Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

6 November 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1045, for 6 November 2009.

In this issue...

1 - New Year's TTC fare hike likely

"All signs point to a New Year's fare hike for TTC riders, now that the Toronto Transit Commission has moved up its monthly November meeting to talk about operating costs. ... It's not clear how big a fare hike is being contemplated, but an increase of about 25 cents per ride raises about $45 million in revenue for the transit system," Toronto Star's Tess Kalinowski reported on Nov. 4.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/720791--new-year-s-ttc-fare-hike-likely?bn=1

2 - La STO hausse ses tarifs

« Il en coûtera 1$ de plus par mois, pour voyager à bord des autobus de la Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) en 2010. Le budget de 89,2 millions$ adopté hier par le conseil d'administration de la STO comporte une hausse de 1,2% des tarifs ainsi qu'une augmentation de 3,7 millions$ de la quote-part de la Ville de Gatineau, qui atteindra 37,5 millions$ en 2010. Cette hausse est bien inférieure à celle de 2,5% imposée en 2009 mais elle s'ajoute à une série d'augmentations qui font en sorte que le laissez-passer mensuel est 33% plus cher aujourd'hui qu'il ne l'était en 2000 » Le Droit a rapporté le 29 octobre.

3 - Hamilton: Fare hike next stop for city transit

"The HSR wants to hike bus fares for the third time in as many years to make up for lower ridership and increased costs. The city's transit system is facing a $1.6-million loss this year and a predicted $3.4-million shortfall next year. Council will be presented with two options to help recoup costs at a special meeting on Thursday: a 10-cent increase, which would bump monthly passes to $84, or a 20-cent increase, which would hike passes to $88. Pre-paid tickets would go up to $1.95 or $2.05 from $1.85, while fares paid on the bus would grow to $2.50 or $2.60 from $2.40," the Hamilton Spectator's Emma Reilly reported on Oct. 27.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/660978

4 - TransLink fares, gas and parking taxes hiked by mayors

On Oct. 23 CBC News reported: "Metro Vancouver mayors have voted to raise the regional gas tax, parking tax and transit fares to generate extra funding required to keep the area's transportation system running. The plan will raise $130 million, in part by raising TransLink's gas tax by three cents per litre, putting the total TransLink tax at 15 cents a litre. The increase could come as soon as Jan. 1, 2010."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/10/23/bc-translink-gas-parking-tax-fares-hike.html

5 - Le financement du transport en commun: Transport 2000 Québec dit « assez du patch-up »

Jean Léveillé, président du conseil de l'Association, «nous en avons assez du patch-up, d'année en année, et souhaitons parvenir à de réels changements dans les politiques». Des experts en consommation, en financement et même en génie-conseil viendront éclairer les débats, notamment sur les questions de péage, de politique tarifaire et financement des services. Transport 2000 Québec est une association nationale sans but lucratif qui a pour mission de défendre les droits et les intérêts des usagers ainsi que de promouvoir les transports collectifs et l'intégration des moyens de transport (intermodalité) depuis 1977.

6 - Transport Canada: $128 million for 9 km of Sudbury four-lane

On Nov. 5 Transport Canada announced improvements to Highway 69. "The project involves construction of nine kilometres of four-lane highway (six kilometres of new alignment and three kilometres of twinning existing two-lane highway) from Highway 637 north to Estaire. The project's total estimated cost is $128 million. It will create or sustain up to 1,000 direct and indirect jobs," Transport Canada reported.

