pass it on...

From left, Alex Michulan, Brenda Johnson, Don Hull and Budh Dhillon cut into the birthday cake at the Passport to Hamiton's first birthday celebration.

Superintendent Ted Thomas enjoys a piece of birthday cake.

HSR pass provides discounts around city

Environment Hamilton and partners give you a gem to see other gems in Hamilton

Joana Draghici, Special To The News

Published on Jun 26, 2009

Free energy-savings kits, cake and a special tour bus were not the only excitement at the Passport to Hamilton birthday celebration. Environment Hamilton also received a $50,000 grant from the Hamilton Community Foundation.

"We've supported Environment Hamilton on a number of occasions. They are an important voice for the environment," said Sharon Charters, manager of grants at the Hamilton Community Foundation, who shared the news with residents on June 16.

Environment Hamilton has partnered with more than 80 locations in the city, including museums, recreation centres, restaurants and cafes to offer discounts for groups that present a valid HSR day pass.

An $8 transit pass allows groups to travel by transit all day around the city. Two adults can travel with up to four youth under the age of 19, one adult with up to five youth, or up to six youth together. In comparison, six passengers taking transit would pay a total of $14.10 for a single bus trip.

"This pass is a gem to see all the gems in the city," said Brenda Johnson, project manager at Environment Hamilton. "We want to eliminate the stigma that goes with taking transit and not having a car -we are going to have fun on the bus."

Joined forces

Don Hull, director of transit in Hamilton, said he was proud to partner with Environment Hamilton on such an initiative. He said the sales of HSR passes have gone up 55 per cent since they joined forces last year.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be part of this event because transit is a key component in the environmental solution," he said.

Duane Dahl, assistant director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hamilton, said having the city map makes people aware of where to go, and the HSR pass provides the opportunity for kids and parents, especially low income families, to visit these sites together.

Anne-Marie Lavelle, who was at the celebration with her husband and daughter, said this was the first time she heard about the transit pass.

“Because I live on the Mountain I can see using it a lot,” Mrs. Lavalle said. “This is good for families that would spend a lot more on the bus without the pass.”

passing lanes

A few of the cyclists leaving the City Council meeting at the Hamilton Convention Centre, after council passed the Shifting Gears Cycling Plan last night. The task remaining is to see that council funds the program at budget time. It will make the difference in seeing this long-overdue plan in place during the next decade, or in forty years. To get active on this issue, please contact tlchamilton@gmail.com and help us make it happen!

shifting gears at council

Gary Yokoyama, the Hamilton Spectator

Cycling plan gets votes, but cash? Not so fast TheSpec.com - Local - Cycling plan gets votes, but cash? No so fast

Nicole Macintyre, The Hamilton Spectator
(Jun 25, 2009)

They came on two wheels, helmets in place, to remind council that not every Hamiltonian wants to drive to work.

About 20 cyclists attended last night's council meeting to encourage the city to approve and fund its new cycling master plan.

Councillors unanimously backed the plan without debate, but referred any funding commitments to the budget process.

It will take $51.5 million to implement the integrated cycling network on city streets, a cost of $2.5 million a year if it was completed over 20 years.

Staff recommended the city only commit $1.25 million a year and focus on urban bike lanes.

The investment, which would be staged over numerous years, would more than quadruple the city's designated bike lanes to 566 kilometres.

However, several councillors have expressed concern about the size of the investment, questioning if the bike lanes would be used enough to justify the cost.

They want to consider the expense in relation to the city's other financial demands.

Randy Kay of Transportation for Liveable Communities Hamilton wants the city to fast-track the plan. The yearly price tag, he argued, is affordable and offers the city a cheap way to improve its image.

"Hamilton is moving in the right direction, keep going. Don't be left behind," he said.

"People want choices in their transportation."

In a letter to council, cyclist Brendan Simons said he's lived in several cities, but finds Hamilton the most "hostile to cyclists."

"No matter which roads I take, I have to contend with cars and trucks whizzing by my elbow at 70 plus kilometres per hour," Simons wrote.

Kay said local cyclists intend to follow the plan to next year's budget process.

"We're hoping this is just the start of a campaign to see this through."

press for bike lanes

CATCH News – June 23, 2009

Council pressed on cycling master plan

Cyclists are being urged to attend tomorrow night’s council meeting to support increased funding for bike lanes and multi-use paths. Last week, the public works committee refused to confirm funding for a proposed master plan for cycling infrastructure and also deferred making the staff coordinator’s job permanent.

Transportation for Liveable Communities is calling for sufficient funding for a cycling infrastructure master plan developed by city staff.

“The best case scenario: City councillors approve $2.5 million in funding each year, which would see the urban cycling network completed in 10 years and the rural web of bike paths completed in 20 years,” says a flyer issued by the group. “If you cycle, or know someone who does, we need you to let your local politician know that you support an integrated cycling network of bike lanes and paths.”

The proposal for $51.5 million for cycling infrastructure was accepted by the public works committee on June 15, but only after amendments to defer any funding commitments until future city budget discussions. And a specific recommendation that “the position of project manager, alternative transportation be made permanent” was also put off.

That position, the only one focused on cycling programs, is currently held by Daryl Bender, the main author of the master plan. He’s been a temporary employee for the last two years, and prior to his hiring, the annual $300,000 budget for bike lanes had repeatedly been unspent.

Tom Jackson asked that the “part about the permanency of the position … be referred to next year’s budget” discussions. He was assured that the change would not have any financial implications.

“This is simply taking a position which exists in our complement but which has been designated as a temporary contract position,” explained Hart Solomon, the city’s traffic manager. “The source of funding is already in place.”

But Jackson insisted that any decision on this be deferred, and the committee agreed. He also pushed through an amendment to make all proposed bike lanes “conditional upon individual links being subject to community feedback in consultation with the ward councillor in affected neighbourhoods.”

