transportation for liveable communities

Bike Repair

2012-01-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

Detroit Bike City from Alex Gallegos on Vimeo.

TLC January Meeting

2012-01-09T13:47:00.001-05:00

Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) will meet at 7pm, Thursday, January 26 at the McMaster University Student Centre room 220.
We will be discussing sustainable transportation issues and planning action. Meeting is open to all with an interest in taking action on pedestrian, cycling, transit, traffic calming, etc.

Cancelled

2012-01-09T12:33:00.002-05:00

From the City of Hamilton Cycling Page: the following Shifting Gears Cycling Plan projects have been cancelled, a situation made possible by a council amendment to the cycling plan upon adoption, allowing Ward councillors to veto projects. Projects are mapped by TLC here.

Mohawk Road (McNiven Road to Filman Road) - wider asphalt platform was not included in the resurfacing [project #127 in Shifting Gears; Councillor Ferguson, Ward 12]
Nash Road - as Councillor approval was not granted [project #76 in Shifting Gears; Councillor Collins, Ward 5]
Barton Street (Nash Road to Centennial Parkway) - relocation of utilities/poles impeded the project [project #13, Councillor Collins, Ward 5]
Queensdale Avenue - as Councillor approval was not granted [project #83 in Shifting Gears; Councillor Jackson, Ward 6]

Not There Yet...

2012-01-09T12:08:00.000-05:00

Some observations based on the "Bike Friendly" article from the Hamilton Spectator, January 9, 2012 (copied below).

"delayed" - while it's understandable that delays with specific projects will occur, the big delay not mentioned is the potential 40-year timeline to implement the cycling network based on city council spending.
"$300,000 per year" has been the amount annually budgeted for cycling since well before the updated Shifting Gears Cycling Plan, and has had years where this amount was cancelled (most notably in 2003 during World Cycling Championship in Hamilton). This rate would mean the cycling network would have trouble being completed even in the long 40 year time frame quoted. The city would need to spend $1.25 million a year to complete only the urban portion, or $2.5 million to complete the urban and rural plan in 40 years.
"Patchwork, disconnected" is an ongoing complaint with bike lanes ending abruptly and leaving cyclists to contend with multiple lanes of vehicles including transport trucks.
"high speed traffic" is one of the unaddressed problems in the city, and traffic calming, like two-way traffic on what are now fast and wide one way streets, should be implemented sooner rather than later to make streets safer for all users.
"better parking facilities" - nothing says you're not welcome like a lack of bike parking at key destinations.
"separated infrastructure...along major roads" - while other cities like Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto are moving toward physically separated lanes to encourage more people to cycle, there is nothing in Hamilton's cycling plan acknowledging this latest innovation. Major roads have not been included in the Shifting Gears cycling plan and cyclists feel this is to keep cars moving as fast as possible while relegating bicycles to back streets along disjointed routes.
"new lanes currently planned" - the list given here are lower city streets primarily west of downtown; are other city wards getting lanes, or are they getting cancelled?

Hamilton sets its sights on bike-friendly status

"New bike lanes on Dundurn Street North have been delayed until the spring, but the city says it’s still well on its way to being a bike-friendly community.

“I think we are doing quite well and looking at the 2012 capital budget and projections going forward, there is considerable money going into bike lanes,” said Councillor Brian McHattie.

The standard amount of money allotted to cycling infrastructure is $300,000 per year from the city’s capital budget. That’s on top of additional work through road projects across the city.

There are about 130 kilometres of bike lanes on the streets in Hamilton and a network of multi-use trails consisting of 55 kilometres of paved pathways and 80 kilometres unpaved.

Abram Bergen owns THAAT Delivery, a service that uses cargo bikes and trailers to deliver up to 300 pounds of goods throughout Hamilton.

“I think we have made some progress, there are some really nice lanes, but they are really patchwork, disconnected, so I would hesitate to call ourselves bicycle-friendly at this point,” said Bergen, 38.

Bergen would like to see more separated infrastructure especially along the major roads such as Cannon, King and Main streets.

“You could easily take an entire lane, separate that and have two-way traffic for bicycles.”

Extending the Dundurn Street North bike lanes from King to York streets is one of two ongoing cycling projects in the city as well as two-way bike lanes along the bridges over Highway 403 on both King and Main. The Dundurn project has been pushed back to the spring for weather reasons and the bridge lanes are being done while the bridge is being rebuilt.

According to Daryl Bender, Alternative Transportation project manager for the city, eight projects are in the works at various stages of planning and many of them are looking positive for the spring.

Some of the projects will connect to existing bike lanes and improve cycling routes overall. New lanes are currently being planned for sections of Hunter, Wellington and Herkimer streets, Charlton and Woodward avenues, and on Main and King streets, beyond Macklin.

In August, Hamilton was awarded Bicycle Friendly Status by Share the Road Cycling Coalition, an Ontario based nonprofit organization, for its efforts to promote cycling as a mode of transportation, recreation and fitness.

Robert Brown is a member of the city’s cycling committee. He cycles primarily for exercise and for pleasure in Flamborough but he also bikes into Hamilton occasionally.

“I think it is bicycle-friendly but it still needs a lot of work for sure … I don’t really enjoy biking on city streets too much, but I do it for my utilitarian necessities from time to time,” said Brown, 66.

Brown sites safety hazards and high-speed traffic as deterrents for riding in the city. He also says there should be better parking facilities for people who cycle downtown as it’s tough to find spots in the core.

Special to the Hamilton Spectator

Trail Network

2 years of Pedestrian Accident Locations Mapped in Open Data

2012-01-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

Open Government Data Initiative

2008-2009 Pedestrian Accident Locations in Hamilton ON

Up Front About McMaster's Main Entrance

2012-01-03T14:04:00.000-05:00

January 3, 2012

Councillor Brian McHattie,

City of Hamilton

Dear Brian,

I am writing on behalf of Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) to formally request that the city of Hamilton take an active role in McMaster University's proposed changes to traffic patterns at the Main St. Entrance to McMaster University. The area of concern is a city property under your jurisdiction, yet there appears to have been little information shared in the planning.

As we understand, McMaster University has retained the MMM Group to assess the traffic situation at McMaster’s Main St entrance with the goal of enhancing safety. We applaud McMaster’s intention of improving safety at this dangerous location, which we have discussed with you numerous times over the past several years. Nevertheless, we would like a more open and transparent consultation with local residents and stakeholders to ensure overall City and McMaster transportation priorities emphasizing pedestrian, bicycle and public transportation are met. Dealing with the front entrance in isolation, as a McMaster University issue, will present difficulties for a satisfactory outcome.

Sincerely yours,

Randy Kay

For TLC

cc - TLC

Daryl Bender

tlchamilton.org

Previous TLC articles
Back to Front Entrance
Main Concern
Related Articles:

http://ppims.mcmaster.ca/construction/entrance.htm

http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=4340

http://www.mcmaster.ca/opr/html/opr/our_campus/campus_plan/mac_univ_front_entrance.html
http://www.mcmaster.ca/mufa/newsfeb8.htm [re: original intent to have cars use internal campus pedestrian zone]
http://www.mcmaster.ca/opr/html/opr/media/main/NewsReleases/2005/NR_mainst.html (Daily News re: announce construction]

cars are dangerous and roads are chaotic: proof

2011-12-16T20:31:00.001-05:00

The Spectator is reporting that

"Allan Maki, who was convicted of dangerous driving causing three deaths when he went into diabetic shock, has been handed a suspended sentence without jail time.The judge called the ruling exceptional, because Maki has Type I diabetes. The judge said he had no intent of causing harm. The Crown was seeking a reformatory sentence.Maki was given three years' probation, a 10-year driving prohibition and has to complete 240 hours of community service within 18 months - all of which are the maximum allowable."

The original tragic story unfolded here, in Hamilton on York Blvd.

Bike Lanes 2.0

2011-12-16T10:07:00.001-05:00

On the Right Track from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

plains plans

2011-12-14T17:12:00.003-05:00

Functional Design Analysis of Plains RoadThe City of Burlington is currently studying how Plains Road should be re-designed in the next ten years. For more information about this important project click on link and visit the Plains Road Corridor Functional Design and Implementation Strategy web page. Tell Burlington what changes you would like to see along Plains Road. To participate, complete the online survey or fill out the Comment Form (Word document).

December Meeting

2011-11-30T10:56:00.001-05:00

TLC is having a meeting Thursday, December 15 at 7 pm to 8:30pm at the McMaster University Student Centre room 311 - we will discuss recent initiatives, and plan for future actions around sustainable transportation in Hamilton - pedestrian, cycling, transit etc.
If you have ideas and are willing to put time and energy into seeing ideas become actions, then please attend!
You can contact tlchamilton@gmail.com for more information.

Anti-Bus Bias?

2011-11-08T13:23:00.003-05:00

Transit in the Media: as Hamilton tries to remake itself into a more "balanced" transportation city, the local media can perhaps try unloading the cars-first bias, subtle as it is: why not begin the article with "transit riders, take note: your commute is about to get a bit faster."
This kind of setting the tone is not without precedent when the topic is cars - but then again, car ads are an important revenue stream, so perhaps the bias is partly self preservation?
Regardless of the motivation, be it conscious or unconscious, the world is presented to readers in a certain light: cars are to be inconvenienced by transit, or cyclists, or pedestrians. It follows that a perceived "war on the car" can be announced at any time and gain traction in the media, despite the obvious fact that cars have been having their way in the city for generations.
In the interest of democratic give-and-take, we all have to learn to share the existing roads. Can we get the media to spin a little without internal combustion engines turning the wheels?

Life in the bus-only lane
Hamilton Spectator

Drivers, take note: your commute downtown is about to get a bit more complicated.

The city’s public works committee approved a pilot project Monday that will see a lane of King Street between John and Bay streets dedicated solely to buses during rush hour.

The one-year pilot, set to launch in April, will ban drivers from the curb lane along King between 7 and 9 a.m., and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

It also means drivers won’t be able to make right turns during peak traffic hours at several intersections, including at Hughson, James and Locke streets. Delivery vehicles and taxis will also be prohibited from idling in the bus-only lanes at peak hours.

Gerry Davis, head of public works, said the city will let drivers know about the changes well in advance.

“We’re not going to start fining them on the first day of April. There’s going to have to be a transition because people are creatures of habit,” Davis said.

The lane will be marked with a diamond symbol and overhead signs will be installed, letting drivers know about the program.

The pilot program will head to council for ratification on Nov. 16.

Councillors Brian McHattie and Jason Farr, whose wards include the proposed transit-only lanes, said they support the project but are concerned about potential effects on area businesses.

“I’d like to consult with them before council makes the actual decision,” Farr said.

Other cities, including Quebec City, Toronto and Ottawa, have already introduced similar programs.

Free Lecture November 7

2011-10-24T11:36:00.000-04:00

Coroner review of Cycling Deaths in Ontario

2011-10-24T10:52:00.001-04:00

First there was the Coroner's report on Toronto, now an Ontario-wide review into cycling fatalities:
- - - -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/10/24/ontario-coroner-cycling-death-review.html

ONTARIO CORONER TO PROBE CYCLING DEATHS

Ontario's chief coroner will investigate an increase in cycling deaths across Ontario during a five-year period, it was announced Monday.

Dr. Dan Cass, a regional supervising coroner based in Toronto, leads the review and will look into all cycling-related deaths from 2006-10, searching for some common factors.

If Cass can see any similarities between the deaths, he will make recommendations to help increase cycling safety across the province. A final report should be released in spring 2012.

The investigation was initiated because of a concern surrounding cycling safety. The coroner estimates between 15 and 20 cyclists die on Ontario roads every year from accidental collisions.

Toronto cyclists union already on board
Toronto's cyclists union, which estimates a total of 35 pedestrians and cyclists die each year on Toronto roads, has already commended the coroner for undertaking the probe.

The coroner's office has also already met with Toronto lawyers Patrick Brown and Albert Koehl, who are both on the cyclists union, concerning the review.

"Safety improvements for one group of road users benefit other users. Any decrease in collisions will also reduce health care costs, suffering and family grief, which makes this initiative very important for the entire community," said Brown.

According to the cyclists union, there has been a reported 30 per cent increase in the number of people riding to work across Canada.

A 2009 poll cited by the union also revealed 60 per cent of Ontarians would cycle more but are afraid to do so.

Toronto cycling last reviewed in 1998

Toronto's regional coroner completed a review of cycling safety in the city in 1998 and made a long list of recommendations.

The final report asked for more detailed reporting of collisions, more education for cyclists and motorists and increased awareness surrounding helmet use, among other recommendations.

The report also called for more bike lanes and safer areas for cyclists to ride in Toronto.

This latest investigation also comes two weeks after an Ottawa woman — who was cycling to work — died after she was knocked into moving traffic by someone opening a car door.

Official Opening of Rail Trail extension over Highway 403

2011-10-21T13:23:00.001-04:00

Councillor McHattie's office is extending an invitation to cyclists to attend the official opening of the new rail trail extension from Kirkendall to West Hamilton, past the railyard and over Hwy 403. A formal ceremony to celebrate the opening happens Wednesday, October 26 at 10 a.m. on the west side of the railyard at Stroud - so show up to celebrate cycling style!

Note that the city is still waiting for a decision from the Niagara Escarpment Commission about the cycling path link between Studholme and Glenside, across the Chedoke Golf Course.

Back to Front Entrance

2011-10-03T09:02:00.001-04:00

The problematic front entrance at McMaster University's Main Street entry point that went from bad to worse with a major re-design and construction in 2007 is back on the drawing board at the University.

While we couldn't locate anything about the project on the McMaster web site page for the front entrance, or parking and transit, we did receive a copy of the pdf document prepared by consultants on the project for the university.

TLC will be following up with the university and city council about this major intersection that currently presents a dangerous situation for cyclists and pedestrians.

With the newly paved rail trail connection south of Main Street, there needs to be a way for cyclists to access the campus with some specific infrastructure in any new design at this location.

Improving the pedestrian crossings is also a priority for TLC, as the current design attempts (and fails) to serve automobile traffic at the expense of all other modes.

The McMaster University Faculty Association has been monitoring the situation, and some details about the project can be found in their newsletter.

Cycling City Style: Minneapolis Midtown Greenway

2011-10-02T17:23:00.000-04:00

Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway: Good for Biz, Good for Bikes. from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Look at the strides a city comparable in size to Hamilton has done for cycling!

Smooth Ride for West Enders Tomorrow

2011-09-28T17:27:00.003-04:00

The extension of the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail is being paved today, and will make for a smooth ride for west end commuters tomorrow.

This significant and long-awaited cycling link is nearing completion, with lighting and landscaping and some fencing to follow the paving.

They city will maintain the trail all year, removing snow in winter, which will make this a popular trail for cyclists, hikers and joggers.

Built on an abandoned CP rail line, the trail extends from Studholme Road in the east, to the Main West Fortinos plaza and the Hamilton to Brantford trail head at Ewan Road to the west (Project #3 on TLC's Shifting Gears Cycling Master Plan map: click here to view) providing a safe, car-free crossing over highway 403.

A link to Glenside Avenue through the Chedoke Golf Course will further strengthen this connection linking South West Hamilton to neighbourhoods south of McMaster University, and into Dundas.

Congratulations to the city staff and councillor Brian McHattie for seeing this through to its conclusion.

2011-09-24T08:11:00.001-04:00

Bike Box in Ottawa (photo R.K.)

"The first bike-box in Hamilton is about to be installed on Studholme Road at Aberdeen Avenue. A bike box is used at intersections to designate a space for cyclists to wait in front of cars at a red traffic signal so cyclists are more visible to auto drivers. A bike box minimizes confussion between left-turning cyclists and right-turning cars as well. The City of Guelph has created an informative video to explain how both bicycles and automobiles are to operate at bike boxes. Click here to get informed." (source: City of Hamilton)

The installation of the bike box accompanies the installation of a traffic light of course (pictured during installation), which will make this intersection safer by addressing poor sight-lines at the rail bridge.

This intersection will be significant for cyclists seeking to connect from Aberdeen and Studholme to use the new addition to the Hamilton to Brantford Rail trail.

These projects in the city's Ward One will be augmented by recently announced Bike Lanes for Dundurn Street North between King and York Blvd.

2011-09-04T15:54:00.001-04:00

What: Pedestrian Mobility Master Plan PIC #2
Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Time: 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. (open house format) & presentation at 6 pm
Location: Central Library, Hamilton and Wentworth Rooms, 555 York Blvd, Hamilton

The purpose of this study is to undertake a comprehensive Pedestrian Mobility Master Plan for the City of Hamilton. This plan will establish a 20 year (2031) framework to improve the pedestrian environment and increase the opportunity for walking as a mode of transportation (active travel) and recreation that is efficient, comfortable, safe inclusive, accessible and improve health of communities and economic development.

The first round of PICs held earlier this year identified the opportunities and constraints to walking and mobility in the City. PIC #2 will present the alternative solutions based on public and agency input gathered from PIC #1.

