6 - Bedford hovercraft proposal may not float: John Pearce, Transport 2000

"Although hovercraft are used year-round in the English Channel, the water and, especially, the air temperatures in winter over the Channel don't fall very far below 0 Celsius. The hovercraft could be an ideal vehicle for fast trips across Northumberland Strait or across the Bay of Fundy except that operation in temperatures below minus 4 Celsius (25 Fahrenheit) leads to a build-up of ice from spray on the aprons of the craft," Transport 2000's John Pearce wrote in a letter to the Sunday Herald on Sept. 20.

"This ice build-up weighs it down, and makes it difficult and sometimes unsafe to operate in winter. I am not privy to engineering details, but it would seem wise to investigate this, and look for examples of hovercraft operating successfully in arctic conditions elsewhere in the world," Pearce wrote.

7 - Human train for clean air rally: Transport 2000 Ontario supports electrification

The Clean Train coalition rally tomorrow (Sept. 26) hopes "to send a message to Premier McGuinty that he must act now to scrap plans to run hundreds of polluting diesel trains a day through our neighbourhoods, and direct Metrolinx to use only clean, quiet electric trains for any expansion of rail traffic along the Georgetown corridor."

"Transport 2000 Ontario is in support of electrification of the Georgetown GO line from Day One of its opening. For the first time in Toronto, thousands of citizens are speaking out in favour of electrified frequent all-day two-way GO train service in Toronto. Eventually? Why not now!" Transport 2000's Tony Turrittin says.

http://www.cleantrain.ca

8 - Via Rail may be forced to cut staff

"Via Rail may be forced to cut routes and lay off staff as part of a government cost-cutting exercise, warns a transport watchdog group. Earlier this year, the Conservative government asked the Crown corporation to identify lower priority and lower performing programs that represent 5% of its parliamentary allocation," Sun Media reported on Sept. 18.

"Via doesn't have any fat to cut," said Transport 2000 Canada's president David Jeanes. "The only way they have to achieve those types of budget cuts is to completely eliminate or drastically reduce services, for example cutting the number of trains across the country." Jeanes is worried declining passenger rates on Via Rail's western and eastern routes to Gaspe and Halifax will make the regions particularly vulnerable to cuts," Sun Media's Althia Raj wrote.

9 - Transport 2000 supports Niagara GO bus route but hopes for accommodation

"A private bus company is outraged over what it feels is an unnecessary public transit line in the Toronto-Niagara corridor," CBC News reported on Sept. 19

"David Jeanes, president of Ottawa-based Transport 2000 Canada - a non-profit organization that promotes environmentally sound transportation solutions - told CBC News that although he understands Coach Canada's sense that there isn't a level playing field with the introduction of the GO route, "the type of service provided by Coach Canada and Greyhound is not the same.

"GO transit is an environmentally friendly mode of transportation, Jeanes said, and one that is financially attractive to many people. "GO moves a lot of people. Any expansion of GO Transit in the Niagara peninsula will certainly be beneficial to residents," CBC News' Anna Sharratt wrote.

"Private coach lines serve many more communities than GO Transit will. Transport 2000 hopes some kind of accommodation can be worked out," Jeanes also noted.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/09/18/gobus-routeniagara.html

10 - Aviation Safety: Bounce landings, complaints bureau, pipeline fund

Transport 2000 Canada and Public Interest Advocacy Centre released an edition of Aviation Safety News on Sept. 23 which covered Transport Canada's alleged use of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline fund to cover aviation safety inspection costs, the TSB's recommendation to improve bounce landing training and the FAA's new safety complaints bureau. Transport 2000 Canada is represented on the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council. The Aviation Safety readers' group includes top aviation safety authorities, industry and civil service professionals.

Government of Canada and VIA Rail expand renewal of passenger train cars and locomotives

On Sept. 21 the Government of Canada and VIA Rail announced a "$20 million program to renew and improve two key components of its nationwide locomotive and rolling stock fleet, funded from the $407 million investment in passenger rail improvements under the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan. "It gives me great pleasure to announce the overhaul of 78 cars and 21 locomotives for improved service across VIA Rail's transcontinental network," said the Honourable Rob Merrifield, Minister of State (Transport).

"This project includes the renovation and upgrade of 78 HEP 1 long-haul cars of various types and of 21 P-42 diesel-electric locomotives. The HEP 1 stainless steel cars are primarily assigned to VIA's world-renowned Toronto-Vancouver streamliner, the Canadian, which is an important contributor to Canada's tourism industry. The P-42 locomotives haul VIA's fastest trains in the busy Quebec-Windsor Corridor," CNW Telbec reported.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2009/21/c7161.html

11 - Ottawa LRT Plans Receive Failing Grades: Dr. Barry Wellar, Transport 2000

Dr. Barry Wellar, Professor Emeritus at the University of Ottawa, and Distinguished Research Fellow at Transport 2000 Canada, has completed the grading of responses by the City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission, and the federal and provincial governments to questions about Ottawa's LRT plans involving the downtown segment and the proposed Western Parkway segment west of downtown.

In his summary of the results, Dr. Wellar reports that "The City of Ottawa was awarded a grade of FAIL on all ten questions involving the downtown segment of the LRT plan, and a grade of DEFERRED on the Western Parkway. The National Capital Commission was awarded a grade of FAIL on the downtown segment and a grade of FAIL for the Western Parkway questions. The federal government was awarded a FAIL for its communication skills, and a grade of DEFERRED for both the downtown and Western Parkway parts of the LRT exam. The provincial government received a DEFERRED mark for both the downtown and Parkway segments."

The 57-page report, Analysis of Responses to 'Questions, Questions, and More Questions about Ottawa's LRT Plan, 2009 Edition' can be viewed on the Transport 2000 Canada website at: http://www.transport2000.ca/

12 - Mike Jager: A leading light

"It is shocking and tragic that we lost Mike so quickly and without any warning that he would succumb to cancer in such a short time. He was the person who probably had the most insider knowledge of anyone in Ottawa about how our very successful O-Train was brought into existence eight years ago. His own contributions to the project were very significant and I wish I had had further opportunities to learn about them," David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000 wrote on Sept. 21.

Mike was a leading light of efforts to bring commuter rail to the National Capital Region and to support the aspirations of many towns beyond Ottawa and Gatineau to benefit from the network of existing but underutilized rail lines. He had previously expended an enormous amount of energy on the attempts to incrementally expand the O-train, as originally intended," Jeanes wrote.

Friends will gather in Mike's memory Sunday afternoon at 1:00 at one of his favourite haunts, the Heart and Crown in the ByWard Market.

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

www.transport2000.ca.