Earlier in the meeting, Chad Collins had challenged the wording of another part of the recommendation that he felt might mean “setting in stone” funding for the plan. Staff had suggested the annual budget for cycling infrastructure be increased to $1.25 million from the current $300,000 a year.

“How do we accommodate the increased figure that you’re proposing here, given the current capital budget, without creating problems in other areas when we know we have a capital budget infrastructure deficit,” Collins asked of Solomon, noting pressures to address storm flooding and improved transit services.

“Obviously the priorities are going to be set by the members of council and we’re simply presenting you with a plan that will have to be evaluated in comparison with all the other priorities – and we’re quite cognizant of the financial difficulties,” responded Solomon. “We’re simply suggesting that if cycling rises far enough in the priority system to be implemented at that stage, then that’s the amount of funding necessary to do it.”

Collins remained concerned that the plan could be “written in stone” and moved an amendment that would make the cycling improvements authorized “for consideration in the 2010 and future years’ capital budget deliberations.” He also argued that actual city spending on cycling is already greater than $300,000 a year – pointing to the $14 million in provincial monies allocated last year to a pedestrian/cycling bridge over the QEW as part of the Red Hill Valley trails system.

Margaret McCarthy said she would not support the proposed spending, pointing to “the restricted movement of traffic and vehicular movement around the city” and suggesting that “encouraging cycling in that mix” is an “unsafe practice.” She was also concerned about “our weather conditions” and air pollution that cyclists “would be sucking in as they’re going along those busy intersections.”

The budget for capital projects, including bike infrastructure, is drafted by city staff and usually approved in December for the coming year with very little council discussion. High city debt levels, as well as major recent spending on waste management facilities, the Linc and the Red Hill Valley Parkway, has restricted the size of the capital budget.

In the most recent capital budget, next year’s spending was forecast to drop from $236 million down to $181 million – but that doesn’t include one-time federal and provincial stimulus spending that has so far provided an extra $122 million earlier this month. The city has applied for an additional $84 million for recreational projects.

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.

links in the bicycle chain

Hamilton has some fantastic cycling shops, and we've been very happy with the enthusiastic response to our leaflet drops; below is a list of places (bike shops and more) where you can find info about the cycling plan, as it comes to city council on Wednesday (June 24, 2009) at 7pm at the Hamilton Convention Centre

BIKE SHOPS
MaCycle
Downtown Bike Hounds
Central Cycle
Main Cycle
Ancaster Cycle
Pieriks Cycle
Freewheel Cycle (Dundas)
Bicycle Works (Waterdown)

OTHER LOCATIONS
OPIRG McMaster
Skydragon Centre
Mixed Media
Locke Street Library
Dundas Library
My Dog Joe
Global Village (Westdale)
King William police station

cycling: the new kid on the block?

Bike paths: Heed the younger generation TheSpec.com - Opinions - Bike paths: Heed the younger generation

Terry Cooke, The Hamilton Spectator, (Jun 20, 2009)

They built the Great Pyramid in ancient Egypt in 20 years. But in Hamilton it's going to take us 40 years to construct a network of bicycle paths. Maybe we should be just a little more ambitious.

Or perhaps our city councillors should ask any randomly selected group of younger Hamiltonians what they think about encouraging the use of alternative forms of transportation to the private automobile.

Because young people just get it. They have figured out that our political future looks very different than the recent past on a bunch of different issues. Take gay marriage for instance, about which people of my generation remain deeply divided. Yet everybody I've talked to under 30 believes it's a no-brainer -- live and let live.

Just as young people know successful urban areas have to move away from planning that focuses exclusively on moving large numbers of vehicles quickly through the heart of our cities.

I guarantee that a city council comprised of 25-year-olds would jump at the opportunity to convert a five-lane urban expressway such as Main Street into something that actually nurtures local neighbourhoods and businesses while encouraging people to cycle and walk along it.

But in Hamilton, the car remains king and political change never seems to happen easily.

I learned that lesson the hard way as a political novice when I initiated the creation of a regionwide system of bicycle paths in the late 1980s.

We formed a committee to oversee the process, hired technical experts to design a plan (including both on-street bike lanes and rail trails) and got council to approve a capital budget. So far so good, I thought.

But when we actually converted one of the five lanes on Main and King streets to dedicated bicycle paths in 1993, all hell broke loose. Angry drivers who experienced some minor delays due to the changes literally lit up the switchboard at City Hall. The Spectator then piled on with front-page coverage of an accident in which a cyclist was hit on Main Street.

Regional council quickly caved to the pressure and abandoned the project. That political debacle remains seared in the memory of veteran councillors, explaining in part their trepidation about moving too aggressively now on bike lanes.

It's too bad because had we stayed the course Hamilton today would have a cycling network that would be the envy of mid-sized cities in North America.

Meanwhile, places like Portland, Ore., and Montreal have managed to get up to 15 per cent of their commuter traffic out of cars and onto bikes, helping the environment while reducing the demand for new road construction.

Thankfully much has changed in Hamilton in the last 15 years. Both our civic attitudes and our infrastructure are better equipped to support a fundamental shift in favour of neighbourhoods, transit, pedestrians and cyclists.

Not the least of these changes is the opening of the Linc and Red Hill expressways which provide a better way for drivers interested only in getting across town quickly.

There are political champions for change such as downtown Councillor Bob Bratina and Mayor Fred Eisenberger who are pushing for a more aggressive approach to building the cycling network in perhaps five or 10 years rather than 40.

Let's hope council considers not only the wisdom of Bratina and Eisenberger on this issue, but also takes the time to listen to our next generation of leaders in trying to figure out the future.