More information about the Master Plan, including the Boards from PIC #1 can be viewed athttp://www.hamilton.ca/PedestrianMP.

A second meeting, which will present the same information, is scheduled for September 10, at Turner Park Library, Main Foyer & Program Room, 352 Rymal Rd. E., 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Open house/drop-in format, presentation at 2:00 p.m.

Copenhagen Cycling Contrasts

2011-08-21T12:59:00.000-04:00

Cycling Copenhagen, Through North American Eyes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Ministry Bridge Response

2011-08-11T11:53:00.000-04:00

Ministry of Transportation

Office of the Regional Director

Central Region

2^nd Floor, Bldg. D

1201 Wilson Avenue

Downsview, ON M3M 1J8

July 6, 2011

Thank you for your email of June 27, 2011 to the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Transportation regarding construction and bike lanes on the King Street and Main Street bridges over highway 403 in the City of Hamilton. I have been asked to reply on behalf of the ministry.

The ministry is currently in year two of a three-year contract to repair a number of bridges along Highway 403 from York Blvd. to Aberdeen Ave. in the City of Hamilton. Construction began in 2010 and is scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2012. The contract has been set up so that construction does not occur on all the bridges at the same time. As you note, construction is currently underway on Main Street and King Street along with the corresponding on and off ramps. The ministry is committed to providing a safe and efficient transportation network for all travelers. As a result, construction staging has been designed to balance construction duration, costs and impacts to the travelling public while at the same time providing a safe environment for both the workers and the public.

Ministry staff worked closely with City of Hamilton staff during the design phase and our staff continue to work with City staff during the construction phase to ensure safety to travelers and to minimize overall construction impacts. Enhanced signing, barriers and two lanes of traffic at the request of the City [emphasis added] have been maintained on both King Street and Main Street. A bike lane cannot be safely accommodated on King St. within the space available, but a narrow bike lane has been accommodated on Main Street.

Construction along King Street is anticipated to be finished in the fall of 2012. I have asked ministry staff to look at reinstating a bike lane during the winter shutdown period, if it can be done safely and does not impact the City’s snow removal operations. Construction along Main Street is anticipated to be finished this fall at which point the bike lane will be reinstated.

Once construction is complete on all the bridges, bike lanes that existed prior to construction will be reinstated. It is the City of Hamilton’s responsibility to develop, construct and maintain a continuous bike lane network in the City [emphasis added] and I encourage you to speak with City staff about this.

In closing, I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding while construction proceeds and I thank you for bringing your concerns to the ministry’s attention.

Sincerely,

Lou Politano, P. Eng.

Regional Director

A City on the move

2011-08-06T23:17:00.001-04:00

This is an example of the kind of attitude and infrastructure (and even the presentation) we need in Hamilton's traffic department and at the council table. Help make it happen. Call your councillor and let them know you want this level of service in our city!

[source: City of Ottawa]

sidewalk-rider crackdown

2011-08-06T22:47:00.003-04:00

The steady rhythm of institutional "blame the victim" continues with the Hamilton Police Service kicking out the announcement of their crackdown on sidewalk cyclists, a roughly annual event that targets people who make use of sidewalks rather than the roadways (here's a letter from TLC on the subject from 2001)

So, the gentleman pictured above, riding westbound on Mohawk Road approaching Upper James yesterday: does he deserve a ticket? In the absence of bike lanes on busy streets with large trucks, we can't expect people to all feel comfortable mixing with traffic (though about 30 percent of car-bicycle collisions are on sidewalks [source: City of Toronto])

It seems patently unfair and an unnecessary deterrent to target cyclists for using bikes on sidewalks in a safe and responsible manner (i.e. not speeding past pedestrians) where there is no infrastructure to support cycling. It's not like this part of Hamilton is a very active pedestrian area, having been primarily built to serve automobiles.

At the next intersection (Mohawk and West 5th) we can see (above) that there are indeed cyclists riding on the road, as per the law, but this will likely remain an anomaly until more supports are in place to give cyclists a place on the roads.

Have you been ticketed during this latest crackdown? We'd love to hear from you!

dundas walks: Rail Trail Detour Improved

2011-07-08T14:25:00.000-04:00

dundas walks: Rail Trail Detour Improved: "A new bridge to replace the now structurally unsound 'Powers Crossing' on the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail is not imminent, as far as we know...but the detour has been made better for cycling"

Ubiquity for bike stands (Main West)

2011-06-29T10:25:00.004-04:00

View Bike Racks, Main West, Hamilton ON in a larger map

Transportation for Liveable Communities volunteers went location scouting for bike rack (ring and post) placement on Main Street West, Hamilton ON, between Dundas ON and Highway 403. (see map, above)

There were only two bike racks visible from the street along this 3 kilometre stretch of arterial road, with commercial and retail buildings along the way interspersed with places of worship, residential homes and low-rise/hi-rise dwellings, and educational facilities.

Green Push Pins represent TLC's suggested locations for ring and post bike racks to be installed by City of Hamilton. TLC's request was sent to Daryl Bender, Manager Sustainable Transportation, City of Hamilton, in e-mail June 30/11.

Bike racks should be easy to find near main entrances (i.e. not hidden in back corner of parking lots) and suitable for securing bicycle frame (i.e. not "wheel benders")

More about bike racks/stands here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_stand

car/air problem

2011-06-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

CATCH News – June 28, 2011

Local air pollution mainly vehicles

Clean Air Hamilton says emissions from transportation are the main cause of local air pollution, and is advising city councillors that they should do something about this. In a special section added to their annual report, the city-funded group specifically “recognizes that strong linkages exist between planning decisions and the resulting air quality in cities.”

Chair Dr Brian McCarry says progress has been made in Hamilton air quality, but problems remain with both premature deaths and hospitalizations attributable to the air local residents breathe. And while about half of the pollutants originate in the United States, most of the rest can be reduced by local actions.

“Almost all the oxides of nitrogen … almost all the carbon monoxide, and SO2 , and most of the particulate material are locally generated,” said McCarry. “We have responsibility for those cars, trucks, industries, our lifestyle that contribute to that.”

While acknowledging local industrial pollution, he told the general issues committee the Hamilton “is primarily a motor-based city” not much different from Toronto. This means that “there are a lot of areas of the city that get very little industrial impact, and they are hit primarily, by car and truck emissions” and this is especially true for people living near major arterial roads who get “much higher exposure to these kinds of pollutants”.

Mobile monitoring studies, for example, have shown pollution levels ten times higher at major intersections than on residential streets as little as 200 metres away. McCarry went on to stress “that urban planning decisions made around this council table have direct impacts long term on air quality” and that it is “critical” for councillors to recognize this and act accordingly.

“When you say we're putting in a subdivision here, that subdivision is going to be there in 50 years,” he noted. “The kind of walkable cities that have been talked about in the economic summit is the kind of thing we've been talking about for some time and we think this is a critical issue and an opportunity for this city to step forward.”

A major achievement noted by McCarry has been the establishment of the Hamilton Air Monitoring Network – a linked collection of 17 company-operated monitoring stations that provide real-time air quality data on-line, and make Hamilton “the best monitored city in the country”. Clean Air Hamilton also supports tree planting, participates in sustainable transportation programs, and organizes the biennial Upwind Downwind Conference.

Mayor Bratina asked if city air was improving, and McCarry said it was “incrementally”, but a major problem is ozone arising from coal-fired power stations in Ohio which produce 83 percent of that state’s electricity. He also agreed with the mayor that Hamilton’s air is not significantly worse than other parts of southern Ontario, but argued that action is necessary, pointing to the improvements obtained in Portland Oregon by the establishment of light rail transit.

CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at hamiltoncatch.org. You can receive all CATCH free updates by sending an email to http://hamiltoncatch.org/newsletter/?p=subscribe. Sharing links are available on the hamiltoncatch.org.

bike lanes over troubled bridges

2011-06-27T11:06:00.001-04:00

Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) Hamilton

PO Box 19, 1280 Main Street West

Hamilton ON L8S 1C0

tlchamilton@gmail.com

Monday, June 27, 2011

To the Honorable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Transportation, Ontario,

Transportation for Liveable Communities is writing to draw attention to the problems created by construction projects underway on King Street and Main Street bridges over Highway 403 (Chedoke Expressway) in Hamilton ON.

Rehabilitation of the bridge decks has created a hazardous and disruptive environment for city cyclists and pedestrians.

The loss of both east and west bound bicycle lanes on the King Street bridge (the busiest route for cyclists) forces cyclists to ride in traffic westbound, and to either dismount and walk across the narrow sidewalk eastbound (or in practice, ride along the sidewalk), or to detour to the Main Street bike lane over the bridge, which is narrow with an uneven road surface; the problem with the Main Street detour is compounded by the lack of bike lanes before or after the Main Street bridge, and the two highway off ramps. For good reason, very few cyclists choose this route, pre- or during construction.

Alternative routes beyond these two bridges are either too out of the way (waterfront trail, a 4 k detour with steep stairs to/from the waterfront trail) or closed during construction (West Hamilton rail trail – 3k out of the way). The only other possibility would be on-street using Aberdeen/Longwood, but without bike lanes on Longwood, this is unlikely to be widely used.

For good reasons of policy, both provincial and municipal governments should be taking pains to ensure the safety of sustainable transportation users. The lack of options for crossing the impediment of highway 403 flies in the face of stated objectives by the Ministry of Transportation that recognize “A sustainable transportation system offers convenient, comfortable, safe, efficient and well-integrated mode choices.” Multi-modal choices are to “reduce our reliance on the automobile as the primary transportation mode.” (www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/sustainability/strategy/index.shtml), which the current situation fails to do.

Interestingly enough, halving the automobile lane capacity during construction has not created traffic chaos on King or Main street bridges, indeed, TLC advocates a further lane reduction on King Street to permit the use of the curb lane (north lane) for a contra flow cycling lane, and leaving one lane for vehicles entering Westdale. Observed flows suggest this treatment would not impede traffic in a way to cause anything other than occasional minor delays, if at all.

So: to recap we have gone from two-way protected bike lane on King, and an eastbound bike lane on Main to:

1. no westbound bike lanes

2. one poor quality eastbound bike lane but only over Main bridge (i.e. not connected to bike lanes)

3. detours suggested by city that are not convenient or practical

4. pedestrians and cyclists forced together on a narrow sidewalk (King Street)

TLC strongly urges the Ministry of Transportation Ontario work with the city of Hamilton to immediately restore a demarcated contra-flow bicycle lane during the re-construction of the bridge surface on King Street.

We would appreciate a response to our very serious concerns,

TLC Hamilton

cc Hamilton City Council

MPP Ted McMeekin

Daryl Bender, City of Hamilton, Alternative Transportation Project Manager

Hon. Sophia Aggelontis

Andrea Horwath

Transportation for Liveable Communities is a citizen advocacy group, founded in 2000. TLC takes action on issues of sustainable transportation in Hamilton Ontario and surrounding area, encouraging walking, cycling, transit and other options to single occupancy automobile use. tlchamilton.org

The 403 Crossing: Cyclists' Dilemma

2011-06-22T12:32:00.001-04:00

View Crossing the 403 by bicycle in a larger map

Construction work to upgrade King Street and Main Street bridges over the 403 have disrupted the cycling lanes and, combined with other construction work, have limited the options for a busy cycling corridor. This disruption is expected to remain for over one year, leaving cyclists with
1. no westbound bike lanes
2. one eastbound bike lane but only over Main bridge (i.e. not connected to bike lanes)
3. detours suggested by city that are not convenient or practical
4. pedestrians and cyclists forced together on a narrow sidewalk (King Street)

A cyclist hauling kids in a bike trailer pointed out the poor condition of the bike lane surface on Main Street over the highway - it is very narrow, uneven, with a sharp edge that could catch on the sidewall of a bike tire:

from rail to trail: bridge over Highway 403

2011-06-21T17:49:00.002-04:00

The long awaited development of the cycling and pedestrian link over highway 403 is underway! Paving this section of what will be an extension of the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail will allow safer cycling and hiking between the Kirkendall Neighbourhood and West Hamilton. Construction signs announce the coming activity, between Fortinos and the railyard at Studholme drive.

This route is already well utilized by cyclists and joggers, but the paving and lighting of the path will enhance the experience, and give more human-powered commuters an off-road option.

[Above: Front end loader shifting gravel on the actual bridge over the highway.]
The highway through the Chedoke creek valley is one of the major barriers to sustainable transportation between west hamilton/Westdale and downtown since it's construction in the 1960s.

The projected completion date for this project is late September 2011.

dundas walks: Binkley Hollow Bridge

2011-06-21T11:20:00.000-04:00

A photo and update from dundas walks: Binkley Hollow Bridge: is out of commission with a cracked support beam, a rough gravel/sand path beside the bridge is serving as a detour for cyclists and pedestrians.

Red Hill to the Lake - New Pedestrian-Cycling connection

2011-05-31T10:08:00.001-04:00

It is big money, $8 million, but it is a big job, and it looks to be well done. The structure is comfortable to use as a cyclist or pedestrian, and the lines are bold yet simple.

Getting non-motorozed traffic over the Queen Elizabeth Way to connect the Red Hill Valley trails to the waterfront trail on Lake Ontario required a bold initiative. Thankfully, the province of Ontario came through with the majority of funds to see this project to completion.

There were a surprising number of people using the waterfront trail on a Monday mid-day, where the lake was keeping the air cool, unlike places inland where it was much warmer.

I suspect the city authorities will be adding trail signage to help direct people to the new bridge. There was still being work done to complete the connecting trails on the far side of the bridge.

Pedestrian bridge updateTHE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

(Aug 18, 2010)

Construction of a pedestrian bridge over the QEW and Red Hill Creek is continuing and is expected to be complete by the end of October.

The "gateway" bridge for pedestrians and cyclists over the QEW will cost $8 million (about $6 million for the span itself). Most of the money came from Ontario government infrastructure funds.
It's 300 metres long.
It spans the QEW from the former Brampton Street landfill to the waterfront between Burlington Street and Centennial Parkway.
It will cost $200,000 to $400,000 a year to maintain.
It has taken a year to fabricate the steel for it.
The most recent plan is to paint it red -- in honour of Hamilton steel and the Red Hill Valley's red soil.
The bridge is a key part of a system of trails intended to compensate for open space lost to the construction of the Red Hill Valley Parkway.
The trails will one day connect Felker's Falls Conservation area, Paramount Park, Glendale Falls, Albion Falls Park, Mount Albion Conservation Area, the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area and Valley Park. It will link the Beach Recreational Trail and the Bruce Trail through the Red Hill Valley.
It is also intended to serve as an eastern "signature" gateway entrance to the city

auto book talk

2011-05-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism on the Road to Economic, Social and Ecological Decay
Book launch and discussion with authors Yves Engler and Bianca Mugyenyi

** 5:30pm ** Friday May 13 ** Skydragon (27 King William St.) Hamilton

In North America, human beings have become enthralled by the automobile: A quarter of our working lives are spent paying for them; communities fight each other for the right to build more of them; our cities have been torn down, remade and planned with their needs as the overriding concern; wars are fought to keep their fuel tanks filled; songs are written to praise them; cathedrals are built to worship them. In Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism on the Road to Economic, Social and Ecological Decay, authors Yves Engler and Bianca Mugyenyi argue that the automobile's ascendance is inextricably linked to capitalism and involved corporate malfeasance, political intrigue, backroom payoffs, media manipulation, racism, academic corruption, third world coups, secret armies, environmental destruction and war. An anti-car, road-trip story, Stop Signs is a unique must-read for all those who wish to escape the clutches of auto insanity.  

setting up the valley inn car free space

2011-05-11T23:13:00.000-04:00

Construction is underway on rest areas at the now car-free Valley Inn Road. Nice to see people space being created in place of car parking. What do you think about this area now that cars are excluded? Share your thoughts.

Missing Bike Lanes on Bridges over 403

2011-05-11T09:13:00.001-04:00

With both Main and King Street bridges over highway 403 under construction, the loss of separated bike lanes have left cyclists with a lack of infrastructure to safely cross the bridges.

Ward One councillor Brian McHattie responded to our complaint with a supportive e-mail reporting that he has requested the bike lanes be reinstalled, noting that auto traffic should be able to get by with one lane.

We'll keep you posted.

cyclists sidelined

2011-05-09T10:16:00.002-04:00

The King Street bridge over Highway 403 is due for repair work from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario. As a result, lane reductions have left two lanes for cars and a narrow sidewalk, but nothing for cyclists.
The busy contra-flow bike lanes have been replaced with instructions to dismount and cross using the sidewalk. There are limited options for crossing the highway, with this bridge being the most popular with cyclists. So, why nothing for cyclists?
In a "balanced transportation system" touted by the city, this kind of marginalization of cycling on a major commuting route should not be occurring.

evolution of bike culture

2011-05-02T12:08:00.001-04:00

I would trace the grassroots development of bike culture in Hamilton from the 1997 beginnings of Recycle Cycles with the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster, where the idea of starting Critical Mass Hamilton sprung (May 1998) and, after two years of rides, the formation of an advocacy group in 2000, Transportation for Liveable Communities (again through OPIRG McMaster). Other groups followed, like MaCycle and advocates for sustainable transportation at Raise the Hammer, and this wonderful group out of New Hope Bicycle Co-Op. The point is, the basis for a healthy cycling culture is blossoming, and the city needs to do more to make room for us on the streets.

