Heather Sinclair at Environment Hamilton OLD

Heather Sinclair signed HSR Petition via Beth de Jong 2017-01-28 22:17:34 -0500

It would also help immensely to create a combined senior and disabled bus pass that costs the same as the current senior pass ($26.50 per month). People with legitimate disabilities can afford that, and it would effectively stop those people who (for whatever reasons) fake disability. The qualifiation for legitimate disability can be easily proven with statements from ODSP or CPP-D, or with a tax assessment that shows they get the Disability Tax credit. This could be across the board for all disabilities, so that no particular group could claim discrimination. This will increase revenue for the HSR and will no doubt actually make it easier for people using wheelchairs to get on a bus when the non-legitmate users are eliminated from crowding the buses
Quick Facts on Hamilton Transit:
- Hamilton has been spending increasingly less on transit over time. Adjusting for inflation to 2016 dollars, the city spent $83.85 million on transit in 1994, $61.15 million on transit in 2005, and $59.02 million on transit in 2016.
- Hamilton City Council approved the Rapid Ready transit plan, which requires a capital investment of $156 million and a commitment to address an operating cost shortfall of $45 million. Council also approved the Ten Year Local Transit Strategy which includes a requirement to invest $57 million on new buses alone. While these plans have been approved, Council has yet to commit these dollars, and scheduled fare increases are insufficient to cover the costs.
- Each year the federal government gives cities money generated from the federal gas tax with the intent that it be invested in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean our air, and clean our water. Many cities across the country spend their gas tax money on transit. Of $32 million in federal gas tax transfers to Hamilton last year, $3 million went to transit and $29 million to road work.
Organisational Endorsements:

Does your organisation endorse this petition?

Let us know and we'll add you!

[email protected]

913 signatures

The Petition:

The HSR is broken and it’s time to fix it. We’re calling on Hamilton City Council to take our city’s transit needs seriously by committing to substantially increase funding for the HSR.

There are a number of actions Council can take in the short term to increase funding, such as spending more of our federal gas tax dollars on transit, like other cities do. Hamilton can also raise taxes to deliver the transit we need and deserve. The scheduled fare increases are not going to fix the HSR while tax dollars for transit remain stagnant.

Public transit is a public good, and enhancing service will bring benefits to residents across Hamilton.

Add signature