Terry Cooke is a director of the Canadian Urban Institute. He is president of Cooke Capital Corp. and former Hamilton-Wentworth chair.

tcooke@thespec.com

http://thespec.com/Opinions/article/586576

cyclists to city council

Help distribute a leaflet encouraging cyclists to contact their councillors, and to attend the next City Council Meeting where the voting will take place to fund the Shifting Gears Cycling Plan for Hamilton, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, at 7PM Hamilton Convention Centre, 1 Summers Lane.

If cyclists attend one city council meeting, this is the one! Come out and bring your friends!

shifting gear to a brighter future

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

Dear Councillors,

How can we make Hamilton a better place to raise a child, address poverty issues, and prove to the rest of the world that Hamilton is interested in attracting bright young professionals?

Continue to support sustainable transportation, specifically at this juncture, the Shifting Gears cycling plan.

If you build it, will they come? Yes, they will.

Today we are constantly reminded that "Young professionals are attracted to diverse, explorable cities that are easily walked and biked, that have lots of green spaces and trails, exciting nightlife, clean air and water and good transit." (American consultant Rebecca Ryan, keynote speaker at the second annual Hamilton Economic Summit on May 6, "Young workers want a city they can love", Hamilton Spectator, April 27, 2009)

Getting the cycling network in place will help attract the "creative class" and will do much to "change Hamilton’s image as a faltering industrial city paralyzed by conflict and indecision....Hamilton must celebrate itself, recreate its sense of pride and stop listening to the naysayers." (Summit hears mega-region on road to prosperity, Hamilton Spectator, May 1, 2008)

In a city where 20% of households lack cars, and 40% of residents say they cycle regularly or occasionally (Hamilton-Wentworth Community Cycling Survey, 1997), investing in cycling provides long term benefit for comparably little cost: the bike racks on city buses are a good example of spending to invest in infrastructure that pays long term dividends, both in practical terms for cyclists, and in enhancing the city's image.

The argument that we can't afford to invest in cycling infrastructure that meets the stated objectives of city policies like Vision 2020, The Transportation Master Plan, Making Hamilton the best place to raise a child, and other long range planning goals does not get us where we say we want to be. Compare the annual operating bill for the 8 km valley parkway: $2.65 million, with the hoped for annual cycling investment of $2.5 million a year. Whereas the highway costs will likely rise over time, cycling infrastructure presents much lower maintenance costs for a city.

With these, and other considerations, such as public health and climate change in mind, Transportation for Liveable Communities encourages city council to fully support implementation of the Shifting Gears Cycling Plan, on a timeline that will allow us and our children to reap the rewards.

Thank you for your consideration,

Transportation for Liveable Communities

calling all cyclists!

CYCLISTS! ACT NOW TO ENSURE HAMILTON’S CYCLING FUTURE!
Contact Your City Councillor

If you cycle, or know someone who does, we need you to let your local politician know that you support an integrated cycling network of bike lanes and paths.

Council will be voting on how much they will fund the Shifting Gears Cycling Plan Wednesday, June 24, 2009!

7pm, Hamilton Convention Centre, 1 Summers Lane

If cyclists attend one city council meeting, this is the one!
Come out and bring your friends!

A full list of councillors, contact info and ward boundaries can be found here:

http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/YourElectedOfficials/CityCouncillors/

The best case scenario: City councillors approve $2.5 million in funding each year , which would see the urban cycling network completed in 10 years and the rural web of bike paths completed in 20 years

AGAINST:
“Councillor Tom Jackson frequently hears from residents who want more recreational trails.
He’s not sure if those same people want to bike to work on city streets. ‘I’m not detecting a huge clamouring for commuter lanes. ’”

Flamborough’s Councillor “Margaret McCarthy is sceptical additional bike lanes would be well used given the escarpment, weather, transit improvements and heavy traffic. ‘It seems to me an unsafe practice, ’ she said. ‘For my money, this wouldn’t go forward. ’”

Terry Whitehead: "Convince me that investing over fifty million dollars on a seasonal activity would be better than making this investment into public transit."

FOR:
Councillor Bob Bratina “If you’ve been to Europe and seen it, you believe it,” he said. “We need to evolve a little more.”

HOW?:
“The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily travelled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighbourhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way...are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling.”

– from Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany by JOHN PUCHER and RALPH BUEHLER

COMPARE:
Annual Cost of Operating the Red Hill Parkway (8km total): $2.65 million
Annual Cost to Implement the Cycling Plan over 20 years : $2.5 million for a total of 566km of bike lanes

TRANSPORTATION FOR LIVEABLE COMMUNITIES HAMILTON @ tlchamilton.org
A working group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster

how many more years?

Cycling plan sees bike path every 2 kilometres TheSpec.com - Local - Cycling plan sees bike path every 2 kilometres

John Kernaghan, The Hamilton Spectator, (Jun 15, 2009)

Bike shops are reporting more people selling second cars and buying commuter bicycles.

And Hamilton is trying to meet that growing interest with a master cycling plan that would quadruple annual budgets for bike paths.

But even that $1.25 million wouldn't complete a recommended network in 20 years.

And the plan, to be presented to the city's public works committee today, offers a more aggressive alternative that would ramp up investment to $2.5 million each year.

That would complete the urban network in 10 years and the rural web of bike paths in 20 years.

The plan prepared by Hart Solomon notes Hamilton would have to match per capita spending in Burlington and Toronto, of $5.25 per person per year, to achieve that. A lower amount of $2.50 per capita "reflects the reality of our limited capital budget for road improvements."

The plan updates the Shifting Gears plan devised by the former region of Hamilton Wentworth.

It suggests a middle ground between no real cycling network and the ideal -- an upgrade of all city streets for cycling use.

It seeks the "satisfactory" concept of a cyclist travelling less than a kilometre to access a formal cycling route. That means a grid with two-kilometre spacing for urban areas.

The total cost to upgrade about 270 links to create that grid would cost $51.5 million over time, split $22.6 million urban and $28.9 million rural.