Bless these bikes

bike repair.

Nicole MacIntyre

May 2, 2011

With their bikes huddled in front of the Gage Park band shell, the cyclists bowed their helmeted heads in prayer.

They gave thanks for the simple beauty of the bicycle and asked God to watch over the victims of road rage and bike theft.

They prayed for the weekend warriors, smart commuters and carefree children alike.

“Keep us safe as we ride,” Pastor Kevin Makins asked through a megaphone before calling for a moment of silence to remember those who have died while biking Hamilton’s streets.

Then with a collective amen, the members of the Eucharist Church pushed off on their pedals to enjoy their first official ride of the season through downtown Hamilton.

The Saturday afternoon gathering, billed as the Blessing of the Bikes, was a first for the church, which began last fall in downtown Hamilton. Its hipster congregation, who combine their faith with a passion for social activism and environmentalism, believe cycling is truly divine.

“We think God wants us to experience earth in a (environmentally conscious) way,” explained Makins, who preaches in a T-shirt and jeans with his hair shaved into a Mohawk.

The bike blessing, which was hosted in collaboration with the New Hope Bike Co-op and Downtown Bike Hounds, allowed the church to spread its green message and reach out to the community with a free tune-up.

It also acknowledged the very real dangers cyclists face on Hamilton roads, said congregant Kevin Forneri.

“Motorists aren’t always courteous when sharing the road,” he said, noting the city’s bike infrastructure is also limited. “Bike lanes just end in some places.”

As Andrew Hibma, who works for the New Hope Bike Co-op, fixed bicycles at the event, he couldn’t help thinking of his friend Blane Morden, 21, who was struck by a car and killed while cycling on Upper James Street last year.

“That opened my eyes,” he said, noting he considers himself an experienced cyclist. “But when I’m on the main roads I’m still nervous.”

The bike co-op, a nonprofit that fixes up and sells donated bicycles, prides itself on helping to improve safety by offering affordable tune-ups and teaching riders how to properly take care of their bicycles, said Hibma. They tuned up nearly a dozen bikes at the gathering, including a few from the general public who rode by to experience the blessing.

Though confident God is watching over them, the bikers are also need the alert eyes of drivers to keep them safe this spring, said Forneri, offering a friendly reminder: “We’re here and we’re sharing the road.”

tolling for thee

2011-02-08T12:15:00.003-05:00

CATCH News – February 8, 2011

Road tolls just a matter of time

User fees on roads, sewers and stormwater facilities are necessary to impress on people that they are dealing with scarce resources says Harry Kitchen. The municipal expert sees user fees as a logical response to the infrastructure deficit that is plaguing cities and advises senior levels of government to require them before bailing out cities.

Kitchen is renowned in some quarters and reviled in others for recommending in 2008 that Ontario slap tolls on its major highways and expressways, including the Linc and the Red Hill Valley Parkway. Notably unrepentant, he spoke to the Transport Futures 2011 Mobility Pricing Conference in Toronto last week.

“You need user fees so that the user realizes that the resource in question is scarce,” he argued. “In that way, it’s not overused.”

As recently reported in CATCH, Hamilton has about $15 billion in infrastructure with roads comprising the biggest portion. The cash-strapped city is currently managing to replace only one per cent of its roads each year, generating squabbles between urban and suburban councillors over whose roads should have priority.

Kitchen noted that there was “a growing tendency” for people to at least think about road-tolling, especially the younger crowd. Older people, long habituated to use of cars, are more resistant, he observed. But road tolling is coming, he and other speakers at the conference agreed. It’s a question of when.

The January 17 issue of Macleans, Canada’s conservative-leaning national magazine, carried a six-page article making the case for road tolling. According to writer Andrew Coyne,“…whether we are talking about cars, or buses, or tennis rackets…people make better decisions when they know what things cost. Right now the true cost of using roads is hidden, leading people to drive more and in different ways than they would if they were better informed.”

Coyne pointed to the success of Highway 407, Ontario’s only tolled highway. He speculated that had Highway 401 been tolled when it was first built, it may not have been necessary to build Highway 407.

In his conference talk, Kitchen was dismayed that about 13 per cent of municipal spending in Canada is for roads, but less than 4 per cent goes to public transit.

Hamilton city council was recently told that transit reductions since 1989 included a loss of almost 770 hours of bus service per week. That was part of a debate that saw councillors again refuse to approve an extra $3 million to improve HSR service.

Kitchen said that if roads were “properly priced,” it would be possible, for example, to also have zone charges for transit – and impose extra charges for journeys along certain high-traffic routes and lesser chargers for low-traffic routes.

He also focused on water and sewer systems as examples of other public services that are irrationally priced. Noting that only about 60 per cent of Canadian homes have water meters, he concluded unfair pricing is often the result.

Kitchen issued a warning about the so-called “infrastructure deficit.” He said senior governments should not rush to give grants to municipalities for infrastructure until they implement ways to recover costs.

The result of not doing so is, for example, is over-built water systems “where municipalities receive $.75 for every dollar spent.”

“Asset recovery costs” need to be built into pricing for infrastructure, Kitchen said. “Until we start to properly price for a service, that service will be overused and oversized assets will be the result.”

VELO VETO at CITY HALL

2011-01-29T13:26:00.000-05:00

bike lanes that just end, bike routes that don't connect.

Councillor veto power over bike lanes

The cancellation of an east-west bike lane across the east mountain leaves that area with no alternatives either in place or promised in the cycling master plan. The veto power invoked by the ward councillor to block the Queensdale Avenue route wasn’t specifically provided for in the council resolution or in the debate that led up to it but seems to have become an accepted practice.

Tom Jackson cancelled the 3.2 kilometre route last year despite its inclusion in the approved master plan and the Queensdale Avenue reconstruction went ahead without it. Jackson’s opposition to commuter cycling facilities could threaten three other approved bike lanes in his ward.

The master plan went before the city’s public works committee in June 2009 prompting Jackson to voice some concerns. Initially he askedif voting for it would mean “that I’m supporting what looks like about 300 or more cycling links that have been highlighted in this report.”

Traffic chief Hart Solomon replied that “the intention is to implement the network as shown” but noted that at the master planning stage “you can’t perceive every circumstance, every constraint, that you’re going to run into”.

Jackson said the response made him “nervous” and asked if staff would push ahead if “there’s feedback from community” and “they feel overwhelmingly it’s just not going to work”, or would staff be willing to abandon some proposed lanes. Solomon indicated a willingness to do so, but stressed the importance of “continuity” in the cycling network.

“It’s sort of the weakest link in the chain approach. If there’s a kilometer or kilometer and a half the cyclist doesn’t feel comfortable riding, he will not make the journey,” he explained. “But having said that, we depend on the support of the members of council and council as a whole in implementing this and will simply, as the note up there says, on contentious issues we’re going to work with you and try and work our way through this.”

“At the end of the day, if it’s simply not possible then the plan will have to be revised,” Solomon continued. “There’s a possibility after 5 years we’ll revise, certainly after 10, and we’ll have to revise the plan to find alternate routes to achieve the continuity we need in the network.”

Jackson went on to repeat that he was “just not detecting a clamouring from a large number of our citizenry from a commuter standpoint to spend the money, taxpayer money, to convert a lot of our road network”, although he was supportive of strictly recreational trail development. He subsequently sought an alteration to the staff request for endorsement of the master plan.

“Could I respectfully suggest that after the word ‘endorse’ could I put in an amendment conditional upon individual links being subject to community feedback in consultation with the ward councilor in affected neighbourhoods,” he moved. “That captures what Mr. Solomon said to me in response, but I want to put that in writing.”

It’s apparently that wording that led Jackson to order city staff to cancel the Queensdale bike lanes after taking a “straw vote” at a neighbourhood meeting last April. Prior to organizing that meeting – attended by about 40 people, some of whom supported the lanes – the councillor had attempted to put off “bike markings” until after the re-construction work on the road.

At this point, the only bike lanes in Jackson’s ward run along Stone Church Road and had been put in place prior to the adoption of the cycling master plan. Recreational pedestrian/cycling routes are in place on a rail trail running along the eastern edge of the ward and through conservation lands near Albion Falls.

North-south lanes are proposed for Upper Ottawa and Upper Sherman, plus a short east-west section at the eastern end of Limeridge Road, but none of these have are currently at an active planning stage. The “building the bike network” page on the city’s website lists projects “in the works” and being planned as well as a category of “projects not proceeding” that contains just one line: “Queensdale Avenue – as councillor approval was not granted”.

Resistance to Road widening in Ancaster...

2011-01-25T11:51:00.001-05:00

Check Out preserveancastervillage.com/

No rush for Ancaster road repairs, says residents’ coalition

The city is eager to move ahead with road improvements in Ancaster’s historic core, but a group of residents is pleading for more time to review the changes the city has proposed.

According to Mark Cosens, spokesperson for the Preserve Ancaster Village Coalition, the city’s plan is marred by “inadequate public feedback, a lack of transparency and numerous inconsistencies with existing research and planning documents.”

The $37.6 million plan calls for a full facelift of Wilson Street East, complete with new sidewalks, bike lanes and a third left-hand turn lane in some areas.

The extensive list of revisions also includes plans to widen Rousseaux Street as well as Stone Church, Garner, Mohawk and Golf Links roads. The city has also proposed a roundabout at the intersection of Wilson and Jerseyville Road, and reconstruction of the intersection at Wilson and Rousseaux.

According to city officials, the changes will improve traffic flow through the village core and alleviate rush-hour congestion caused by drivers crossing town to get to the westbound 403. It will also help traffic move more smoothly at the corner of Rousseaux and Wilson, which councillor Lloyd Ferguson said city staff consider the “worst intersection in the City of Hamilton.”

“Wilson Street is in deplorable shape and it needs capital improvements,” Ferguson said in a recent interview. “But we can’t get the capital dollars needed to go forward with those repairs until we have the transportation master plan.”

Ferguson said the funding for the plan was approved four years ago in the capital budget and the city has completed its report on the proposed changes. That report is out for public consultation until Jan. 31, leaving local residents three weeks to respond to the proposal before the city can move forward.

For Cosens, that’s just not enough time to carefully evaluate the plan and come up with feasible alternatives — especially since the report wasn’t made available to the public before Dec. 8.

At a meeting of the Ancaster Heritage Village BIA Jan. 17, his six-person group announced it was asking city council for an additional three months for Ancaster residents and business owners to review and respond to the plans.

“People who have studied the issue up until now have had years to do it,” Cosens said in a recent interview. “It feels like all of a sudden there’s a mad rush to make a decision that’s going to have a significant impact on our community. I don’t feel we’ve had anywhere near adequate time to be consulted.”

However, Ferguson said a majority of BIA members disagree with the need to extend the public consultation period. The Ancaster branch of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce has also sided firmly with the city on the issue.

BIA chair Bob Wilkins said he wasn’t prepared to make a statement on the BIA’s position at this time.

Cosens’ group has taken issue with several aspects of the plan, and said the proposal clashes with the needs of those who call the quaint village home.

For instance, he said the proposed roundabout will likely confuse drivers and speed up traffic along the historic Wilson Street strip. This, he suspects, will make it even tougher for people to get across the street – a street which he said already has too few traffic lights and pedestrians crossings.

He also said the plan fails to adequately address the issue of westbound access to the Highway 403. There is no direct westbound access to the highway between Wilson Street, at the west end of the village, and Aberdeen Avenue.

“The sum of it is that it will be harmful, not helpful,” Cosens said. “There’s a lot more work that needs to be done.”

“This is the one part of Ancaster that remains largely as it has always been and we should do our best to preserve it,” he added. “Everything else has, for one reason or another, been developed to our detriment.”

Ferguson, however, had a different view.

He said the changes won’t affect the character of the village and, more importantly, they’re practical.

“There’s still a large contingent of people who have to get home every night from work and get the kids out to soccer and gymnastics and hockey,” he said. “That’s the balance we’ve got to reach with this thing.”

Ferguson also disputed Cosens’ claim about access to the westbound 403. He said the city is actively consulting with the ministry about the creation of an additional on-ramp at Golf Links Road.

Moreover, he said it’s misleading to portray the project as a burden to taxpayers, since less than a third of the nearly $38 million price tag will come from the city’s coffers. The rest of the project is developer-funded, Ferguson said.

The city is willing to listen to the coalition’s concerns with respect to traffic calming and the need for additional pedestrian crossings on Wilson Street, he added.

The coalition is hosting a public meeting Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the St. John’s Parish Hall in Ancaster at 7 p.m. More information can be found on the group’s website at: preserveancastervillage.com/

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/477477--no-rush-for-ancaster-road-repairs-says-residents-coalition

bike lanes and ward politics

2011-01-21T20:01:00.001-05:00

CATCH News – January 21, 2011
Councillor veto on bike lanes to be reviewed

Staff are being asked to design a formal public consultation process on the installation of new bike lanes to replace the current ad hoc system that allows individual councillors to veto approved cycling facilities in their ward. The change proposed at Monday’s public works committee was questioned by the councillor who last year blocked a major mountain bike lane.
Debate was opened this week by Terry Whitehead asking staff why he hadn’t been consulted about bike lanes on Stone Church Road. He was responding to the committee’s receipt of the minutes of the Hamilton Cycling Committee – a group of volunteers who advise the city.

“Certainly the feedback I’m getting in regards to our bike lanes appearing on the west mountain, the residents feel that they haven’t been part and parcel of the consultation,” he noted. “So I am trying to understand what the process is so I can be able to communicate to those residents who are impacted by this plan.”

Daryl Bender, the city’s alternative transportation coordinator, explained that the Stone Church lanes have been “embedded in the construction project” on that road, but offered to increase consultation with Whitehead.

That led Brian McHattie to ask for “a more formal consultation process” rather than “inventing it as we along or playing catch up.” He cited the challenges he faced in last year’s installation of bike lanes on Dundurn Street South.

“The role of the ward councillor is a little unclear to me as well, as to whether that's in fact a veto role where if I didn't want the Dundurn bike lanes I just would have said I don't want them and they wouldn't have happened,” he explained. “I’m not sure that's the best process.”
Committee chair Russ Powers agreed that there is “perhaps a need to formalize a process” that staff should develop. That brought Tom Jackson into the discussion to remind his colleagues that he was the author of the current veto system and argue that “it would be unfair to staff just to go back and review” the council resolution on the bike lane master plan.

“One of the amendments was subject to a neighbourhood and ward councilor consultations which I think is exactly what Councillor Whitehead is getting at, that I think are incredibly important and critical before the master plan in certain parts of the city is overall implemented,” he contended. “It was a council resolution and I think it was a worthy one a prudent one and one that I supported last term to say that neighbourhoods and ward councilors should be consulted before the final implementation in those particular areas.”

Powers responded that the request for the review doesn’t contradict that practice, but just would just lead to a required consultation process “to ensure that that takes place”.

Last year Jackson vetoed a 3.3 kilometre installation of bike lanes on Queensdale Avenue between Upper Wellington and Upper Ottawa that are part of the city’s cycling master plan approved in 2009. In email correspondence obtained by CATCH through a Freedom of Information request, he initially argued that scheduled reconstruction of the road should proceed without a decision.

“I still maintain that I do not detect a clamouring for more ‘commuter’ bike lanes across the mountain,” Jackson wrote to Bender at the time. “The possible loss of parking on the north side cannot be dismissed that easily.”

Bender had explained in an earlier email that a staff investigation “found the highest demand for parking was less than 30% of available parking” on Queensdale.

“We are not accommodating the occasional cyclist,” he explained. “Rather, by improving the street for cyclists, the intent is to improve the street for bicycle traffic, thereby increasing bicycle traffic.”

Jackson ruled against the bike lanes after a neighbourhood meeting of about 40 people in April that was also attended by members of the cycling committee.

“Taking the comments under advisement and with the ‘straw vote’ and taking into consideration the citizens that were there both from the Highview/Sunninghill neighbourhoods (bordering Queensdale itself) and those who were from other parts of the city, I am satisfied with the reconstruction plan proceeding WITHOUT bicycle markings,” Jackson explained in an email to city staff. “As well and as discussed, there will be NO loss of parking on the north side of Queensdale and NO need to re-locate any fire hydrants.”

It’s unclear when Bender might report back to the public works committee on possible formalization of the public consultation process on bike lane installation. Later in the same meeting, Whitehead questioned the appropriateness of the cycling committee having reserve funds.
“I like to see people stick to their budget,” he stated. “If there is a surplus you go back to general revenues, not into reserves.”

CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at hamiltoncatch.org. You can receive all CATCH free updates by sending an email to http://hamiltoncatch.org/newsletter/?p=subscribe. Sharing links are available on the hamiltoncatch.org.

we all know someone like this

2011-01-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

design the b-line

2011-01-15T11:08:00.001-05:00

Open Houses to review the draft design of the B-Line & Land Use Studies for both A & B-Lines

The City of Hamilton invites you to a series of Public Information Sessions. This is your opportunity to:

Give your view on the ongoing development of a Rapid Transit network for Hamilton
Review details of the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) scheme for the B-Line corridor between McMaster and Eastgate
Discuss and contribute to land use planning issues and opportunities along both the A-Line (Waterfront to Airport) and B-Line (McMaster to Eastgate) corridors

Staff will be available to explain proposals, answer your questions and understand your points of view. In addition, members from the Rapid Transit Citizen Advisory Committee (RTCAC) will be in attendance to listen to your views.

January 19, 2011 - Downtown - Scottish Rite (4 Queen St S), 6-8pm

January 20, 2011 - West end - Westdale Secondary School (700 Main St W), 6-8pm

January 25, 2011 - East end - Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (1715 Main St E), 6-8pm

January 27, 2011 – Mountain – Courtyard Marriott (1224 UpperJames St), 6-8pm

For further information about the Rapid Transit initiative, please visit http://www.hamilton.ca/rapid-transit.

Roads Eat Capital Budget

2011-01-10T09:24:00.002-05:00

Roads are eating their way into local taxpayers pockets in a big, ongoing way. CATCH is reporting that the draft budget for Hamilton allocates "Nearly one-quarter of this year’s spending...for roads. But that $52.65 million is still $85.35 million less than staff believe is required....Roads are forecast to consume 45 percent of the capital budget over the next decade."

One year ago, this discussion took place, revealing the underlying cost pressure of building roads - not much has changed in practice, but perhaps with Bratina now as Mayor, this issue will be more closely scrutinized.

Downtown councillor Bob Bratina and the general manager of public works, Gerry Davis, transcribed by CATCH.

Bratina: Gerry, how much does it cost to maintain a lane kilometre ?

Davis: Summer and winter included, it’s approximately $10,000 per lane kilometre.

Bratina: How many lane kilometres have we added in the last ten years, roughly?

Davis: We’ve added, I would say, probably upwards 500-700 lane kilometres.

Bratina: A year, on average?

Davis: On average about 50 or 70 a year, Rick? So 60.

Bratina: So if we can’t afford to maintain these lane kilometres of road, why do we add them?

Bratina was calling the city on this again in June 2010

“This looks to me like somebody’s got four clunker cars they can’t afford to fix, so he goes out and buys another car,” the ward two councillor observed. “And the comment that I hear at the table today is well the province didn’t give us enough money to fix these roads. I’m not very good at this accounting stuff, but this seems fairly simple to me. We keep building infrastructure we can’t afford to fix.”

City finance chief Rob Rossini responded that the report showed “how much stuff we actually own” and suggested that reduction is one of the objectives of the province in requiring the reports.

“Part of the rationale for the province doing this is for municipalities to look at their assets as to which ones do we still need, which ones can we surplus and rationalize on a going forward basis,” Rossini noted. “So I think that’s part of the underlying thing that the province wants us to do.”

Does Hamilton have too much road? Can we look at saving money (not to mention the environment) by rationalizing and reducing redundant roadways? Road diets?

platoon

2011-01-09T10:42:00.002-05:00

Wide, multi-lane, one-way streets with traffic lights synchronized to allow maximum flow in Hamilton have this "platooning" effect on traffic:

Friday, 3pm Main, looking west from Queen Street

The traffic comes in dense waves, with these huge gaps (photo above). A two-way system would not have these barren zones, as traffic would be forced into a narrower lane configuration, likely resulting in a more steady, if slower (i.e. safer) flow. Currently, the "green wave" of synchronized lights allows for fast moving traffic, which makes the cycling and pedestrian experience uncomfortable and unsafe, which is why you don't see much of that activity along Main.

20 seconds later...

King and Main from Eastgate to Mac up for discussion

2011-01-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

The B-Line Land Use Visioning Workshop is quickly approaching - let us know if you are coming next Tuesday evening!

Details below….

B-Line Corridor - Public Visioning Workshop - All are Welcome!
Help shape the future of the B-Line Corridor along Queenston, King and Main Streets from Eastgate to McMaster.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - Open House 6pm - 7pm, Presentation and Workshop 7pm - 9pm

Hamilton Convention Centre, Albion Rooms, 1 Summers Lane in Downtown Hamilton

Throughout the fall, the City has been hosting a series of focus group meetings to help establish a land use vision for the B-Line Corridor. We have been hearing about how neighbourhoods along the corridor envision the land use and future development. Come out to hear what neighbourhoods are saying about the corridor and participate by adding YOUR vision for the B-Line Corridor.

Let us know if you are planning to attend the event - please RSVP by January 10, 2011.

E-mail: nodesandcorridors@hamilton.ca

Phone: Christine Newbold (905) 546-2424 ext 1279 or Ken Coit (905) 546-2424 ext 1220

www.hamilton.ca/nodesandcorridors

bollards and barriers - the case for physically separated bicycle lanes

2010-12-21T00:08:00.000-05:00

http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Physically+Separated+Bike+Lanes

Hamilton Transit in Crisis

2010-12-20T09:53:00.001-05:00

CATCH News – December 19, 2010

Shrunken HSR in crisis

There have been 26 assaults on HSR drivers this year, a situation being blamed partly on an overloaded transit system where service has shrunk by over 40 percent in the past two decades. Demands for immediate improvements were delivered to councillors last week by several delegations and their transit staff, but to no obvious effect.

In his presentation to the general issues committee, bus union president Budh Dhillon compared today’s HSR with the one he drove for in 1989 when “we used to have 1,264,335 hours of service as opposed to 710,000” reported for 2010 for a considerably larger geographic area. When he began driving a bus 31 years ago he recalled that even on a Sunday “you didn’t have to wait more than 10 minutes for the bus” during daytime hours.

“We have about 767 less hours of service on a daily basis on the road now, where we cover a lot more area than we used to in 1989,” noted Dhillon. “And also we’ve added responsibility on the drivers for seniors, special need riders, and it takes more time to provide that service.”

He pointed to the extra time required to handle passengers with walkers, wheelchairs, scooters and bicycles, and the situation on several HSR routes where full buses are unable to pick up waiting riders.

“We have to leave the people at the stops to wait for the next bus, and chances are the next bus might be full. That happens on a daily basis, especially on the major routes King, B-Line and going into the university, Upper James. That’s where you get the frustrated clients, frustrated passengers. They’ve been waiting for the bus in the cold and can’t get on.”

In 1989, the HSR had 272 buses on the road, compared to 217 today, and it carried six million more passengers than the 21 million this year. And the city population served by transit has climbed from 400,000 in 1989 to 475,000 today.

Dhillon’s call for more transit funding was echoed by John McIntyre, the vice-president of the McMaster Students Union who argued improved service must occur before any fare hikes. He noted that McMaster student passes contribute $2.5 million a year to the HSR, about 8 percent of the transit budget, and they have a referendum in February to decide on whether or not to continue the contract.

The drivers’ observations were supported by the Transit Users Group represented by Peter Hutton.

“You have a crisis; it’s getting worse,” he emphasized. “It’s not only on the west-end routes, it’s in the Mohawk routes, it’s in all sorts of different places, and you’re not going to get additional riders on the system until you address this.”

The message was also similar from Tom Cooper of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction and Maureen Leyland of the Common Coalition Campaign working to alleviate poverty. Both expressed strong support for the recommendations from HSR director Don Hull to immediately add $3 million to the transit operating budget by using monies not currently needed for bus purchases.

Although that proposal won’t raise taxes, councillors voted to again defer a decision until they debate the city’s 2011 budget that is scheduled to be ratified in April. Shifting the $3 million to expand service on eight HSR routes has been discussed since November 2009 and was also put off by councillors last summer.

The deferral last week was proposed by Tom Jackson who called Hull’s recommendation “noble” and “probably needed to some degree” but argued that no decision should be made until councillors “see how it all measures up in light of other departmental pressures and in light of the overall capital and operating budgets that we’re going to see over the next few months.”

Transcript available

The transit presentation made by St Thomas More teachers and one of their students was reported on in the Hamilton Spectator on Saturday. A transcript of their presentation, as well as questions and comments by councillors in response, has been prepared by CATCH volunteers and is posted here.

CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at http://hamiltoncatch.org/index.php. You can receive all CATCH free updates by sending an email tomailto:info@hamiltoncatch.org. Sharing links are available on the website.

sELFish season?

2010-12-15T21:51:00.002-05:00

This person seemed to be in such a busy, important rush, that a lack of parking close to their destination in Westdale caused them to seek an alternative - the sidewalk.

People with strollers, or walking side-by-side sharing good cheer would have had a difficult time getting past this obstacle.

Parking in bike lanes, now parking on sidewalks. What's next, parking in the store?

BFCL 549 - you win some kind of Grinch award!

ham il to n bi k e lan es

2010-12-03T16:54:00.001-05:00

Some new bike lane paint on York Bld approaching the re-configured (converted to 2-way traffic with bike lanes) stretch between Bay and James.

A quick check with city cycling staff confirms that the bike lane will not be continuous from the existing lane ending west of Dundurn, and the new lanes, east of Queen. There are "sharrows" from Dundurn to Locke.

A fully integrated bike lane is included in the Cycling Master Plan, but according to staffer Daryl Bender "the challenge" is the narrow width of the existing asphalt.

A frequently voiced complaint among Hamilton's cycling, and would-be cycling community is the lack of continuous bike lanes. This latest project will, unfortunately, be another such example.

If we want to see more cycling, these broken links stand as barriers. Why not solve the challenge by taking one of the three one-way lanes on York in the "narrow" stretch and making it available to cyclists? Only then will the integrity of the lanes be intact.

Starving Transit?

2010-11-22T19:51:00.000-05:00

CATCH News – November 22, 2010

Bus improvements and fare hikes on agenda

The new council will grapple with possible bus fare hikes and route changes before the end of the year. Fares were raised last January, but not as much as recommended by staff, and a provision of more monies to the HSR for service improvements is also up for debate.

The new council takes office on December 1 in a strictly ceremonial inaugural meeting, but will be asked to make several key decisions before Christmas – including raising water and sewer rates and other fees, and finalizing the transit budget before discussing other aspects of next year’s budget. The rush to raise fees is intended to ensure these can be collected as early as possible in 2011.

The transit budget is scheduled for debate on the morning of Tuesday, December 14, but actual proposals from staff won’t be made public before December 10. Ridership this year was higher than expected and bus repair costs were lower, but those revenue gains have already been shifted to reserves – leaving the overall 2010 budget at “a net zero position”.

HSR cash fares have climbed more than 20 percent since June 2007, while the price of adult monthly passes has jumped by a third and school-age passes have gone up 40 percent (see table below). But rising fuel prices and regular wage increases of transit employees could be used to argue for another fare hike for 2011.

Last year’s recommended increase was 20 cents a ride, but some councillors wanted less and a 15 cent increase was eventually adopted by a narrow 9-7 vote. Three of those who voted in favour aren’t part of the new council – Fred Eisenberger, Margaret McCarthy and Dave Mitchell – all of whom supported the 20 cent hike.

The seniors’ annual pass was left at the $205 level it’s been fixed at since 2003, but adult and student passes each climbed $8 a month to $87 and $71 respectively. That translated into $96 more per year for each regular rider – and much more for those with several family members using the transit system.
Council refused to consider the alternative of raising taxes to cover increased HSR expenditures. It also ignored commentary in the staff report that suggested that might be the best option:

“Ideally, transit program managers recommend fare increases to generate new revenue to fund service level increases stipulated in corporate strategic objectives,” stated the report. “Less desirably, in a challenged fiscal environment, fare increases are applied to meet fiscal goals for program budgets versus strategic goals. Finally, fare increases where the new revenue is used to offset increases to the general tax levy are detrimental to the sustainability of transit programs.”

In its final resolution, council directed staff to come up with a policy for automatically raising fares without a council debate, but that hasn’t happened yet. A second issue facing councillors is a proposal to use federal gas tax monies for transit.

The city receives $32 million a year in these payments, but so far has used none of it for bus services. Brian McHattie has been advocating that $3 million of that money be shifted to the HSR to pay for more bus service.

In August, council decided to put off that re-allocation to the 2011 transit budget, so that proposal will also be up for decision on December 14. Some councillors suggested this amount is “pie in the sky”, but it was strongly defended by transit director Don Hull who said the system really needs ten times that amount.

“$30 million is just what it would take over the next five years to keep moving towards the Transportation Master Plan,” he explained. “The $3 million that we’re asking for in alternative to the $30 million is simply what we feel we need in the very short term to prevent the public satisfaction with this program from deteriorating.”

Hamilton is one of only two municipalities that currently use none of their federal gas tax for transit. The other is Durham Region which plans to spend its entire share on a new incinerator. Hull’s August report indicated the extra monies could fund weekend service on the King, Stone Church and the B-Line routes and weekday expansion on the Delaware, Upper Kenilworth, Rymal, Locke, York and Aberdeen lines.

cycling update: Burlington

2010-11-14T10:52:00.000-05:00

Burlington Councillor Rick Craven reports that delayed improvements to Northshore Blvd will be completed in the spring 2011:

View Northshore Paved Shoulders in a larger map

North Shore Boulevard Improvements

The plan to improve shoulders on North Shore between Eagle and Glenwood has been delayed. The work, aimed at improving pedestrian and cycling safety, was scheduled for the fall. The delay results from an opportunity to add federal/provincial infrastructure dollars to the pot allowing the city to completely resurface the road at the same time we do the shoulder work. Unfortunately, we still have not received word from Ottawa about these additional funds. Now, it’s too late to do the shoulder work this fall, but it will be done in the spring regardless of whether we receive the additional money.

The Novice Cyclist Series: Commuting 101 – McMaster to Harbourfront

2010-11-05T19:54:00.002-04:00

What: The Novice Cyclist Series: Commuting 101 – McMaster to Habourfront
When: Friday Nov. 12 @ 12pm (noon)
Where: Meet in front of Wentworth House

View 101 Bike McMaster to Harbourfront Hamilton in a larger map
Learn how to get from Point A to point B on your bike! This friendly afternoon bike ride will show you how to get from McMaster University to the Hamilton Harbourfront on two wheels. Meet in front of Wentworth House at 12pm (noon). We will start at Mac, go east on Sterling, east on King, north on Longwood and take the Harbourfront trail to the Williams Coffee Pub (maybe grab a bite there too!). Before the ride, we will review sk...ills such as riding within traffic, signaling, stopping at stop signs, changing lanes, and making left turns. This is the first ride in the Novice Cyclist series. Beginner cyclists are especially welcome, but experienced cyclists are also encouraged to come out to help facilitate learning.

Presented by TLC (Transporation for Liveable Communities), The Novice Cyclist is a series of bike rides in Hamilton that is meant to foster learning. The ultimate purpose of these rides is to get more cyclists on the road and promote cycling as a viable method of commuting to get to work, school and other destinations. Participants will learn and practice essential skills (such as following traffic rules, changing lanes, and signaling) to break myths and fears associated with cycling on the road.

it happens

2010-11-05T09:49:00.002-04:00

We could do a lot better for ourselves if we put the infrastructure in place for cyclists, and transit.

TLC Meeting

2010-10-30T23:07:00.000-04:00

TLC is meeting Thursday, November 4, 7:30pm at the McMaster University Student Centre room 224.

TLC is ten-years-old this year, and there is still a need for citizen action to ensure Hamilton gets the sustainable and accessible transportation system we deserve.

We need people to take on specific tasks so whether your strength is research, web, maps, public speaking, video editing, etc. you have a role to play.

our own private idaho law?

2010-10-12T21:17:00.000-04:00

Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop from Spencer Boomhower on Vimeo.

Found this video with a comment over at raise the hammer. Check it out. Would you like this in Hamilton?

Great news for student transit - Guelph/Hamilton

2010-10-04T08:54:00.001-04:00

Service that was dropped by Canada Coach between Guelph and Hamilton has been picked up by Aboutown Transportation! Looks like two trips a day, avoiding the grueling, out of the way route that became the substitute for direct service. Guelph bound folks: does this work for you? Let us know!

