Alt Trans Axe Falls in Hamilton: Make some noise

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Transportation for Liveable Communities PO BOX 19, 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 1C0 905-525-9140 ext. 26026 tlchamilton(at)gmail.com

Transportation Advocacy Group says Hamilton is Driving Away Sustainable Transportation Options.
TLC opposes move to pull funding for cycling, walking and transit.

Since our inception in 2000, Transportation for Liveable Communities has been engaged in addressing a dysfunctional traffic system that prefers cars to cycling, walking and transit.

TLC's long awaited hopes for the city to take positive steps to improve infrastructure for alternatives to the private automobile have been devastated by the Committee of the Whole's decision to raise bus fares, drop the modest annual allocation for cycling improvements ($300,000), and to turn down a proposal for an alternative transportation coordinator position.

This is the second time in recent memory that the cycling budget has been dropped because previous year's money was not spent: TLC understands that the lack of spending has more to do with the absence of a staff position than anything else, since there is an obvious and urgent need for spending on a multitude of cycling projects.

In our experience, programs and infrastructure for cycling are continually falling years behind schedule, while frequent changes to city staff for cycling issues make follow through difficult. This situation leaves TLC with the clear realization that there is a strong correlation between the two. Hiring an alt trans coordinator would be the most efficient way to support cycling initiatives in the city.

The Transportation Master Plan, "intended to move the City towards the achievement of the objectives of Vision 2020 and are reflective of the 9 Strategic Directions to guide development decisions...identified as part of the GRIDS process, including Direction #6 - Expand transportation options that encourage travel by foot, bike and transit and enhance efficient inter-regional transportation connections," specifically states the need for a "permanent full-time staff position for Cycling and a permanent full-time position of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coordinator," as well as recognizing that "that planned population and employment growth over the next 30 years can be accommodated without the need for major new Escarpment crossings provided that viable alternatives to single occupant vehicles are fostered and developed"

By failing to pay the price in the budget (despite the fact the salary was to come from the annual cycling budget), we can expect more lip service to sustainable transportation when what we need is action.

Council's approach to the HSR: raising fares rather than taxes to support public transportation, hurts the city's potential to escape the jam we're in regarding traffic, air pollution, poverty, and pragmatic economic development in these global warming times. A serious look at area rating is long overdue. Making users pay the majority of the costs is not the answer.

In the big budget picture we're talking about small amounts, but amounts likely to deliver a huge payoff in terms of liveability and sustainability. For less than it costs to resurface a kilometer of four-lane road ($700,000) we could have the cycling budget and a staff position ($300,000) and still have half a million dollars to put toward transit; yet a majority of city councillors don't seem to recognize the value they would get.

By comparison, the City of Toronto has just allocated $3 million for next year's cycling budget.

"It's ironic that they made their decision to cut support for sustainable transportation during a poor air quality alert (March 28, 2007, Downtown Hamilton AQI 53), with pollution largely generated by roads and traffic" notes TLC. "We fail to see any logic in council's votes and we want the issues reconsidered."

Run Around the Bus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 23, 2007
Local group says "Run for the bus, don't drive to Around the Bay Road Race"

Local advocacy group Transportation for Liveable Communities is encouraging organizers of the Around the Bay Road Race, City Police and local media to promote transit as an option for people traveling to the weekend race.

"Nobody wants to be stuck in traffic, but given the fact this is a race of runners, extra traffic can only add unwanted air pollution. Taking transit, car pooling, cycling and walking are all viable alternatives to private automobiles in many cases," suggests TLC's Randy Kay. "We just want people to explore the options."

TLC is suggesting the Race web site include a link to info about transit to help people avoid parking hassles, help keep the streets from becoming congested, keep the air cleaner for the runners/walkers, and help people consider alternatives to the car.

LINKS:
HSR http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/CityServices/transit/
Burlington Transit http://cms.burlington.ca/Page146.aspx
GO - http://www.gotransit.com/
Greyhound http://www.greyhound.ca
VIA http://www.viarail.ca/en_index.html

TLC hopes the police and media will suggest transit as an option to keep things efficient, clean and safe.

Transportation for Liveable Communities is an all volunteer working group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster. Since 2000, TLC has been active promoting and advocating for sustainable transportation options in the city of Hamilton.

MARCH MEETING

TLC meeting, Monday, March 19, 5:00pm at McMaster University Student Centre room 229.
Agenda - Discussion and input on the City of Hamilton Transportation Master Plan

Dear Terry and Karen:

Thanks for this update. I hope that some of the actions will improve the traffic situation on Campus. I think that the efforts at the main street entrance will have a positive effect in the short term. I am sure that this will need constant attention until there is a more permanent solution such as a gated entrance and exit. Thank you for your efforts to try to reduce conflict between pedestrians/cyclists and cars. I will share this information with TLC.

Cheers, Jim

Dr. James S. Quinn, Professor, Biology Department
McMaster University

-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Sullivan [mailto:sullivan@mcmaster.ca]
Sent: 03 March 2007 21:15
To: 'Karen Belaire'; 'jim quinn'; 'Terry Sullivan'
Cc: 'Cathy O'Donnell'
Subject: RE: Main Street Entrance problems

Karen and Dr. Quinn,

Karen has mentioned some of the problems which we face while trying to resolve a problem with heavy traffic using our Sterling Street entrance. This coupled with about 450 HSR buses traveling through our University Ave results in a traffic flow that we try to manage. You may have noticed the improved style of crosswalk (piano heavy making) and the installation of stop signs midway through University Ave. We have also reviewed all crosswalks throughout the university and have or will be improving them.