In asking the plan to be adopted, the report recommended that the position of project manager, alternative transportation, be made a permanent job.

The plan follows a series of six public meetings that left two people in the bike business optimistic.

"It's moving slowly," said Sam DiBussolo, of All The Right Gears cycle shop. "But it is moving forward and I think they'll get it done."

And Elaine Pierik, of Pieriks Cycle in Westdale, said she was hopeful, "as long as they keep moving forward. In the past it's been one step forward, two steps back."

She said customers in her store are increasingly giving up cars and using bikes for work.

"We have a number of people buying folding bikes, so they can cycle to the GO station, then collapse the bike and carry it on the train to work."

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/583607

catching up with cycling?

CATCH News – June 14, 2009

Comprehensive cycling network proposed
The city has prepared a master cycling plan that could put every urban resident within one kilometre of a bike lane or trail and establish a full rural network as well – for less than the city’s financial commitment to the proposed Pan-Am stadium. The plan goes to the public works committee tomorrow morning, but with recommended funding that would require over 40 years to complete the full network.
Over 260 bike lanes or multi-use paths in all parts of the city are listed in the plan to be added to the current network. Most of those (220) are in the urban area and are expected to cost $22.6 million to put in place. The 46 proposals for the rural area would add another $28.9 million, for a total price tag of $51.5 million.
“The core facility type will be the designated, painted lane,” explains the staff report. “The plan is based on the philosophy that a cyclist should be able to access the network in the urban area by travelling no more than 1 km, so a grid based on a 2 km spacing has been developed.”
The current budget allocation for cycling infrastructure is $300,000 a year. That was originally established at one percent of the road building budget, but has not increased for several years. Using that rate of annual spending, it would take 172 years to pay for all the projects. Staff are suggesting increasing annual spending for cycling to $1.25 million – enough to finish the master plan in 41 years.
That schedule could be cut to under 20 years if efforts are concentrated in the urban area – a direction that is suggested in the staff report.
“The funding level suggested in this report is about one-half that level and reflects the realities of our limited capital budget for road improvements,” says the staff report. “While $1,250,000 annually is less than the amount required to complete the entire network in twenty years, it will allow for good success on the urban portion and is compatible with staff’s ability to undertake these projects.”
An option offered to councillors is to double the allocation to $2.5 million a year – equivalent to five dollars per resident per year. That would bring Hamilton closer to Toronto’s annual per capita allocation of five dollars and twenty-five cents.
The city’s last major cycling plan was prepared ten years ago and staff say about 75 percent of its recommended projects have now been completed. But they note that 1999 “ Shifting Gears” plan “did not provide a comprehensive network of cycling facilities across the City.”
The new master plan has been developed over the last year in consultation with the public aims to correct this deficiency. It is “primarily focused on developing new on-road facilities, connecting wherever possible to existing or planned off-road facilities” says the report. It goes on to explain that the intent is to support both “commuter/utilitarian cycling and recreational cycling”, noting that the latter “is often the first step toward commuting or utilitarian use.”
Council is also being asked to approve permanent status for the “ alternative transportation coordinator” – a position that is currently only temporary.
“Integral to delivering the plan is the requirement for a full-time staff member dedicated to delivering the program,” advises the report. Before the temporary coordinator was hired, actual spending on cycling infrastructure was running far behind the annual $300,000 budget.
The majority of the proposed projects in the urban area are budgetted at less than $50,000 each. Of these 39 would cost less than $10,000 each, and another 93 are in the $10-50,000 range. Only two of the first 65 in the priority list attached to the report would cost more than $50,000.
Many of the more expensive projects are multi-use trails. Nine of the 215 in the urban area exceed $500,000 each with one of those budgetted at over $1 million.
Many of the more costly would be scheduled as part of road widening or reconstruction, with the cycling budget picking up any additional costs required for bike lanes. In the rural area, where over 250 kilometres of lanes are proposed, 70 percent of the projects would require paving road shoulders.
The completed plan, if approved by the committee and ratified next week by the full council, will then be posted for 30 days of further public comment required under provincial environmental assessment rules.


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.

back to the future

(how are we doing since this event in 2001?)

Transportation for Liveable Communities: MEMORIAL PROCESSION - MARCH 22 2001

LIST OF PEDESTRIAN & CYCLIST DEMANDS

Presented To: Hamilton City Council
Presented By: Transportation For Liveable Communities, a Working Group of McMaster OPIRG

• That the 1999 staff report Shifting Gears: A New Cycling Plan for Hamilton-Wentworth be implemented.
• That the $300,000 budget that has been dedicated to cycling initiatives each year since 1992 be maintained in 2001 and beyond.
• That motor vehicle speeds are enforced and, in residential areas, reduced to 30 km/hr.
• That traffic calming and other vehicle speed reduction techniques be implemented.
• That a Pedestrian Plan be developed for the New City of Hamilton.
• That a sidewalk needs study be conducted and priority areas identified.
• That sidewalks be built as part of any new development and that these sidewalks have a boulevard or separation between the sidewalk and the road
• That intersections in the New City be systematically reviewed and prioritized for necessary pedestrian-friendly improvements
• That snow clearance on frequently used sidewalks and trails be made a higher priority than road clearing and salting in residential neighbourhoods.
• That a City-wide Transportation Demand Management Plan be developed and implemented. Such a plan would provide incentives for walking and cycling and deterrents for single occupancy vehicle use.
• That the New City support development within urban areas and deter greenfield development.

re-turning to nature

Vehicular traffic of the motorized kind is now forbidden to enter the Valley Inn Road area, which has become, beautifully, scenically, quietly, a car-free area. Thanks to the city staff and politicians from both Burlington and Hamilton, and all the other players (including many members of TLC) who helped this happen.

The route is now open to only pedestrians and cyclists (and work vehicles when required), with the bridge over the mouth of Grindstone Creek much quieter than when previously cars would rattle the timbers of the old structure.