New bus service links Hamilton, Guelph

GUELPH — Daily bus service between Guelph and Hamilton is running again.
London-based carrier Aboutown Transportation Ltd. began providing twice-daily service between the University of Guelph and downtown Hamilton Monday
There has been no regular service between the two cities since Coach Canada cancelled its service last year.
Those brave enough to make the trip with GO or Greyhound have had to detour through Toronto, taking up to four hours and paying up to $46 to cover 52 kilometres.
There has never been rail service between the two hubs.
Ian Weir, the University of Guelph’s manager of parking and transportation says he was “delighted” at the news.
“This new service will fill a gap in our connectivity with the regions south of Guelph,” he said.
Coach Canada service expanded in 2008 to five trips daily and prompted the university to renovate its transit loop to accommodate the increase.
That’s why many were shocked when the company abruptly dropped its service in last October, one month after students, many of them from Hamilton, had returned to class.
The company said its hand was forced to act after ridership dropped to an average of 11 passengers.
“You are not even covering the cost of the fuel,” Coach Canada spokesperson Brian Morehouse said at the time.
Starting Monday, Hamilton-bound buses will leave from the south end of the University of Guelph’s transit loop at 6 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. each day, arriving at Hamilton’s GO Terminal and McMaster University about an hour later. Return buses will depart Hamilton at 7:25 a.m. and 7:15 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the University Centre on campus.
The Guelph Mercury

next stop: transit

2010-09-27T18:46:00.002-04:00

What: Rapid Transit Open House

Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010

Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. - drop in event, no formal presentations will be made

Location: Hamilton City Hall, Main Lobby

You are invited to attend the Rapid Transit Open House to review the current status and background of the project, meet the Rapid Transit Citizen's Advisory Committee, discuss land use planning opportunities and issues along the B-line corridor and learn about next steps.

Add your voice, make sure your concerns are being heard.

For more information, visit http://www.hamilton.ca/ProjectsInitiatives/RapidTransit/.

get it on!

2010-09-22T17:57:00.002-04:00

Is anyone else getting tired of people coming from other jurisdictions and telling us how to build a more liveable city?: of course Olsen (and others before him) is right on all counts about what it takes to make a city safe and convenient to cycle. Hamilton's lags behind due to an inertia around the council table.

TLC has been pushing the city for 10 years to get the Shifting Gears Cycling Plan implemented, so hopefully we are nearing a tipping point that will see the job get done in (at most) 20 years, rather than 40 or 50 (or 100) years that the current council seems content with.

Here's the article from the Spec (so you can skip the angry anti-cycling comments section)

U.S. biking 'guru' offers city advice on cycling transition
Jeremy Grimaldi
September 22, 2010

THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
BURLINGTON - A biking 'guru' who helped transform Portland into a cycling oasis has offered his expertise to Hamilton, a city he believes has "progressive potential."
Jeff Olson, partner at Alta Planning and Design and a speaker at yesterday's Ontario Bike Summit 2010 in Burlington, said a number of U.S. cities are using bicycles as a central theme in their shift from manufacturing hubs to modern urban centres. Included in that list are Buffalo, Dayton, Detroit and Cleveland.
And now Olson is interested in speaking with Hamilton.
He says that one great example is Portland, Oregon, which has managed to encourage its population to ride more bikes -- boosting ridership from less than 1 per cent in the 1990s, to about 8 per cent today.
The city, led by Mayor Sam Adams, who also spoke at the event on Monday, is aiming for 25 per cent ridership by 2030.
As part of that transition, the city of about 500,000 people has developed a biking industry worth $100 million. And now some streets, formerly used by 4,000 cars, are being utilized by 4,000 bikes daily.
"If Hamilton sets its sights on 2030, there is no doubt it can be done," said the architect and planner. "If someone from the city wants to chat to us we would be happy to talk. We have already worked in Vancouver, Halifax and York Region.
"In the U.S. we are working in many places with transitional economies, it's just a matter of having a vision."
Olson says the Portland project cost the city about $150 million over two decades, but insists that that price tag equals the cost of one mile of urban highway.
"If it's a matter of not enough money, then you have to look at everything that can be saved when people start biking, then it not only becomes affordable, but rational."
Olson says Hamilton needs to work on its biking infrastructure and must convince its population biking is safe and the rest will fall into place.
During the conference, organized by Share the Road Cycling Coalition, Toronto MPP Cheri DiNovo spoke about her hopes to make into law a private member's bill that would force motorists to give cyclists a one-metre berth when passing.
Attendees were also urged to encourage all municipal election candidates to sign the Active Communities Pledge, which ensures all signatories will promote and support cycling initiatives.
The Active Communities Pledge can be signed at sharetheroad.ca.

Car Free Hamilton

2010-09-20T12:42:00.002-04:00

car free day in Hamilton, 2000 style!

The City of Hamilton is hosting Car Free Events this year, as TLC hands off control of something we started in 2000 as a grassroots protest/celebration, and grew into a week of car-free events.

H Magazine recently interviewed long-time TLC volunteer Randy Kay about the history of Car Free in Hamilton. Check out the interview here.

So this WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, take a day off from your car, and have some fun in the streets! And of course, Super Crawl on Saturday, September 25, and Open Streets, Sunday, September 26.

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CAR-FREE COMMUTE: HERE!

a way out of oil dependency

2010-08-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

slowing transit

2010-08-18T09:57:00.003-04:00

Fixing HSR problems on hold until next year

A proposal to fix problems with HSR service is on hold until next year. Transit director Don Hull hopes to start using federal gas tax funds to end overcrowding that is frequently leaving people behind at bus stops.

Hamilton is only one of two large cities which do not use federal gas tax monies for transit. Hull is calling for a shift of $3 million of these funds – out of the city’s $32 million annual allocation – to increase service on some HSR routes and take an initial step towards meeting the approved objectives of the city’s master transportation plan – but a council decision last week means no changes are likely before late 2011.

Hull notes new spending on the HSR over the last decade has been “marginal” and what has taken place has come entirely from senior levels of government. He told councillors last week that Hamilton really needs to add $80 million a year to the HSR budget to achieve the ridership levels of cities like Ottawa and meet the goals of council’s approved ridership goals.

“$30 million is just what it would take over the next five years to keep moving towards the Transportation Master Plan,” he explained. “The $3 million that we’re asking for in alternative to the $30 million is simply what we feel we need in the very short term to prevent the public satisfaction with this program from deteriorating.”

Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson suggested the $3 million was Hull’s “real pie in the sky wish list”, but the transit director strongly defended the financial need to bolster existing HSR routes and get back to earlier service levels that have gone downhill in the face of growing pressures.

“We carry hundreds of thousands of frail, elderly and disabled on the conventional transit system every year. Those people take a lot more time to board and alight safely,” Hull responded. “I stand firmly behind that we need this $3 million just to sustain our permanent position in the community with respect to the current satisfaction level of the transit program.”

Ferguson noted the proposed priority service changes were all in the former city of Hamilton, but the federal gas taxes are currently being used for projects across the entire city.

“I didn’t see anything in the route enhancements in the suburban municipalities,” he noted. “It’s kind of a neat way to move $3 million from capital in the air, and then replenish the capital by going out to all municipalities, and yet the suburban municipalities aren’t benefitting at all.”

Waterdown councillor Margaret McCarthy suggested more transit is needed in her ward, and Dave Mitchell pointed to rising demands in Binbrook. Hull replied that those requests are among “three or four hundred items on the list” that HSR would like to address if it had more funds.

“We simply cut the list off at $3 million. There’s $30 million worth of requested enhancements behind the scenes here.”

West end councillor Brian McHattie who first proposed the funding shift last November was frustrated by the staff recommendation to put off a decision until next year’s budget, which he characterized as “the finance department holding sway” over transit. But he couldn’t find a seconder for a motion to shift the $3 million immediately.

“All the information’s here in this report that we have to invest in new service for transit, but I just don’t see any commitment for doing that. There’s no reason why we can’t make that decision today,” he declared bitterly. “At some point we have to stop approving these master plans, with clear recommendations in them, if we don’t really believe in them.”

Finance chief Rob Rossini noted the shift would mean other capital project commitments would be displaced and argued the change needed to be considered in conjunction with the city’s full financial picture as part of the 2011 budget deliberations. That could mean no decision until March or April, and some months after that for changes to be implemented.

This year’s budget allocates a third of Hamilton’s $32 million federal gas tax share to city hall renovations, and most of the rest to roads. Because the city’s population now exceeds 500,000 it will be limited in future to choosing just two categories, and an earlier council decision has identified those will be roads and transit.

A staff survey of other cities over 500,000 found only one besides Hamilton that currently doesn’t use any federal gas tax monies for transit.

“We canvassed every municipality, and only Durham and Hamilton aren’t using federal gas tax to supplement their transit program,” Hull explained to councillors. “Durham had one project in particular that they committed all of their federal gas tax to. Some municipalities in the GTA committed 100 percent of their federal gas tax to their transit programs.”

The provincial government also distributes gas tax monies to municipalities. Hamilton will get just shy of $11 million next year, a drop of $800,000 since the program began in 2004 because the city is falling behind other Ontario localities in both population and transit ridership. The formula used by the province to divvy up the funds is weighted 70 percent to ridership and 30 percent to population.

Just under $4 million of the provincial monies are being spent on already implemented HSR service improvements while $1.75 million is being used by DARTS. Council allocated an additional $2.6 million “in lieu of a fare increase” proposed in 2005.

The remaining $3 million is currently spent on bus purchases. If Hull’s proposal is eventually accepted, that would be replaced by the federal gas tax monies – which can only be used for capital projects, not operating expenses.

CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at www.hamiltoncatch.org. You can receive all CATCH free updates by sending an email to info@HamiltonCATCH.org.

ward one: more bike lanes

2010-08-12T17:22:00.000-04:00

New bike lanes along with a road diet (three lanes of cars to two) on Longwood between King and Main Streets in Ward One. These will (eventually) hook up with planned bike lanes to the north and south of this section on Longwood.

Getting over highways

2010-08-03T09:35:00.001-04:00

The Spec is reporting that work is beginning on a new Pedestrian/Cycling bridge over the Lincoln Alexander highway at Arbour Road, and the work is resuming on a larger ped/cycling span over the QEW highway, with both projects slated for completion this October. The paper further reports that:

The East Hamilton Recreational Trail Hub & Waterfront Link project also involves an accessible paved trail from Nash Road North to Brampton Street and the extension of the Red Hill Valley Trail from Barton Street to Brampton Street

Unfortunately, the links to the detailed project descriptions on the city cycling page are broken.

UPDATE: We alerted city staff and they have updated the links to the project descriptions mentioned above. Here are the new links:

Check here for a site map of the Arbour Road bridge, or here for an earlier article with an artistic rendering of the bridge over the QEW.

petition to save the rail trail!

2010-07-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't heard, there is opposition to the planned multi-use path from the Kirkendall area, around the Chedoke Golf Course, across the 403, and out towards the Brantford rail trail. (crossing the 403 without traffic! Imagine how important being able to do that would be for promoting cycling!)

Some of the people who own property adjacent to the Golf Course, that the new trail would be beside, are opposed to the planned path. Those of us who support the trail can do so with the following online petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supportthetrail/

We'll be able to bring the names from the petition with us as support at the Niagara Escarpment Commission hearing, where the opponents are appealing the NEC's approval of the plan.

Please take the time to add your name and let others know about it. If the NEC is even willing to delay the trail as a result of the appeal (even if they eventually uphold their decision to approve it ) this would increase the likelihood of it not being constructed this year. And with an election in October, there is no guarantee that the next city council won't reverse its decision to build it next year. This is one where it just might make a difference to sign a petition, and it only takes a small amount of time.

Thanks so much,

derek.

the buck stops here

2010-07-24T11:37:00.002-04:00

Locke Street gets paid street parking with a two hour limit.

City council previously voted to bring parking rates up to $1 per hour across the city and install paid parking on Locke Street, and in Stoney Creek (King Street), Ancaster (Wilson Street) and Waterdown (Dundas Street). The provincial average for street parking is $1.46/hour. [report to council]

Paid street parking is expected to bring in an extra $1.45 million each year, and will contribute to higher turnover in curbside parking which will benefit businesses, as well as encourage some people to shift to walking, cycling or transit. [more on parking meters here]

Gloves off on Hatt?

2010-06-30T18:15:00.003-04:00

Collision reignites calls for Hatt improvements

Recommended traffic calming study has not yet started

Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News Staff
Published on Jun 24, 2010

Calls for a Hatt Street traffic calming study recommended in the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan are being renewed after a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured in a collision last week.

But it's not clear when work will begin on calming Hatt Street traffic and making the Dundas route safer for pedestrians and cyclists, as local residents have been demanding for more than three years.

Hamilton police say the driver of a Ford F-150 pick-up truck that struck the boy on Hatt near John Street on June 17 will likely not be charged.

“It appears the child ran into the road,” Detective Hendrik Vandercraats of the collision reconstruction unit said.

The boy’s condition was downgraded from critical to serious, according to Vandercraats.

Police reported last week the truck was heading eastbound on Hatt and had just passed John when the boy ran from the south sidewalk into the side of the vehicle.

The injuries were originally described as “life-threatening”.

“He’s not critical anymore,” Vandercraats said Monday. “He still has serious head injuries.”

The final report of the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan, dated November 2009, recommends a traffic calming study on a 750- metre stretch of Hatt Street, between Market and Ogilvie, “to reduce vehicle speeds and provide additional pedestrian crossing spaces (if warranted)."

But the recommended study, which would include the area around the Hatt and John intersection, has apparently not started.

Randy Kay, of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group Transportation for Livable Communities, encourages walking and cycling and traffic calming. He said some sort of traffic control at a mid-point along this uncontrolled stretch of Hatt Street would fit with TLC's goals.

"Without knowing all the details of this (accident), it's safe to say that traffic calming on Hatt is way overdue," Kay said. "That there are still no bike lanes on the street -itself a low cost traffic calming measure -speaks to an inertia to complete even fairly simple projects. It should be a no-brainer."

He said a growing retirement community along Hatt Street, and the presence of children in family townhouses and homes, both support a growing demand for safe and comfortable walking and cycling routes along Hatt.

Although Hatt Street pedestrian issues were a big concern among residents who participated in the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan, safety improvements and traffic calming measures were not addressed.

No suggestions included

Residents suggested a pedestrian crossing at Hatt and Sydenham, bike lanes along Hatt, measures to address speeding and street racing on Hatt, a stoplight on Hatt between Ogilvie and Market, a pedestrian island in the middle of Hatt and a four-way stop at Hatt and John.

None of the suggestions were included in the final transportation master plan.

Several residents have continued to express concerns about traffic calming and pedestrian improvements along Hatt Street since the master plan was completed.

Kay, and TLC, have contributed suggestions on many aspects and intersections reviewed in the master plan process -including Governor's Road and Ogilvie Street. But he points to Hatt as the most significant area.

"I think of all the traffic projects in Dundas, the Hatt Street study should be a top priority, and should have been a top priority when the study was first published," Kay said. "Why it is not moving forward, I would only have to guess. It’s certainly not for lack of trying on TLC’s part."

http://www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/213894

uncontrolled problem on Hatt Street

2010-06-19T10:46:00.002-04:00

TLC has noted the lack of controlled crossings on this long stretch of Hatt Street in our comments to the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan:

[T]he DDTMP dismissed resident calls for improved pedestrian crossing along the Hatt St section between Ogilvie St and Market St. This ~1500 m stretch of six city blocks currently provides no protected pedestrian crossings. The DDTMP notes that the stretch does not “warrant” a protected pedestrian crossing, but we find this conclusion misleading.

First, the DDTMP is supposed to provide for increased pedestrian traffic into the downtown core rather than observe current traffic and then conclude that it does not warrant safe pedestrian crossing. Second, a perceptive look at the character of the Hatt St area, including the 600 new housing units at the newly developed Creekside area and the newly developed commercial area just west of the new development, would indicate that there is a substantial opportunity for diverting automobile trips by creating opportunities to support an increase in pedestrian traffic in this area.

There may be better responses than a four way stop sign, it would be nice to have an insight into the traffic study the councilor alludes to in the article. Making Hatt Street more than a mini-arterial for moving motor vehicles is a priority long delayed.

Dundas rallies after boy hit by pickup truck

Nicole O'Reilly, The Hamilton Spectator

DUNDAS (Jun 19, 2010)

An 11-year-old boy is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a pickup truck Thursday afternoon.

The Dundas community is rallying since the accident on Hatt Street, arguing that something needs to change on the busy street with few controlled intersections.

Police said the pickup was travelling east on Hatt Street just past John Street when the boy ran from the sidewalk into its side around 1:30 p.m. He was taken to hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.

Kenna Martin lives on Hatt Street and was home at the time of the crash. She heard it, but figured it was just a fender-bender, which she claims have become an almost monthly occurrence on the street.

A few minutes later she walked outside and realized it was worse.

Neighbours said the boy was there visiting a nearby facility.

"It was the worst thing I've ever seen," Martin said.

She said the many collisions that have occurred on the street in the two years she has lived there should have been a warning that something like this was possible.

There are no stop signs or traffic lights for a long stretch along Hatt Street. There is a stop sign on John Street but not Hatt Street.

