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Marsha Duncan signed HSR Petition 2017-01-31 17:49:12 -0500I’ve been riding the HSR for years and still the same issues befall the system – bus pass-bys; squished passengers; bus infrequency on the fringes of the City after 7pm (in fact, after visiting my cousin in Toronto on a Sunday evening; leaving his place just before 10pm to Union Station to get a on the train to Aldershot then getting a bus back to Hamilton GO Centre arriving just after mid-night, only to find there are no busses on a Sunday night after mid-night going east. So, I walked home. (I know, people would say, I should have left earlier; my fault, yes) But, I think it would be good to have better coordination with the final GO buses coming into the City so people can get closer to home.) Most people would give up using the system, but maybe I’m just too stubborn. Plus I truly believe it is better to take public transit for a whole host of reasons — environmental; congestion / cuts down on fossil fuel consumption/pollution; don’t have to clean off a vehicle or find a parking place. But, if the City wants to really change things and actually get people to take the bus or ride public transit — it has to be convenient; an experience that’s not odious or crammed; and frequent (I think I’ve run marathons over the years running for the bus, because I know the next one won’t be for a while); the City wastes more time – and money – not getting it right and seems to continue a piecemeal approach. Rather, once and for all should make it a real priority investment – especially with the funds from upper levels of government like the federal gas tax monies. They are not meant to fix pot holes and create roads – use them for what they are ear-marked – for better, consistent and effective public transit – Fix the HSR!!! Thanks for listening.
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.
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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.
Marsha Duncan
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