The other side of the route is closed off as well, so a very nice connecting route to link Burlington and Hamilton is now in place. Enjoy!

quick survey on rapid transit in Hamilton

Rapid Transit Survey

As Hamilton moves forward with plans to implement rapid transit in Hamilton, we want your thoughts on how you think the rapid transit initiative will best serve Hamilton. Help us by completing a short survey to provide your feedback and identify your preferred rapid transit alignment along the Main King corridor through downtown.

Access the survey online at www.hamilton.ca/rapid-transit or pick up a hard copy at some City of Hamilton offices, local libraries or municipal service centres. Comments are welcome at any time, but responses received by July 31, 2009 will be included in the September 2009 staff report to Council.

two-timer

Public input on proposed line
The Hamilton Spectator, (Jun 4, 2009)


City staff are recommending King Street and Main Street revert back to
two-way traffic for the new rapid transit line proposed to cross
Hamilton between McMaster University and Eastgate Square.

Staff prefer a typical transit system running along the median of King
Street, with vehicle traffic in the north and south curb lanes. The
two main arteries would convert to two-way traffic between Paradise
Road in the west and the Delta in the east.

Council and citizens have overwhelmingly backed a Light Rail Transit
(LRT) for the line, but that still has to be decided by the provincial
agency MetroLinx and it could support a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
system.

Residents can learn more about the staff preference at an open house
next Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel, between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The city wants to hear what residents think about the proposed
operation and also to confirm support for a LRT. It held two open
houses this week, one held in west Hamilton Monday that was attended
by 20 people.

Lisa Zinkewich, senior project manager, said a transit line running
down the median would disrupt the least traffic and has also been
shown to boost economic development.

One resident, Larry Berberick, said at an open house last night he
prefers to have the system in the south curb lanes and keep Main and
King as one way streets.

"My thinking is this would be safer."

private parking

University Plaza has one bicycle rack for the entire plaza. Why?

commuter challenge

Commuter Challenge Reminder....

Hamiltonians are invited to participate in various events throughout the city during Commuter Challenge week June 1-5.

Make a Change Monday encourages Hamilton residents to make a commitment to an alternative mode of transportation and to register their participation at www.hamilton.ca/commuterchallenge if they already haven’t done so. On Tuesday, the Transportation Fair and Smart Com mute Expo takes place at Downtown Hamilton’s Gore Park from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Wednesday is Walk to Work Day and Walk to School Day along with a 1.2km walk starting at noon from Gore Park to the Jackson Square Plaza. Thursday is Totally Transit Day when registered participants wearing the official Smart Commute Hamilton wristband can ride the HSR bus system for free all day. The week is rounded out with Bike to Work Day on Friday that includes designated routes from various locations around the city to downtown Hamilton.

Workplaces and individuals are encouraged to sign up today for the Commuter Challenge or to get further information at www.hamilton.ca/commuterchallenge

back to two ways

(no surprises here: one way streets are still a problem that needs to be dealt with, as consultants have been telling Hamilton for decades.)

---

Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator

Talking the walk of life TheSpec.com - Local - Talking the walk of life

International experts advocate end of one-way streets as a big step toward making city a pedestrian paradise

John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator

(May 14, 2009)

Hamilton enjoys many "patches of loveliness, but also patches of despair" that can be remedied by converting one-way streets to two-way and limiting truck traffic.

That's the conclusion one member of an international team examining Hamilton will present today to city policy-makers.

"Truck traffic can't be the sacred goose," offered Bronwen Thornton after walking around downtown Hamilton yesterday.

She is development director of Walk21, a United Kingdom organization promoting pedestrian livable areas.

After observing huge trucks crossing tranquil James Street North on Cannon Street, Toronto urban designer Paul Young said, "Trucks are killing the city."

Thornton, Young and four other experts were invited to Hamilton to offer advice on how to introduce active, safe and sustainable transportation policies.

They are part of the touring Canadian Walking Master Class project, which is funded by the federal government.

Young said that intersection of James North and Cannon showed the best and worst of Hamilton's transportation plan.

The visiting experts and staff from several city departments interrupted the walk to meet Dave Kuruc of Mixed Media art shop, which occupies the southeast corner.

He showed them how James North has prospered since being converted to two-way traffic with recessed parking areas and expanded sidewalks.

But his remarks were often drowned out by big trucks roaring west on Cannon, a one-way street.

Kuruc said he plans to press his point with city planners by inviting them to have tea with him on the narrow sidewalk on Cannon.

"We'll see how they enjoy that," he said.

Young noted how businesses along James North had added flower planters and street seating that combined with the trees on the street and slower traffic to make the area flourish as a destination.

The group also walked areas in Ancaster, Westdale and Ottawa Street North and found some nice pockets but a disconnect between them.

Jacky Kennedy, director of walking programs for Green Communities Canada, said she was delighted to find those pockets.

She said her previous image of Hamilton was framed by visits to offices near high traffic areas along Main Street.

The group was heartened to hear that York Boulevard and Wilson Street were being converted to two-way and walked past the portion of York where a lane of traffic will give way to an outdoor market area to complement the Farmers' Market.

jkernaghan@thespec.com

905-526-3422

http://thespec.com/News/Local/article/565614

Getting There with Google

The excellent HSR and Google Maps partnership to provide trip planning is disabled until Friday, May 8, 2009.

After Friday, try it if you haven't yet. It gives you the next three available trips to your destination including walking, waiting/transfer times, and allows you to choose the day and time of arrival or departure.
The only problem I've had with it is seasonal routes show up as year round (ex. Rock Gardens), but otherwise a very excellent tool. (It should make the HSR's horrible online trip destination tool obsolete.)

where is Hamilton?