So she has created a petition calling for a four-way stop at the spot.
Neighbour Pauline Hall, who has lived on the street since 1968, said she has been pressing the city for years to do something about the street and that intersection. But nothing has happened.

The J.L. Grightmire Market Street Arena, the Dundas Lions Club pool and the Dundas Little Theatre all exit there, she said. It's a truck route and emergency vehicle route.

Area Councillor Russ Powers said Hatt Street is a target in a recent downtown Dundas transition strategy.

"Hatt Street has been identified as an area of concern," he said. A traffic study is under way. It will look at various solutions and should be complete in the fall, Powers said.

Community children have volunteered to collect signatures and most Dundas businesses, including Martin's Kids Gear at 134 King Street West, will have copies of the petition to sign.

Witnesses are asked to contact Detective Constable Hendrik Vandercraats of the collision reconstruction unit at 905-546-4753.

noreilly@thespec.com
905-526-3199

tragedy in slow motion

2010-06-11T14:10:00.005-04:00

This person was exactly they type of citizen the city is failing - he commutes by bicycle to work, yet is riding through a gauntlet of fast food drive-throughs, beside 18-wheelers, with no bike lanes. He was living the Vision 2020, the Transportation Master Plan, but such plans are empty words on paper when the ideas are not put into action: how many decades will we wait for the cycling network? Will we even have a network as councillors cancel planned bike routes?

Cyclist killed going home from work
Police continue to investigate crash that occurred at Tim Hortons laneway

Daniel Nolan

JARVIS (Jun 10, 2010) A young cyclist killed in a Hamilton crash is being remembered by his parents as someone who was dependable, reliable and who enjoyed cycling, motorcycles, laughing, ketchup sandwiches and "all kinds of sports."
Blane Morden, 21, was riding on Upper James Street on Tuesday when he was struck by an SUV driven by a 49-year-old Hamilton man. The Mohawk College student, due to graduate Monday from an architecture course, died in Hamilton General Hospital after suffering severe cuts to his neck.
"He had a great sense of humour," Blane's mother, Reverend Kathy Morden, 52, said last night. "He had an easy smile and was comfortable in his own skin."
His passion for cycling was demonstrated when he rode to Manitoba in 2008, with his father, Terrence, following in a van, and last year when he rode to the East Coast with two friends.
In two weeks, he was set to start a summer job as the mountain bike instructor at the Muskoka Woods Sports Camp near Parry Sound.
Hamilton police are continuing to investigate the crash. It occurred at a laneway into the Tim Hortons at Upper James Street and Stone Church Road.
Morden was riding on the sidewalk and witnesses said his head hit the side window of the SUV and shattered the glass. He was riding to his downtown Hamilton home after finishing a shift at his job as a baggage handler at Hamilton airport.
Morden was born in Mount Forest when his parents worked there as nurses.
He came to Hamilton in 1995 and attended Holbrook Public School, Chedoke Middle School and Westmount Secondary School.
His mother, who obtained her theology degree in 2000, was posted to Knox Presbyterian Church in Jarvis and Chalmers Presbyterian Church in Walpole Township in 2003. Morden finished his schooling at Hagersville Secondary School before going to Mohawk. While in Hamilton, he attended Chedoke Presbyterian Church where he played volleyball.
"He loved all kinds of sports," said Terrence Morden, 51, who works at a Hamilton nursing home.
"Hockey, volleyball, soccer, football, ultimate Frisbee. ... Any kind of sport he could sign up for, he did it."
Morden is survived by his parents, sister Kara-dee, 24, and brother Benjamin, 23.
Visitation is tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cooper Funeral Home, 19 Talbot St. W. (Highway 3) in Jarvis.
The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Knox Presbyterian Church, 2058 Main St. N. (Highway 6). Reverend Morden will contribute writings, but the service will be conducted by Reverend Cathy Kay from Port Dover.
dnolan@thespec.com
905-526-3351

too little for too long

2010-06-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

CATCH News – June 11, 2010

Cycling interest and spending
The city’s first car-free cycling and pedestrian street fair brought on Sunday was a success despite iffy weather and little media attention. Coincidentally, a report released this week calculates that city spending on expanding cycling has been only a tiny fraction of the roads allocation over the last decade.
Sunday’s Open Streets event won praise from Mayor Eisenberger who opened Monday’s meeting of committee of the whole by telling councillors that it was “really a spectacular effort in giving people the opportunity to enjoy the street.” Bob Bratina followed up at Wednesday’s council meeting on a “delightful afternoon” where “4500 people walked, biked and wandered down James Street North”.
The event repeats on Sunday September 26 when cars will again be barred from James North between Cannon Street and Burlington Street.
The cycling infrastructure report, asked for a year ago by councillors, says $7.1 million was spent from 2001 to 2008. Multi-use trails, such as those reconstructed in Red Hill Valley post-expressway, accounted for the majority of the spending at $4.4 million. Fifty percent of monies uses for this work is allocated to cycling in the report.
Special bike lane projects, such as those on York Boulevard and Sterling Street, added $1.7 million to the spending, while $1 million was the estimated allocation as part of road reconstruction work “based on the proportion of the surface area of each project that was dedicated for bike lanes” on those roads.
“The $890,000 average annual expenditure provides a comparison to what is recommended in Shifting Gears 2009 which suggests cycling investment of $2.5 million annually to complete the full network in 20 years, or $1.25 million each year, if system development is focused only urban infrastructure,” explains the report.
The totals don’t include 2009 outlays, or projects now underway including the multi-use bridges over the QEW and the Lincoln Alexander Parkway that are being funded by the provincial government. Bus bike racks and secure bike parking financed by Metrolinx are also excluded.
The city’s capital budget for 2010 is $275 million, with roads accounting for a little over $75 million, of which about half is being funded by development charges or other non-tax sources.
For cycling, the city allocated spending of $1.3 million this year to complete eight bike lane projects. But the projected expenditures over the rest of the decade average just $950,000 a year for new cycling infrastructure.

CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at www.hamiltoncatch.org. You can receive all CATCH free updates by sending an email to info@HamiltonCATCH.org.

trucks off

2010-06-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

A step in the right direction, yet the downtown is still subject to highway mentality as a truck route...

Council OKs truck route overhaul
TheSpec.com - BreakingNews - Council OKs truck route overhaul

After three years of debate, Hamilton has approved its truck route overhaul.

The new plan, which will govern the way trucks move through the city, was finalized at tonight’s council meeting. It’s the first time the city has done a complete overhaul of the routes.

The public works committee voted last week to ban trucks from four largely residential areas of the city -- parts of Kenilworth Avenue, Upper Ottawa Street, Concession Street, and Dundurn Street North -- for an 18-month trial period.

At tonight’s meeting, council added Centennial Parkway to that list. Committee held off on a decision on that route last week to allow Stoney Creek Councillor Brad Clark to speak to the issue.

The truck route plan has drawn fire both from community groups and from the trucking industry. Residents cite environmental, health, safety, and traffic concerns about trucks cutting through their neighbourhoods.

However, the Ontario Trucking Association and Hamilton’s Chamber of Commerce have both criticized the city for what they call a “last-minute” removal of the residential areas from the approved routes.

ereilly@thespec.com
905-526-2452

cycling experience into art

2010-06-06T10:14:00.002-04:00

First Bicycle Casualty of ward politics

2010-06-05T09:42:00.000-04:00

"Queensdale Avenue - between Upper Wellington Street & Upper Ottawa Street. This project is not proceeding."

As TLC feared, a comprehensive cycling network is subject to parochialism, and any gains from good planning are in jeopardy.

This kind of political interference does not support provincial planning objectives around transportation. What good is a city-wide cycling plan if it can be broken by bad arguements from nervous or misinformed councillors.

Is there a role for the province here?

Read the exclusive interview with Councillor Jackson about this at Raise the Hammer

GHG no brainer

2010-06-04T13:36:00.002-04:00

How about a continuous system of bike lanes and paths? Affordable transit. Pedestrian friendly streets. Just for starters? Unfortunately, these obvious answers are not a given in Hamilton. Mind you, some projects are advancing the liveability factor, like the two-way conversion of York Blvd, for a recent example.

To access the Discussion Paper please go to www.hamilton.ca/climatechange

Sparking Sustained Community Action:
Greenhouse Gas Emission Discussion Paper More Than a Lot of Hot Air
HAMILTON, ON – June 2, 2010 – Hamilton is committed to taking action on climate change. The City recently released “Taking Stock: Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Hamilton” to inform and engage citizens about climate change in the City. Now that the information and facts have been complied the City is looking for community involvement and partnerships and is seeking input from citizens and business on taking action.
“Hamilton is proud to be a municipal leader taking action related to reducing the impact of climate change,” stated Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger. “We understand the pressing need to address the impact of greenhouse gases by working with our community partners. We also know that government and big business cannot do it alone and therefore, we are encouraging the ordinary citizens in our community to take action on climate change everyday.”
The City of Hamilton is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions levels by 10% by 2012, and 20% by 2020 through its Corporate Air Quality and Climate Change Plan. Hamilton has been recognized as a leader in the use of advanced fleet technology that reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. It has the second-largest fleet of hybrid and other clean and efficient vehicles in Ontario and actively promotes new fleet technology. The City has also reduced energy consumption in its buildings through the Corporate Energy Policy. Blue Box recycling and Green Cart programs also reduce greenhouse gases such as methane in the community by diverting waste from landfills.
“There is an increasing number of cities and regions from around the world that are developing their own action plans to deal with climate change,” states Brian Montgomery, Air Quality and Climate Change Co-ordinator, Sustainability Section, City of Hamilton. “We are educating our community on local climate change emissions and want to partner with the Hamilton community to tackle our emissions together. As a community we need to take stock and go further to reduce our emissions. The intent of the discussion paper is to trigger discussion, insights and involvement from citizens to take action and address climate change as a community.”
In 2009, the City undertook an Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory to keep track of how much pollution is being released by the City. Community emissions were 12,758,652 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006, and these emissions rose to 13,131,097 tonnes by 2008, an increase of 2.9%. By 2020, if there are no programs put in place to enhance greenhouse gas emission reductions, the community's forecasted emissions will rise to 17,349,621 tonnes. This forecast is 36% above the emission levels calculated for 2006 and 56% above target of 20% reductions of 2006 levels by 2020. For more information and to access the Discussion Paper please go to www.hamilton.ca/climatechange

-30-
Media Contacts:
City of Hamilton
Brian Montgomery, Air & Climate Change Co-ordinator
City Of Hamilton
Planning & Economic Development
Phone: 905-546-2424 Ext. 1275
Brian.Montgomery@hamilton.ca City of Hamilton
Debbie Spence,
Communications
City Of Hamilton
Planning & Economic Development
Phone: 905-546-2424 Ext.5541
Debbie.Spence@hamilton.ca

trucks off

2010-06-02T23:55:00.001-04:00

Nice short video by some Dundurnians, part of the campaign to have Dundurn North taken back off the Truck Route (it was originally out, but the Chamber of Commerce and the Truck Lobby got it back in).

Well hup and hurray, they were successful, so Dundurn and some other residential streets are going to be truck free for an 18-month trial!

Congrats to the Strathcona Neighbourhood Council for their work organizing this campaign!

PRESTO!

2010-05-31T13:41:00.002-04:00

GO Transit is rolling out the Presto Card, and municipal transit systems in the area are joining in. This video shows how it works.

wrong way to be positive

2010-05-28T10:02:00.000-04:00

Making a one-way, multi-lane, high-speed highway in the downtown into a pedestrian and cycling friendly two-way street, even with the construction impacts, should be a positive thing to report on, "Commuter headaches" notwithstanding.
Slowing down traffic in the downtown is a good thing for the city; making room for more people to bike and walk, and for commercial activity like the market, or for festivals, are also good things.
You can bet the drivers will be crying in the letters to the editor section shortly...

York Blvd. commuter headaches start Monday
Stretches of York, then Wilson, going two-way

John Burman, Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton motorists are in for some major changes downtown this summer.

The conversion of York to two-way traffic begins Monday, followed by a similar change on Wilson Street.

York will become two-way between Queen Street North and James Street North.

A separate project to start later will resurface Wilson Street from James Street North to Victoria Avenue North and convert that stretch to two-way use.

The York Boulevard work, which starts first, includes major infrastructure work co-ordinated with the renovation of the Farmer’s Market and Central Library.

The city’s public works department says the York work involves replacing the existing water main, resurfacing the street, modifications to traffic islands for two-way use, sidewalks, streetscape work and decorative lighting.

There will also be road work and sidewalk repair on Queen Street North at the same time.

The city says there will be lane restrictions and transit delays during the construction, which is expected to end in October.

When the road work is complete, the street will be reopened for two-way traffic.

The city has promised additional information in the coming weeks on the Wilson Street project as construction there nears.

A public works spokesman says the construction and renovation of the Hamilton Farmers’ Market and Central Library project is going well and most of the exterior glass wall system has been completed, with only final detailing remaining to complete the building cladding.

Interior work are also on schedule with mechanical and electrical infrastructure elements nearing completion. Interior finishing work has commenced throughout both spaces and is expected to be complete late this summer with everything done later in the fall.

Velo-drone

2010-05-27T21:37:00.000-04:00

Olympic Drive velodrome feasibility study questioned

Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News Staff
Published on May 27, 2010

Local Pan Am Games organizers will consult the National Cycling Committee of Hamilton, other cycling groups, and the public, about building a cycling velodrome on Olympic Drive in Dundas.

But any change from the planned west harbour site, where the facility is expected to be twinned with a Pan Am stadium is unlikely.

David Adames, of Tourism Hamilton, said last week the twinned west harbour location is part of the bid book which won the games for the Greater Toronto Area and “it would take a significant rationale to make it change.”

Adames said discussing the facility’s location is part of the ongoing business plan the city must complete. But the rationale for locating the indoor cycling facility at Olympic Park is already being questioned.

While the National Cycling Committee has completed a study it says indicates Olympic Park across from the Westoby Ice Surface is the best possible location, area residents are already pointing out some flaws in the argument –and it’s not clear if the site can actually be developed.

Olympic Park is designated as open space in the new City of Hamilton urban official plan. It is also currently designated as a community park.

The Hamilton Naturalist Club owns a 42- hectare nature sanctuary known as the Cartwright Nature Sanctuary, just up the road from Olympic Park. But the organization has never been contacted by anyone regarding any possibility of a velodrome being built in the area.

Naturalist Club member Jennifer Baker said the organization had not heard about the NCC feasibility study.

“We are concerned about any development that might impact Cootes Paradise and that would increase traffic flow,” Baker said.

Randy Kay, of the McMaster-based Transportation for Liveable Communities, also said he was never contacted about the feasibility study. He questioned several aspects of the NCC study that have actually gone public so far.

Kay suggested relocating the velodrome to Olympic Park would mean a loss of the “synergy” and “efficiency” of locating the cycling facility with the new stadium at the west harbour.

“We will have two footprints, each with their own building and parking requirements, and the Dundas site has the added concern with being in the midst of the environmentally sensitive area of Cootes Paradise,” he said.

Kay disagreed with the NCC suggestion that the more rural Dundas location would be accessible to more people, and provide nearby links to cycling trails. He noted the Dundas location is not well-served by public transportation.

“The west harbour location would provide more opportunity for sustainable transportation options with nearby frequent transit and cycling routes, and be closer to a much larger urban population,” Kay said.

As an avid cyclist and hiker who regularly uses area trails, Kay was also surprised to hear NCC president Andrew Iler suggest an Olympic Drive velodrome would provide links to mountain- biking trails.

He said neither the nearby Bruce Trail nor Royal Botanical Gardens trails are even open to cycling.

“These kind of comments leave me thinking the plan is not well thought out and could negatively impact the ecological integrity of the surrounding area,” Kay said.

http://www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/211294

there's a real city out there, outside your car...

2010-05-22T16:51:00.000-04:00

Hamilton police are seeing benefits by getting out of their cars:

"By patrolling on foot or by bike officers are noticing things that may not be obvious to officers in a cruiser, or that officers can’t stop for, Cox said."

The same principle applies to anyone: getting out of your car connects you to the city - more people walking and cycling= safer community.

“Throwback” cops targeting downtown crime

38 arrests, $13,643 in drug seizures over two weeks

Nicole O'Reilly, Hamilton Spectator

In its first two weeks the Hamilton police ACTION team has made 38 arrests and seized $13,643 worth of drugs.
The Addressing Crime Trends in our Neighbourhoods (ACTION) team is intended to be a highly visible group of Hamilton police officers walking or cycling through neighbourhoods with a focus on driving out violence and disorder. It is partly funded through $560,000 in funding from the Provincial Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (PAVIS) earmarked for communities dealing with gun and gang violence.

The 43 member team has been split into groups of eight, plus two supervisors. They have split the downtown core into six to eight block quadrants, said Staff Sergeant Mark Cox.

“It’s a throwback to the old days, walking the beat and talking to people,” he said. “It’s grassroots policing.”