I met with HSR and Councilor McHattie a week ago and expressed our support for moving the almost 100 HSR - Bee Line buses back to Main Street and off of University. There is a little conflict in that many of the passengers object to having it moved from the University Core and Main Street.

Beginning next week we will assign officers at the Main Street Entrance to ensure only those who should be using it will be doing so. All permit holders will be warned and turned around. Repeated attempts will result in tickets. We will report results to you on completion.

Sgt. O'Donnell will you assign the CP officer to this detail. Log times and results and develop plan to ticket repeat offenders.

Thanks.

Terry

---

From: Karen Belaire [mailto:belaire@mcmaster.ca]
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 2:46 PM
To: jim quinn; Terry Sullivan
Subject: Re: Main Street Entrance problems

Jim
I know that when we last exchanged emails I informed you of the challenges that the University was facing with the neighborhood association regarding traffic through the community. The result of that challenge was that HPS began ticketing all truck traffic . We then reached an interim solution with the neighborhood regarding the movement of truck traffic - the result is that it is moving through campus and we have implemented stop signs and crosswalk areas as well as escort services to ensure the safety of the pedestrians and cyclists on campus.
We are challenging this action with the city of Hamilton and it is taking longer than I would like to get this resolved. I won't bore you with the legal discussions , but I can tell you that they are continuing.
We have also been in discussion with HSR to address increasing bus traffic on the campus - and we have asked specifically for some buses to be moved off of our campus - again we wait for HSR to respond. HSR is not being an active participant in trying to find a solution to the traffic concerns. We have also engaged our lawyer to assist in these discussions.
We continue to monitor the traffic on campus and Terry Sullivan and the security staff do their best to catch people who are not abiding by our traffic rules - Unfortunately we do not have dedicated traffic security staff - they must do a lot of security services all across the campus and the staffing numbers have not been increased as the budget has been reduced in this area. On top of this we now have to provide escort services to the truck traffic.

I have copied Terry on your emails and he is doing his best to address your traffic concerns . We will do our very best to increase our ticketing of the traffic violators.

Terry may want to add some additional comments to this as he is closer to the action than I am.

Karen Belaire

staying on the case...McMaster Front Entrance

Friday, March 2, 2007

Dear Karen:

Although I have written three memo’s representing TLC on this issue between this and last year, I am writing today representing only myself, and mainly out of pure frustration. If you have been dealing with important personal or extenuating circumstances that have prevented responding to my last two messages, then I extend my best wishes for an upturn and look forward to an eventual reply to my those memos.

As a member of the original Main Street Entrance Steering committee I opposed many features of this entrance. The basis for my opposition, shared with other pedestrian/cycling advocates, was that the plan brought traffic onto the main campus and into conflict with cyclists and pedestrians unnecessarily. We lost the main arguments, being outnumbered by others that voted in favour of the basic plan. However, we won a number of concessions. Some of those concessions included physical structures, such as raised crosswalks, while others involved the operation of the Kiosk that was to ensure that only visitors to campus whom wished to pay and then park in lot 3 would be allowed to proceed through that entrance (buses, emergency vehicles etc. were to be exempted from this restriction). As time has gone by these “soft” or non-physical concessions have eroded away. TLC’s concerns have been expressed and the only response that we have received from you, dated January 15, 2007 (responding to questions that were initiated by my TLC memo to Dr. George dated June 6, 2006), did not address the concerns at all, deftly deflecting the campus traffic issue to an unrelated topic that was easy for you to rationalise, but was not the concern of our memo.

The past two storm events forced me temporarily to change my cycling route to campus, bringing me in through the main street entrance instead of across Cootes Drive. I have been frustrated to watch cars pass the kiosk in the open lane to the right and drive straight through to lot 3, despite assurances that a) non-visitors would not be allowed access to parking lot 3 through the main street entrance and b) folks would not be permitted to drive onto campus to drop passengers off. This was an issue that we had already identified during meetings of the steering committee. We were assured that this problem would be circumvented. It would appear that there is no intention to follow through on this promise, or that it is failing.

In addition to concerns over the operation of the Main street entrance there have been other changes to the roads on campus. There have been crosswalks and stop signs put in place. I do not know whether this has normalised driving through parts of campus that are designated only for pedestrians, buses, and service vehicles, but I am seeing more and more traffic that appears to be students and other folks driving through from the south west parts of campus (including from the Main street entrance) through campus to Sterling street or the parking lots near the Sterling street entrance. Many of those cars, especially after dark, seem to be travelling at high rates of speed as if they think this is now an open thoroughfare. While I recognise that this was not the intention of the changes, and it may not even be related to these changes, more drivers seem to be ignoring the small signs designating non-traffic areas and traveling on campus past the front of Life Sciences and Divinity college. This increased danger might be reduced by more prominent signage and increased efforts to enforce.

I am frustrated and would like to see some positive changes that favour pedestrians,cyclists and safety over unsustainable transportation and danger!

Sincerely,

Jim

Dr. James S. Quinn, Professor, Biology Department
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1