Montreal pedals past us TheStar.com - Canada - Montreal pedals past us

PETER MCCABE PHOTO FOR THE TORONTO STAR

A new Bixi bike and one of its 300 parking stations is displayed by Alain Ayotte, executive vice-president of the Montreal parking authority, which put up $15 million to start the bike rental service.

May 05, 2009

Andrew Chung
QUEBEC BUREAU CHIEF

MONTREAL – So what if the white painted stripes outlining the bike lane along Prince Arthur St. aren't straight, as if drawn by a child without a ruler.

At least the lane is there, say the hundreds of cyclists who use it every day. In fact, bike lanes like this, and paths demarcated by concrete curbs, are everywhere in this city, which for cycling enthusiasts seems to have suddenly become bike heaven.

Through a combination of recent efforts, Montreal is dramatically prioritizing bicycles. Not only has it embarked on a huge expansion of its bike paths – it already has more than Toronto – but on May 12 it will officially launch the first full-fledged public bike rental service in North America, called Bixi, a combination of bike and taxi.

"Bixi for me is not just a bicycle," said André Lavallée, a member of the mayor's cabinet and responsible for the city's transport plan. "It's like an ambassador for our vision of transport in Montreal, of our values and willingness to change the city."

Lavallée is out to "change the mindset" of citizens here, to reduce car dependence, and one major way is through the bicycle.

The efforts are getting noticed. Toronto's Green Living magazine named Montreal the "most bike-friendly city in the nation."

Time magazine called Bixi one of the 50 best inventions of 2008. The service also won an Edison "Gold" award for the best new energy and sustainability product.

To be sure, there are annoyances. Montreal is one of the continent's bike theft capitals. And, anecdotally, Montreal drivers, can be relatively aggressive. (As can cyclists here, to be sure.)

But Bixi and paving the way for 800 kilometres of bike routes by 2013 are "good for our health and good for the environment," said Suzanne Lareau, president of Vélo Québec, which has been promoting cycling for decades.

Montreal forgot about building bike paths for the last 20 years, Lareau observed, and now, with its new transportation plan, "the city says, 'We have to ... make up for lost time.' "

Lavallée attributes the change in political attitudes in part to the relentless activism. But also, he surmised, "it's cultural, because Montreal is in the middle, both European and North American, so it's a different way of life."

Examples are everywhere. Take the elegantly designed bike path along de Maisonneuve Blvd. through downtown. The city even kept it plowed in the winter, which some called a waste of money.

Bixi, for its first season at least, will be concentrated in the central core of Montreal, with 3,000 bikes and 300 stations, each just a few hundred metres from the next.

Public bike rental systems are found in other European cities, notably in Paris, where its service, Vélib, has been a huge success and whose bikes are now as familiar a sight on the landscape as a Citroën or sidewalk toilet kiosk.

Toronto is hoping for a public bike system of its own and has asked for companies to show their interest in running one. It wouldn't be operational until next spring at the earliest, a city official said.

Montreal's parking authority has fronted the $15 million to start up Bixi and hopes that, given that a city agency is on the hook, it won't experience the extensive vandalism and theft as seen in Paris, whose system is run by a private company. Thousands of Vélib bikes have been swiped in the last two years. Some of the rather utilitarian bikes have been used for stunting. Others have reportedly been torched or thrown into the Seine River.

Montreal officials are confident, however. They say Bixi will be more secure than Paris.

And Montrealers, Lavallée said, "will fall in love with it."

RENTING A BIXI IN MONTREAL

Insert your credit card, get a code, choose a bike at its dock, type in the code and, voilà, you're riding.

The first 30 minutes are free. The second 30 minutes cost $1.50, the third $3, the fourth and subsequent 30-minute periods cost $6 each.

With a membership – $28 for a month or $78 for a year (the season is only May through November) – you get a keycard and the process is faster.

Bikes can be dropped off at any station. If the docks are full, you get an extra 15 minutes free to drop it at the nearest station.

Montreal's system is more expensive than those in Europe, local officials say, because Bixi is city-owned and does not, as in the case of Vélib, the bike rental service in Paris, rely on an advertising company to operate the system in exchange for ad space.

With the launch of North America's first full-fledged bicycle rental service and a huge path expansion planned, the city is a cyclist's paradise compared with Toronto

cycling survey

The short of it: cyclingsurvey.mcmaster.ca (please note: no 'www')

And the long of it:

Hi,

I haven't had the opportunity to meet all of you yet, but my name is Jamie Stuckless and I am a Masters student in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences at McMaster. I am conducting a cycling study in the Hamilton-Wentworth region and I am looking for survey participants.

This survey is anonymous and completing it should take 15-20 minutes. This survey is intended for residents of Hamilton-Wentworth who cycle, or who used to cycle and who are 18 years of age and older. The survey can be found online at:

cyclingsurvey.mcmaster.ca
(please note: no 'www')

Paper copies of the survey are also available.

This study seeks to answer four related questions; (1) what motivates people to cycle, (2) what factors are significant in the decision to decrease cycling frequency or stop cycling over time, (3) how do cyclists interact with public transportation and (4) how can this information be applied to promote and prolong bicycle ridership? I expect that this research will be beneficial to the local cycling community by providing recent cycling data that is specific to Hamilton-Wentworth.

After the study has been completed, an online written summary will be made available to interested participants and community groups.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. If you would like to obtain a paper copy of the survey, let me know and I can provide you with a list of locations near you where the survey is available.

peace and bicycle grease

Jamie Stuckless
School of Geography and Earth Sciences
McMaster University
(905) 525-9140 ext. 28611
Email: stuckljp@mcmaster.ca

Cootes Drive, history?

http://www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/172863

Community apathetic over new Cootes Drive
Controversial road was result of now fading car culture
Craig Campbell, News Staff
Published on May 01, 2009

Dundasians of the mid-1930s were apathetic towards construction of Cootes Drive –as long they weren’t paying for it.