By patrolling on foot or by bike officers are noticing things that may not be obvious to officers in a cruiser, or that officers can’t stop for, Cox said.

On May 11 around 2:30 p.m. ACTION team members saw a car illegally parked within three metres of a fire hydrant at John Street North and King William Street. Conversation with the 31-year-old Hamilton man with the vehicle revealed he was in breach of a previous release.

Cox said he was arrested and a car search revealed two clear baggies containing 39.2 grams and 36.2 grams of cocaine, worth $7,500. He was charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, proceeds of crime under $5,000 and breach of undertaking.

Also around 2:30 p.m. on May 18 the team happened upon a man riding his bicycle on the sidewalk, in violation of a city bylaw, at Wilson Street East and Victoria Street. Cox said police detected a strong odour of fresh marijuana from his backpack. He was arrested and a search revealed brass knuckles and two large freezer bags containing 237 grams of fresh marihuana each. The total value: $4,500.

The 21-year-old Hamilton man was charged with possession of marihuana and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Cox said the volume of drugs and related arrests are significant, as drug culture and violence frequently go hand-in-hand.

Along with what he called a significant amount of arrests, criminal charges and bylaw infraction notices, Cox said officers have made contact with 294 citizens.

These community contacts, many who run businesses in the areas being patrolled, are central to understanding what’s going on the communities, he said.

get the light right

2010-05-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

Public input to 'inform' city's plan for light rail

Meredith Macleod, The Hamilton Spectator
(May 21, 2010)

Hamiltonians will be asked for their input on a proposed light rail project throughout the next 12 months of design and engineering work.
The city will establish a community advisory committee to work with a consultant leading the study, and there will be a number of public information sessions and other communication efforts.
"We will not be waiting until the end to say, 'Here's our plan, what do you think?' " said Jill Stephen, the city's director of strategic planning and rapid transit.
"We'll be getting input throughout and that will inform the plan."
The city announced yesterday it has hired Steer Davies Gleave, an international transportation consulting firm, to do the planning for the estimated $784-million light rail line from Eastgate Square to McMaster University.
It's expected the study will take a year and it kicks off a crucial period in Hamilton's quest to land light rail.
The report will look at everything from station location to the technology to run the trains. It will analyze how traffic will flow throughout the area and how property owners will be affected.
The study will also include a feasibility study into an LRT route from the waterfront to the airport.
Steer Davies Gleave has spearheaded transportation projects around the world and was the lead architect of the Metrolinx benefits case analysis for Hamilton.
The city is the only municipality so far to get a grant from the province for its transit planning study. Local officials point to that $3 million as proof that Hamilton is well on its way to LRT.
Rail spirits were further boosted this week when Metrolinx CEO Rob Prichard told the Hamilton Economic Summit that he anticipates the city's transit project will be the next major announcement.
But the agency has made no commitment to LRT and the province has not promised any funding.
There is clearly a timeline at play. Everyone is talking about the trains running by the Pan Am Games in 2015 and the project is a big component of the city's controversial bid to build a west harbour stadium.
Kathy Drewitt, executive director of the Downtown Hamilton BIA, says business owners are anxious to get answers about how light rail will affect them during and after construction.
The city's proposal includes converting Main and King to two-way traffic and the possibility of removing street parking in the core, restricting left turns to signalled intersections and potentially closing a section of King to vehicles.
"Business owners want to know where the stops will be, how they'll get deliveries into their buildings, how their customers will get to them ... we're hoping the consultant will answer those questions."
mmacleod@thespec.com
905-526-3408

dump the trucks on Dundurn

2010-05-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

NOTES From an article by Jen Dawson:

The city estimates that Dundurn North carries 11,652 vehicles every 24 hours, of which 477 are "commercial vehicles."
Dundurn North is a two-way, three-lane road that rips through the heart of a dense residential neighbourhood
All but six of the buildings on Dundurn North are detached and semi-detached homes
Sidewalks are only four feet, ten inches wide, a third of which is lost to slope whenever there's a curb cut for a driveway or intersection: Pedsafe, an office of the U.S. Department of Transportation, recommends that sidewalks on arterial roads are six to eight feet wide, with an additional four- to six-foot buffer between the sidewalk and the road.
the November 2009 recommended truck network did not have Dundurn North on it, the current version does.

Read her entire article at RAISE THE HAMMER!

Further notes - Dundurn North appears as a bicycle route in the Shifting Gears Cycling plan , meant to go to two lanes (one in each direction) with bike lanes. (see google map on sidebar, project #088)

Trucks and Bicycles Don't Mix Well

Statistical evidence shows the chance of fatality for cyclists increases dramatically with the size of the vehicle in a collision. The 1998 Coronor's Report found that:

While Class G vehicles still accounted for the majority of fatal collisions, large vehicles were involved in 37 per cent of collisions resulting in cyclist fatalities (compared with only eight per cent of collisions resulting in cyclist injuries). This difference must be attributed to an increased likelihood of cyclist fatality in collisions with large vehicles. For example, there was one cyclist fatality for every 125 non-fatal collisions involving large vehicles (Class A, B, C, D and M) as opposed to one cyclist fatality for every 488 non-fatal collisions involving Class G motor vehicles. Thus, it appears that a cyclist's collision with a large vehicle is approximately four times more likely to result in cyclist fatality than a cyclist's collision with a Class G vehicle.

artsy banksy gets it right

2010-05-10T15:15:00.000-04:00

Graffiti artist Banksy nails it - this one could be downtown Hamilton's prescription for making a more liveable city...

the booze lane?

2010-05-08T18:33:00.000-04:00

The newly installed bike lanes on Dundurn South continue to attract law breaking drivers who consider their personal convenience before any civic duty (civility). So far, every time I've passed this spot there are cars blocking the bike lane. Next door at the beer store:

This gentleman was told by a beer store employee not to park in the bike lane, which he ignored and went to get his case regardless. The employee told me that by-law had handed out some tickets today (Saturday), but in my short visit there were five different vehicles using the bike lane in front of the LCBO and Beer store. Perhaps installing some bollards will be necessary to prevent these ongoing violations.

Dundurn between Main and Aberdeen

2010-05-06T23:41:00.000-04:00

Bike lanes, finally! Plenty of bike action on the new lanes, hopefully the world will still revolve and we can all learn to get along. Thanks to Councillor McHattie for holding the line as some local business people tried to kill the bike lanes over the loss of some on street parking.

Somebody needs to tell people who think it is VIP parking in front of the beer store now. Here's Ancaster Taxi blocking this afternoon.

University Plaza adds some bike parking

2010-04-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

While TLC never heard back from RIOCAN about the lack of adequate bike parking at University Plaza in Dundas, there have been two new racks installed on the south section of the plaza! It would have been nice to have them communicate with us about the style of racks to use, the ones they chose not being the best from a security standpoint. Preferable would have been the style that was previously the only rack at the plaza, where cyclists can easily lock their bicycle frame to the rack with an u-lock.

This rack is placed by the Toy Store, and some vacant stores. You can see how the rack provides limited opportunity to secure a bicycle frame to the rack with a u-lock.

Paying for the Paving

2010-04-26T09:55:00.000-04:00

CATCH News – April 25, 2010

Roads tolls gaining favour

The challenge of paying for light rail and other provincially-funded transit initiatives has revived discussion about road tolling – at least in the Toronto area – and is winning significant support. The tolling of Hamilton’s city-owned expressways was recommended by staff several years ago, but rejected by council.

Last month’s provincial budget postponed $4 billion in promised Metrolinx transit funding, putting several Toronto area light rail transit projects on hold, and apparently dimming hopes that Queen’s Park will find funds for light rail in Hamilton. The fiscal retreat has enraged Toronto mayor David Miller, and re-ignited the long-simmering debate about tolling expressways to help finance improvements to public transit.

Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion sparked the discussion earlier this month by suggesting tolls have to be considered as one way of funding infrastructure.

“We’ve got to face the music and say how are we going to pay for it,” she told 680 News, “The 407 is a toll road that people seem to have accepted very well.”

That won immediate endorsement from Globe and Mail columnist Marcus Gee, who pointed to a recent survey of 19 North American urban areas that identified the Toronto region as the most congested.

“Seven out of 10 Toronto commuters depend on their cars. Hopes of luring them with better mass transit are fading,” noted Gee. “Metrolinx, the regional transit agency, has a $50-billion master plan for mass transit with no clue how to pay for it. Road tolls could help solve both problems.”

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton was even more blunt.

“There are people who believe in magic and they think everything should be free. I wish I could accommodate them,” he said. “The title of the office is mayor, not magician.”

A Toronto Star poll found a surprising 31 percent of residents in favour of road tolling, leading the newspaper to call for “an adult discussion” of the option because “necessary transit projects can’t wait.” That may be underway as tolls have become a major issue in Toronto’s mayoralty race with one major candidate endorsing them and at least two others refusing to rule them out.

Further investigation by the Star found evidence that “a shift is taking place in political circles” and even among taxpayer advocacy organizations. The head of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Kevin Gaudet, has been one of the most vocal critics of tolls, but has changed his mind.

“If done correctly, I think there is a way for fees, tolls and levies to occur,” he told the Star.

The issue was touched on by Hamilton council in 2008, but hasn’t been seriously debated since a 2004 staff report recommended asking the province for the right to toll the Linc and the Red Hill expressways as a way of paying for their construction and maintenance costs. That investigation was rejected by a majority of the councilors, frustrating some of the others who wanted the option considered.

“It’s that old free lunch thing – let’s build the road, and let’s get somebody else to pay for it, whether it’s the province or the farmers or the suburbanites,” commented Dave Braden, Flamborough’s representative at the time. “But introduce the concept in the Hamilton culture that says the people who use it really should pay for it, and you get oh no no, somebody else should do that.”

The consultant study behind the staff report calculated that a 10-cent per kilometer toll on the two expressways would generate about $14 million a year and go a considerable way to footing debt repayment and the on-going maintenance bills for the roadways. Debt charges are a little over $10.2 million this year and will still exceed $9.3 million in 2016.

CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at www.hamiltoncatch.org. You can receive all CATCH free updates by sending an email to info@HamiltonCATCH.org.

talking 'bout walking

2010-04-15T23:08:00.000-04:00

Support fully functional rail trail for west Hamilton

2010-04-14T11:21:00.001-04:00

April 14, 2010

Transportation for Liveable Communities Hamilton
PO Box 19, 1280 Main Street West
Hamilton ON L8S 1C0
tlchamilton.org
tlchamilton@gmail.com

Councillor McHattie and Daryl Bender,

Transportation for Liveable Communities is writing in support of the planned trail improvements on the former rail corridor, between Fortinos (south of Main St. W. on Rifle Range Road) and Studholme.

As advocated for sustainable transportation, TLC has for years supported the building of this trail, and as we near implementation we are eager to see it go forward.

We anticipate the trail will be well used by people commuting or seeking access to recreation and retail opportunities by bicycle, on foot or with mobility aids. Upon completion this trail will be a welcome alternative to existing on-road routes that cross the 403 on King or Main Streets, which, due to traffic speeds and volumes, are not always conducive to an inviting cycling environment for young families and beginner cyclists. This trail will provide a scenic and safe route for such users.

By rehabilitating this former rail line, an environmentally degraded area with limited use will now serve to meet the needs of citizens seeking alternatives to private automobile use while creating a cleaner and safer environment for a wide range of users.

TLC supports the paving of this section, since this will allow for snow-clearing in winter, and will provide a stable surface year round for cyclists and pedestrians, thus promoting a shift away from automobile dependency and toward sustainable and non-polluting transportation. The plan to have lighting along the trail will further enhance safety for users.

TLC encourages the city to engage best practices with respect to environmentally sound snow and ice control, to ensure this path remains an asset to the community year round.

Thank you for your consideration,

Randy Kay
for Transportation for Liveable Communities

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

Advocates for sustainable transportation in Hamilton since 2000

(photo of trail on former rail line to be paved)

Heavy Industry in Hamilton

2010-03-29T09:51:00.000-04:00

Hamilton weighs in on top of other cities - in obesity. The article has a helpful recognition of links between car dependency and (poor) health:

For example, the same 2006 StatsCan report noted that U.S. data has found associations between obesity and urban sprawl, suggesting that an increased dependency on cars decreases opportunities and motivation to walk.

According to Tran, public health is starting to shift its strategy from relying on educating people to considering those kind of environmental factors.

That includes working with the municipality and schools to address issues such as increasing walkability, bike trails, active transportation and food policies.

How many decades will Hamilton take to implement measures to alleviate the effects of sprawl?

Full article here.

walk + fail

2010-03-25T08:12:00.000-04:00

The city's walkability is getting a good kicking from Raise the Hammer, as bloggers record the many instances where the street design punishes walkers to award cars.
Walkability Fail features posts with maps and description of the poor design of pedestrian facilities, some of which are recently engineered at great expense (McMaster's Main Street entrance for example)

Related Links
International Charter for Walking
Collaborative Pedestrian and Walking Initiative

talk transportation up

2010-03-10T17:41:00.000-05:00

Transportation in Hamilton - Hamilton Civic League Speaker Series

* Date: March 22, 2010
* Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
* Location: Volunteer Hamilton
* Address: 267 King Street East (Google Maps)
* Email: HamiltonCivicLeague@gmail.com

On March 22nd the Hamilton Civic League presents the second installment of its monthly Speaker Series entitled “Transportation in Hamilton: Challenges, Goals and Possibilities.”

Featuring guest panelists from: Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee ; Transit Users Group ; McMaster Institute for Transportation & Logistics ; Transportation for Liveable Communities.

Join us for a frank and wide-ranging discussion of Hamilton's transportation systems and road network. Voice your opinion on what specific considerations should inform City planning and policy in this area. What issues MUST be part of the campaign discourse in this election year?

Posted by davidvanbeveren

Dundurn Redux

2010-03-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

What: Dundurn Street: from National Historic Site to World Biosphere Reserve (York Blvd to Aberdeen)

Date: Monday, March 22, 2010

Time: 7 to 9 p.m.

Location: Parish Hall, St. Joseph Church, Locke at Herkimer, Hamilton

Dundurn is a street on the cusp of redeveloping and forging a new identity. You are invited to a community meeting to learn about and provide your input into how it could look in the future.

Agenda:

· Councillor McHattie will speak about his vision of Dundurn Street

· Khaldoon Ahmad, City of Hamilton Urban Design and David Cumming, City of Hamilton Heritage and Urban Design will speak about potential streetscapes on Dundurn as well as the concept of Dundurn as a “Complete Street”

· Al Fletcher, City of Hamilton Planning will speak about what Dundurn might look like under the new Mixed Use zoning and by-law reform; this could include intensification opportunities

· Daryl Bender, City of Hamilton Alternative Transportation will speak about the Shifting Gears Cycling Master Plan, TDM (Transportation Demand Management), and transit opportunities

· Zach Douglas, CEO of McMaster Innovation Park will provide an update on the current progress and how it ties into the future of Dundurn

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A and discussion.

Resources

Complete Streets

New Urbanism

Commercial & Mixed Use Zoning

Shifting Gears – Hamilton’s Cycling Master Plan

TDM - Transportation Demand Management

McMaster Innovation Park

feedback on shifting gears

2010-03-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

Transportation for Liveable Communities Hamilton
PO Box 19, 1280 Main Street West
Hamilton ON L8S 1C0

March 5, 2010

Dear Daryl Bender and Hamilton Council,
re: Shifting Gears Cycling Master Plan

Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) Hamilton is pleased that the Shifting Gears Cycling Plan is completed with an integrated network of cycling routes mapped out, and we commend the staff who worked so diligently to provide a very reasonable plan and listened to the input provided by the community who attended the Public Information Centres and sent comments by e-mail.

TLC recognizes the need for such planning if we are to ensure an effective use of routes to encourage cycling, which benefits not only cyclists, but the entire community, especially in areas where bicycle lanes help calm traffic, and provide safer walking and cycling environments.

We view Shifting Gears as vital to meeting policy directives of the city, including the Transportation Master Plan, and Shifting Gears, and Making Hamilton the Best Place to Raise a Child, by getting more people out of cars and into more active modes of transportation, yet, TLC feels the plan has been weakened by changes to the original staff recommendations that were made by council.

We want our city to meet its goals, and we want to help the city to get there; yet despite several community consultations, spanning from November 2008 to April 2009, the recommendations of senior staff and the Alternative Transportation Coordinator to the Public Works Committee on June 15, 2009 were essentially stripped of effectiveness by council-driven amendments before approval of the altered plan on June 24, 2009.

Despite the strong correlation between the density and connectivity of cycling infrastructure to increasing the number of cyclists, council ignores these data, erring on the side of nervous ward parochialism.

How else does a recommendation like “(a) That the City of Hamilton Cycling Master Plan be endorsed:” become, “That the City of Hamilton Cycling Master Plan be endorsed, conditional upon individual links being subject to community feedback and consultation with the Ward Councillor and affected neighbourhoods” ?