7 - Banks pressure U.S. transit agencies over $2 billion worth of leasebacks

"Like a tsunami that follows an undersea earthquake, collateral damage from the collapse of credit markets is about to strike the millions of daily transit riders in America's biggest cities. Public transit agencies in cities including New York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington are under pressure to surrender $2 billion from their budgets because financial institutions have spotted a chance to gain a windfall from complicated tax-shelter deals known as 'leasebacks'," Mitchell Moss wrote in a New York Times opinion piece on Nov. 1.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/opinion/02moss.html

8 - Amtrak releases new strategic guidance and five-year plan

The new Strategic Guidance sets the foundation for the FY 2010-2014 Five Year Financial Plan, and together they encompass the strategy for continuing Amtrak's ridership growth that has increased steadily from 21.6 million in FY 2002 to 27.2 million in FY 2009, with an all-time record high of 28.7 million in FY 2008. ... Among the specific plans to be accomplished by the end of FY 2014 are to increase ridership by 15 percent, grow ticket revenue by 20 percent, expand service on eight existing state-supported corridors, form two new state partnerships and improve reliability of service across the railroad, Amtrak reported on Oct. 30.

9 - Aviation Safety News: Passenger rights bill, CATSA broke, Cougar Flight 491

Aviation Safety News, published on Nov. 3 includes stories on Sikorsky S-92 helicopters, Passenger rights bill, Northwest Flight 188, CATSA broke, Laser attacks, Protect whistleblowers, Better Air-Traffic-Control System and Cougar Flight 491. Aviation Safety News is a project of Transport 2000 Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. The Aviation Safety News readers' group includes top aviation safety authorities, industry and civil service professionals.

http://aviation.web.net

10 - Ontario-Quebec trade agreement: Trucking industry hat trick

"Ontario Trucking Association president David Bradley has applauded the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between Ontario and Quebec. ... Bradley said that, prior to negotiations, the OTA had three recommendations for Ontario's lead negotiator, Jim Peterson, the former federal Minister of International Trade. ... Bradley told the audience that when Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that his province would be moving to introduce all three of OTA's recommendations, "We felt like we had just scored a hat-trick," Truck News reported on Nov. 2.

The OTA chief cited speed limiters, an increase in allowable axle weights and the longer combination vehicle pilot project now underway in Ontario. Critics of the process, like the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, note the trade agreement was negotiated in secret with no public input. Opponents of the LCV trial say, given the most recent safety statistics for Ontario cover 2006, the public won't know anything about the safety record of double-trailer trucks until 2012.

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/orsar/orsar06/

11 - High-speed Rail Summit: Accelerate economic growth

"American rail advocates are urging the Canadian and U.S. governments to show the courage to get on board interconnected high-speed rail networks that would accelerate economic growth in key regions and fight urban sprawl. ... The California High Speed Rail Authority is poised to break ground next year on its proposed network, thanks to nearly $10 billion in public funding, approved by the population, along with the support of politicians such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Barack Obama ..." the Ottawa Citizens Mike De Souza reported on Nov. 2 on the Railway Association of Canada's High-speed Rail Summit.

http://news.globaltv.com/news/Canada+urged+board+high+speed+rail+projects/2173793/story.html

12 - High-speed rail seminars in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington

The American Public Transportation Association and the International Union of Railways (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer, or UIC) will host three regional seminars in early 2010. The goal of these seminars is to provide U.S. decision makers the information necessary to implement high-speed rail. The seminars, titled "International Practicum on Implementing High-Speed Rail in the United States," will be held on February 8-9 in Washington, D.C.; February 9-11 in Chicago; and February 11-13 in Los Angeles," Railway Track and Structures reported on Oct. 29.

http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/apta-uic-to-host-regional-seminars-on-high-speed-rail.html

13 - Public transit builds ridership in eastern Ontario counties

The North Glengarry Prescott-Russell Transport Board (TEO) ridership is growing. From 121 pass-holders in November 2008, their number has grown to 250 in October 2009. The number of trips from Eastern Ontario to Ottawa was 5,640 in November 2008, and it is now 10,500. Including those who pay cash from day to day, the number of trips in a month - 5,693 at the start - is now 10,782. TEO serves four municipalities, North Glengarry, La Nation, Casselman and North Stormont.

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

www.transport2000.ca.