But according to research by former Valley Town resident and transportation activist Randy Kay, the Dundas Diversion project was not without controversy. Local merchants, property owners and town councillors worried about the new road’s route, connections and possible impact on local business.

As Mr. Kay explained to those in attendance at the season-ending Dundas Valley Historical Society meeting, one thing nobody questioned in 1936 or 1937 was destruction of valuable wetland as pavement carved through the Cootes Paradise ecosystem.

Mr. Kay dug into microfiche copies of the Dundas Star and Hamilton Spectator to trace the tale of the road that has raised problems its entire 63-year lifespan. A few months before the road began carrying traffic, town councillors refused to widen King Street West to accommodate a possible connection to the new road.

“From the standpoint of Dundas, the new highway was not a necessity,” Mr. Kay quoted from a 1937 edition of the Dundas Star.

Mr. Kay said Hamilton’s own Thomas McQuesten, who brought McMaster University to west Hamilton and supported the Royal Botanical Gardens, used the Dundas marsh as a site to demonstrate his plan for a new divided highway.

Minister of Highways from 1934 to 1943, McQuesten spearheaded later construction of the Queen Elizabeth Way linking Toronto to Fort Erie, the 401 through Oshawa, the Niagara Parkway and Highway 20 in Stoney Creek.

Mr. Kay said there was no noticeable cry from the community for the road link.

But the natural area between Dundas and Hamilton was not valued. Some considered it useless, or a back-up landfill site.

“In the 1930s, no one was putting up a fight for the marsh.”

Just about anything available was apparently used to fill in the wetland and provide a base for the road. By 1938, there had already been two deaths on Cootes Drive. And speeding was recognized as a problem, as it continues to be today. The Dundas Star of 1938 described Cootes Drive as a “veritable racetrack.”

McMaster University recently placed a radar sign on its bridge over Cootes showing drivers how fast they are travelling. A few years ago, a student crossing the road was struck and killed.

Over the years, Cootes Drive roadkill has contributed to the destruction of several endangered turtle species. Mr. Kay suggested several years ago Cootes Drive should be shut down, torn out and the area returned to a natural space. That wasn’t the focus of the recent presentation, which explained the history of the road’s development when the prestige of a paved road surpassed knowledge of the ecosystem.

Even within that culture, Mr. Kay noted, Cootes Drive wasn’t something the community wanted. And as people move away from cars towards conservation and restoration, perhaps the Cootes Drive of tomorrow will be different.

“I think times are changing. I think we have to change,” Mr. Kay said. “We have to get out of single occupancy cars. We have a habit that we just have to drive everywhere.”

“We’re not going to get rid of cars. It’s about how we use them.”

http://www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/172863

helmet hugs

city walks

Community walks inspired by Jane Jacobs TheSpec.com - Local - Community walks inspired by Jane Jacobs

The Hamilton Spectator, (Apr 29, 2009)

The community spirit of Jane Jacobs is inspiring two neighbourhood walks on the weekend.

Architect Ken Coit will lead a free walking tour of Westdale Saturday at 11 a.m.

Charlie Mattina, who grew up in the James Street North neighbourhood, will lead a tour there Sunday at 1 p.m.

The tours mark Hamilton's first experiences with a program called Jane's Walk, named for urban thinker Jane Jacobs, who wrote about connections between people, buildings and neighbourhoods.

In a Jane's Walk, an organizer leads an informal tour of a neighbourhood, discussing its historical, architectural, social or other characteristics, such as popular shortcuts and local personalities.

Saturday's walk starts at the Westdale branch of the Hamilton Public Library on King Street West. Sunday's starts at the Mixed Media store at James and Cannon streets.

PEARL and POULETTE. well, sort of Poulette...

The Environmental Assessment for three (3) pedestrian crossings of the CP Rail corridor at Poulette Street, Pearl Street and Ray Street has now been completed.

The study assessed the need for the three bridges, the structural condition of the Pearl Street Bridge, and identified the heritage attributes of the Pearl Street Bridge that should be retained during any reconstruction, rehabilitation and/or alteration of the bridge.

The following conclusions were made:

• a rail corridor crossing at Pearl Street should be retained, but the existing bridge should be replaced for safety reasons
• the Pearl Street Bridge replacement can likely be completed with minimal net environmental impacts

In addition, Council endorsed the construction of an additional pedestrian crossing at Poulette Street, should alternate funding become available.

The 30-day public review period will extend from Friday April 17, 2009 to Tuesday May 19, 2009. The project plans and other information are available at the studies website www.hamilton.ca/ppr_bridges_master_plan as well as in a Project File Report at the following

locations:

· Locke Street Library, 285 Locke Street South, tel. 905-546-3492

· Central Public Library, 55 York Blvd, tel. 905-546-3200

· Office of the City Clerk, 77 James Street North, Suite 220, tel. 905-546-2489

· Public Works Department, 77 James Street North, Suite 320, 905-546-2489

If after reviewing the report you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Justin Readman, B.Sc. (Env.)

Project Manager – Environmental Planning

Capital Planning and Implementation Division

Public Works Department, City of Hamilton

77 James Street North, Suite 320

Hamilton, ON L8R2K3

Tel: 905-546-2424 Ext. 2218

Fax: 905-546-4435

Email: eplanning@hamilton.ca

If concerns arise regarding this project, which cannot be resolved in discussion with the City, a person or party may request that the Minister of the Environment make an order for the project to comply with Part II of the Environmental Assessment Act (referred to as a Part II order), which addresses individual environmental assessments. Requests must be received by the Minister of the Environment (address provided below) within the 30-day public review period. A copy of the request must also be sent to the City of Hamilton to the attention of Justin Readman (address provided above).

Minister of the Environment

135 St. Clair Avenue West, 12th floor

Toronto Ontario

M4V 1P5

safer speeds, safer communities

transportation and climate change

Did you know?