The amendments to the original recommendation unduly add another layer of potential delays to a process that involve “community feedback” opportunities at scheduled Public Information Centres, and for the entire time the plan was being studied.Already there is a proviso in the recommendation that allows for further legitimate consultation:

“Further EA Approvals are required for any Schedule C projects including additional consultation requirements and publication of an Environmental Study Report consistent with the requirements of the MEA Class EA (October 2000, as amended in 2007) for Schedule C projects. As noted above, at this time all projects identified are considered Schedule A+ or approved under the RTMP (2007), subject to confirmation prior to project implementation.”

As city staff pointed out in their recommendation, “Cycling will become much more effective when there are continuous road segments as part of the network. Missing links can greatly reduce the attractiveness of a cycling route.”

TLC would like to see the policy strengthened by ensuring that important city-wide links are not subject to political interference. The changes to the original recommendations create uncertainty where we need firm direction. This has the potential to negate the gains that will only come when the cycling plan's goals are enacted in such a way to ensure an integrated network of cycling infrastructure.

TLC's primary concern is to seek ways to ensure the spirit of the cycling plan is prioritized so that implementation is supportive of the plans goals to create a city-wide cycling network. We are eager to meet with project staff to discuss this issue further.

Thank you for your consideration,

Transportation for Liveable Communities

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

Advocates for sustainable transportation in Hamilton since 2000

couldn't we just hire this guy and let him go to work?

2010-02-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

Ian Lockwood shows that indeed, traffic planners can be successful without catering to cars. Mr. Lockwood spoke at a transportation summit in Hamilton a few years ago, with pretty much the same message. Despite all the proven examples of traffic calming, planners in Hamilton still think the "old way" and plan for cars ahead of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. If you need evidence for this, take a look at the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan: road widening, extra turning lanes for cars, and sometime later, improvements for walkers, cyclists, and maybe transit users.
See what Lockwood has done in West Palm Springs, and then see how little innovation we have here.

walk study

2010-02-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

Barry Gray, the Hamilton Spectator

Making Hamilton more walkable

Experts' study aims to make pedestrians as important as cars

Lisa Grace Marr, The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 22, 2010)

Hamilton's got walkability potential.

That's according to a Canada Walks Master Class case study conducted by an international team of experts that will be submitted to the city's Board of Health today.

Hamilton was one of only five Canadian communities chosen for the study last year.

In 2008, Hamilton city council applied to participate in the project and signed the International Charter for Walking.

The charter's principles are to increase mobility, design and manage spaces and places for people, improve integration of networks, support land use and spatial planning, reduce road danger, have less crime and fear of crime, have more supportive authorities (like city council) and create a culture of walking.

Sharon MacKinnon, a public health nurse and case study participant, said city staff from various departments were given a chance to talk about walkability and hear from community groups.

"Our city has a reputation of being a Steel City. We have so many things to celebrate, the waterfront, the escarpment, the neighbourhoods," she said.

"There needs to be more awareness raising around the great places we do have to walk."

The report found while Hamilton has plenty of beautiful natural areas and villages to walk in, like many other North American cities, it is designed for cars and trucks.

Councillor Brian McHattie said the city can easily implement several of the report's recommendations, such as creating signage to link great walking areas such as the waterfront and James Street North.

He said the thrust of the report is to make walkability as important as road work when redeveloping or developing areas of the city.

"We don't think about the sidewalks -- maintenance or how wide they are -- these are just not discussed.

"We can't afford not to do it, even just from an obesity perspective. But it's also important for sustainability."

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WALKABILITY

Key findings of the Canadian Walking Master Class 2009 to make Hamilton more walkable:

* Identify areas to match walking opportunities to the local population. Example: extend crossing times at lights near a seniors' home.

* Identify local neighbourhood centres (such as Dundas, Westdale, James Street North) and make pedestrian access a priority.

* Redesignate part of York Boulevard as a pedestrian street; stop trucks from travelling there to make a better environment for the Farmers Market.

* Retrofit big-box developments such as Ancaster Meadowlands to make them more inviting and accessible to pedestrians.

* Make sure walking is a priority when planning and provide spaces for pedestrians to enjoy existing streetscapes with special events in the streets.

* Reduce traffic volumes and speed throughout the city, especially the downtown, key shopping streets, around schools and residential areas.

* Consider turning one-way streets into two-way streets.

* Ensure good lighting and create areas that are not only safe, but appear safe to walk around.

* Develop local walking maps and design a distinctive signage system to support that, especially to link "walking oases" such as James Street North and the Waterfront.

* Commission and install public art and historical plaques along key walking routes to promote and enhance walking.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/726040

only one-way of thinking at city hall?

2010-02-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

Whether Hamilton gets LRT or not (hopefully LRT!), the reconversion to two-way traffic on Main and King should be a priority for the city. Any consultant or visiting urban planner to the city has invariably commented on the negative impact for liveable streets associated with multi-lane one way streets. One way streets are more dangerous for pedestrians*, and interfere with an urban streetscape that is pedestrian and cyclist friendly, and with regards to transit, are less efficient for transit users.

Mayor not sold on converting streets for LRT

Emma Reilly, The Hamilton Spectator, (Feb 13, 2010)

The city needs to convert King and Main streets to two-way traffic to get the most out of rapid transit, according to a Metrolinx report released yesterday.

But Mayor Fred Eisenberger is reluctant to endorse the move -- even though the plans presented yesterday are contingent on traffic running both east and west on Main and King.

Metrolinx, the authority that oversees transportation in the Hamilton and Toronto area, released a report yesterday detailing three options for rapid transit. Each one assumes both Main Street and King Street would be converted to two-way streets with two-way rapid transit running down the median of King.

"(Two-way) conversion is considered a positive move from a city-building perspective that will create a more pedestrian and transit-friendly environment," the report reads.

Eisenberger said it's "premature to talk about those kinds of assumptions at this point" and more traffic studies need to be finished before council makes a decision.

"Clearly there is going to be a need to look at how the transportation flows in our inner city," he said.

"And that has yet to be done in thoroughness."

Rob Prichard, president and CEO of Metrolinx, said it's ultimately up to the city to decide whether to convert its streets to accommodate two-way traffic.

"It's simply an assumption. If the city remained with one-way streets, we would have to change that assumption and adapt our analysis," he said.

Initially, the city expected yesterday's report to include a firm recommendation about whether Hamilton should receive light rail or dedicated bus lanes.

Instead, the report outlined all three options -- buses, light rail or a phased-in light rail system that integrates buses on the route's east end -- without any endorsement.

"Clearly the province is now going to be the agency that we're going to have to work with," Eisenberger said.

For all three options, the report calls for construction to begin in 2011, finish in 2014 and for rapid transit to be up and running by 2015, in time for the Pan Am Games.

That timeline will depend on when the province makes a decision about funding.

While visiting Hamilton last week, Premier Dalton McGuinty said he sees Pan Am and rapid transit as "separate things" and the games won't necessarily influence Hamilton's chances of getting light rail.

The report also notes Hamilton's traffic lights will have to give priority to rapid transit, which could make waits longer on north-south at intersections.

Jill Stephen, director of strategic planning for the city, said city staff will make a presentation to council in April detailing its work over the past year and present options for the future.

"We'll confirm that we're on the right course moving forward with rapid transit," she said.

ereilly@thespec.com

905-526-2452

What kinds of savings in travel time will rapid transit bring?

It's expected that current bus riders, new transit riders and auto users will all see travel times improve. Metrolinx calculated that in money terms at $13 an hour. For LRT, the total savings is $647 million for a full line and $553 million for a phased line. The savings for bus rapid transit are significantly lower at $269 million.

Will it link to GO?

No. Metrolinx researchers studied the impacts of moving the LRT route so it would connect with the GO station on Hunter Street. The analysis showed slightly higher peak ridership, but an increase in travel time that hurt overall benefits. The report did say a convenient connection to GO will become more important as GO train service to Hamilton improves.

*"A recent study reviewed pedestrian motor vehicle injuries to children up to 14 years of age in the City of Hamilton from 1978 to 1994. The child pedestrian injury rate was 2.5 times higher on one-way streets than on two-way streets (46 vs.20 per 1000,000 children per 100 km of street per year). Children living in the poorest Hamilton neighbourhoods were three times more likely to be injured than those living in the wealthiest neighbourhoods (33 vs. 12 per 100,000 per 100 km of street per year). " Health Issues Report 2000, prepared by the Social & Public Health Services Division of the City of Hamilton & Region of Hamilton-Wentworth.

LRT: down to the wire

2010-02-12T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Hamilton Spectator is reporting that "LRT best and most costly option" according to a Metrolinx report

Here's the article on the Spec web site:

Light-rail transit line from Eastgate Square to McMaster University could bring as much as $144 million in economic uplift to the city, says a new report from provincial transportation agency Metrolinx.

It pegs the cost at an estimated $784 million to build.

The report also examined a rapid transit bus line - a dedicated lane for buses and priority at traffic signals. This option would cost $220 million and bring $77 million in economic spinoffs to the city, the report concludes.

A third option - light rail from Ottawa Street to McMaster and bus from Ottawa to Eastgate Square - would cost $655 million to build and would bring as much as $106 million in economic benefits.

Read report in PDF document

The report projects significant population growth in Hamilton over the next two decades. The current population of 500,000 is expected to grow to 660,000 residents while employment is expected to grow to 300,000 jobs by 2031.

Watch thespec.com for more updates to this breaking story.

GO between Guelph and Hamilton

2010-02-06T14:55:00.001-05:00

Please take a moment to sign this petition to have GO transit take over the cancelled bus route between Guelph and Hamilton.
Petition is here: www.petitiononline.com/commute/petition.html

Thanks!

PBS

2010-01-30T19:52:00.000-05:00

Would you like to see a public bike share system in the City of Hamilton? The City of Hamilton wants to know what you think.

Go to http://www.smartcommute.ca/hamilton/bikeshare and click on the bike photo to participate in a short online survey. The survey is sponsored by the City of Hamilton Public Works and Smart Commute Hamilton.

bike lanes for Greensville Hill?

2010-01-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE
IMPROVEMENTS TO HIGHWAY 8, PARK AVENUE TO BOND STREET
MUNICIPAL CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

FOR full announcement and a map of the area, follow the link: http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/08FA836A-19C5-4B52-9D78-20D6C5433030/0/aysJan29_2010.pdf

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
THE STUDY
The City of Hamilton has initiated a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process to examine infrastructure improvements to Highway 8 between Park Avenue and Bond Street (see Location Map). This study is building on the recommendations made in the City’s Transportation Master Plan (May 2007), and the Cycling Master Plan (December 1999, update ongoing).

The purpose of this study is to examine roadway improvement alternatives from Hillcrest Avenue to Park Avenue (shown in dark hatching), such as bike lanes and sidewalks, and including intersection improvements at Highway 8 and Brock Road. From Park Avenue to Bond Street (shown in light hatching), the improvements to examine include cyclist facilities and repairs to culvert deﬁciencies.

LOCATION

THE PROCESS
This project is being planned as a Schedule C project under the Municipal Engineers Association Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (October 2000, as amended in 2007). Project Schedule will be conﬁrmed, and reﬁned if required, once a preferred alternative is identiﬁed.

A Public Information Centre (PIC) has been scheduled to present the existing conditions and constraints, infrastructure alternatives, evaluation criteria and next steps. At the completion of this study, an Environmental Study Report, or Project File Report will be prepared and made available for public review.

PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE
The following PIC will be held to provide further information and to receive public input:
DATE: Thursday, February 11, 2010
TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Christ Church Flamboro, 92 Hwy 8, Greensville ON

PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITED
There is an opportunity at any time during this process for interested persons to review outstanding issues and bring concerns to the attention of the Project Managers. If you have any questions or comments or wish to be added to the study mailing list, please contact:

Melanie Jajko, B.ES, Project Manager, E-mail eplanning@hamilton.ca
Mike Bricks, MCIP, RPP, Project Manager, E-mail mbricks@ecoplans.com

Information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.

This Notice issued January 29th and February 5th, 2010

Disappointing Dundas TMP

2010-01-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

Transportation for Liveable Communities Hamilton

PO Box 19, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton ON L8S 1C0

905-525-9140 ext. 26026

tlchamilton@gmail.com

tlchamilton.org

Ms. Diana Morreale,
Ms. Christine Lee-Morrison
Public Works Dept.
City of Hamilton

January 22, 2010

RE: Comments on the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan, Class EA report

Dear Ms Morreale and Ms Lee-Morrison,

I am writing on behalf of Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) to comment about the class EA for the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan (DDTMP).

TLC members have followed closely the long process of the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan, attended the public open houses and commented on the process over the past two years.

We found it extremely frustrating that the recommendations included in the DDTMP are not in keeping with the Vision 2020, GRIDS and Hamilton TMP principles that supposedly guide the process."expand transportation options that encourage travel by foot, bike, and transit and enhance efficient inter-regional transportation connections" Rather, we see changes that would increase the volume and speed of automobile travel in Dundas are prioritized over the stated goal of "[a] better choice of integrated travel modes, emphasizing active transportation and public transit." (Dec. 9, 2009 www.hamilton.ca/CityDepartments/PublicWorks/CapitalPlanning/StrategicPlanning/StrategicEnvironmentalPlanningProjects/Downtown+Dundas+TMP.htm)

TLC feels that the plan, with its current emphasis, places pedestrians, cyclists, and the small town character of Dundas, in jeopardy.

Importantly, the DDTMP bluntly violates the 2007 city wide Transportation Master Plan's calls for identifying policies that reduce automobile trips, promote walking and cycling, and encourage use of public transit and ride sharing.

Our concern is based on the fact that all the outlined short term action plans in the DDTMP include road changes like widening that promote increased automobile trips and speed and that not one of the short term projects address the immediate needs of pedestrian, cycling and transit improvements. Indeed, the alternative transportation components that are included in the DDTMP are presented as vague suggestions for future studies, and, at best, minor tweaking and subtle dismissal of residents’ expressed desires and concerns.

We focus here on three key issues.

First, the DDTMP fails to develop a transportation vision which recognizes and enhances Dundas' strengths, such as natural features and a compact and walkable heritage core. By prioritizing automobile "improvements" like road widening and adding vehicle lanes, not only are pedestrians and cyclists further endangered, the Valley Town risks losing its unique identity which sets it apart from surrounding suburban sprawl. The plan should closely examine the origins and destinations of current automobile, pedestrian, bike and bus trips, and then delineate the desired modal split for the area following city guidelines (e.g. Vision 2020 and the citywide TMP). Where Dundas deserves a clear and distinctive vision for achieving such goals, the plan takes a passive, reactive attitude, against city policy, by obsessively focusing on, assuming, and providing for, increased automobile traffic.

Second, we are disappointed that the DDTMP further delays the promise of the visionary “Urban Design Study for Hatt Street in Dundas”. The 2005 study, which was supposed to guide future development of the Hatt St area, highlighted the need for strengthening pedestrian connectivity and accessibility. Unfortunately, the DDTMP fails to accommodate that practical need and leaves it to a still future study. Moreover, the DDTMP dismissed resident calls for improved pedestrian crossing along the Hatt St section between Ogilvie St and Market St. This ~1500 m stretch of six city blocks currently provides no protected pedestrian crossings. The DDTMP notes that the stretch does not “warrant” a protected pedestrian crossing, but we find this conclusion misleading. First, the DDTMP is supposed to provide for increased pedestrian traffic into the downtown core rather than observe current traffic and then conclude that it does not warrant safe pedestrian crossing. Second, a perceptive look at the character of the Hatt St area, including the 600 new housing units at the newly developed Creekside area and the newly developed commercial area just west of the new development, would indicate that there is a substantial opportunity for diverting automobile trips by creating opportunities to support an increase in pedestrian traffic in this area.

Finally, the DDTMP does not provide the necessary global vision for pedestrian traffic issues on King St. Currently, King St is optimized for serving as a highway even though it is the commercial and social heart of the Valley town. The DDTMP must consider it and provide explicit immediate plans for improving safe pedestrian movements along and between the north and south side of King St. Although two new pedestrian traffic lights were installed recently at Ogilvie St and Foundry St, they were rendered ineffective by programming the signal response times to prioritize automobiles movement over the need of pedestrians. Compare this ill advised approach to the visionary leadership of neighbouring councillor Brian McHattie and responsive city public works dept staff, who optimized the pedestrian operated traffic light at Cootes Drive near McMaster. While the light is synchronized with the nearby light at Main St and is slow to respond to pedestrian needs during rush hours, it provides almost instantaneous green pedestrian light on demand at off peak hours. Hence pedestrian can cross the street always safely and quickly much of the time. This compromise approach, which is also used widely in other Canadian cities, should be adopted in downtown Dundas as well.

There are many more specifics we could include, but suffice to say we think that the DDTMP requires substantial revision and intend to take immediate further actions to ensure that the Valley town receives the transportation master plan it deserves.

Sincerely yours,

Reuven Dukas
For TLC