In order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases where they are today, global CO₂ emissions would have to be cut by 50 to 60%. (http://www.adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/on/on_09_e.php)

The graphic above highlights an interesting yet still neglected answer to the climate change challenge: getting away from the car as a default choice in mobility can be the most straightforward way for Ontarians to lower greenhouse gas emissions. We've changed our lightbulbs; can we change our driving habits?

shut up and drive?

Drivers, get ready to put down those cellphones TheSpec.com - BreakingNews - Drivers, get ready to put down those cellphones

Romina Maurino
TORONTO — Get your hands off those cellphones, Ontario drivers — a new law that bans using hand-held devices to talk, email, or send text messages while behind the wheel was passed today.

The new rules, which won’t come into effect until at least the fall, include a fine of up to $500 as the province joins other jurisdictions in cracking down on drivers using the devices.

“What we’re trying to do is to avoid distractions while people are driving — those distractions being caused, in this case, by electronic devices that are hand-held,” said Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, adding he has no plans to ban eating or drinking coffee in cars.

The law doesn’t affect the use of hands-free devices such as Bluetooths or using cellphones for 911 calls, but it does ban portable video games, MP3 players and DVD players.

Global positioning systems will be allowed, as long as they’re properly secured to the dashboard.
There are no demerit points attached to the bill, but drivers who place others at risk by using one of the banned devices can also be charged under existing careless driving laws.

The law exempts firefighters, police and paramedics, but several other groups have also asked for a pass.

The Transportation Ministry is considering additional exemptions for devices used to dispatch, track and monitor commercial drivers, but said more changes are unlikely.

“There are organizations that have come forward to say (they) believe they should have an exemption,” Bradley said. “We’ll have to evaluate that very carefully.

“We will be extremely reluctant as a government to grant any exemptions unless a very compelling case could be made for that.”

Bradley wouldn’t give a specific date for the ban to take effect, noting it still needs to go through certain legislative processes and an education period so the public learns the rules.

But he said drivers can expect the change to come “later this year, possibly in the fall.”

Hamilton Centre MPP and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she supported the bill, noting if people must communicate while driving, there are hands-free gadgets that allow them to do so.

“Technology exists that can prevent people from having to use a hand-held device, and I think that’s where the biggest concern is in terms of distraction,” she said.

Ontario is the fourth province to enact such a ban, following Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, which in 2003 became the first province to ban the use of hand-held cellphones, the penalties range from $11 to $400 plus four demerit points.

Quebec motorists face fines of $115 plus the loss of three demerit points, while Nova Scotia’s fines start at $164.50 for a first offence and grow to $337 for subsequent offences.

In the first year after Nova Scotia made it illegal for drivers to use hand-held cellphones, close to 2,000 tickets were handed out by police.

In Quebec, the latest statistics show at least 12,000 tickets have been handed out by Montreal and provincial police since last July. Hand-held devices were banned on April 1, 2008, but Quebec drivers were given a three-month grace period.

Manitoba introduced legislation in November that proposed fines of at least $190 for using hand-held cellphones or for smoking while there are children in a vehicle, while Prince Edward Island is also considering a ban.

Reclaiming York Downtown

An exciting project with a great deal of potential is due to begin construction this spring 2009 in the downtown - in tandem with the reconstruction of both the Farmer's Market and the Central Library, York Boulevard between Bay and James will become a two-way street with enhanced pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and far more opportunity for an active and invigorating street life: plans include market stalls for the wider sidewalks, and street closure possibilities for special events.
Check out the city web site for more detail.

car oriented

After walking to the Public Information Centre for the Hamilton Cycling Master Plan at the Downtown Education Centre (it's good to have it downtown), much to my dismay, I encountered a familiar problem: the sign on the front door directing attendees to enter via the rear doors, off the parking lot.

So many public buildings, be they schools, churches, or this downtown ed centre, have altered the original architectural design's function (i.e. front doors) to favour access to parking lots as the way in and out of the building. To be fair, this was an evening event and I was told that the rear doors were used because security for the building wanted it that way. Still, to me, this is a symptom of a culture that expects people to drive cars, and not walk, take transit or cycle to these destinations.

And on the subject of cycling: no bicycle parking was available for those who arrived on two wheels. Shouldn't all public institutions (at least) have adequate bicycle parking to encourage active modes of transportation? Of course they should...

July 2009 Decision Deadline for Rapid Transit

Ontario cash helps Hamilton move on transit TheSpec.com - Local - Ontario cash helps Hamilton move on transit

$3m in provincial study funding will focus on logistics of James-Upper James corridor

Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator

(Apr 3, 2009)

A $3-million infusion of transit cash is a "strong indication" the province understands the needs of Hamilton, says Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

The funds are slated to help the city push forward on two proposed rapid transit lines, one on the King-Main corridor and the other on the James-Upper James corridor.

"We are clearly positioning ourselves to be part of the ... $11.5-billion Move Ontario funding envelope" that still has $2.5-billion in it, Eisenberger said. Hamilton's two projects are estimated to cost $1 billion.

The new $3 million is part of $9 billion in transit funding announced earlier this week by Premier Dalton McGuinty.

The lion's share of the pot, $7.2 billion, went to projects in Toronto, which are closer to starting construction than either of Hamilton's rapid transit lines. Another $1.4 billion was allocated to York Region, north of Toronto.

Bob Nichols, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, said in an e-mail that Hamilton received the money to do work that will help it determine the potential for rapid transit, either light rail -- which council favours -- or buses. The money will help finalize plans for the corridors, he said.

"Decisions on future transit infrastructure funding will be made through the province's capital planning process and in the context of (the) Metrolinx regional transportation plan," Nichols said.

Eisenberger said the amount of cash the city got is "consistent with the way we've positioned our interests ... fully understanding that projects that are ready to go should go."

To date, Hamilton has focused the bulk of its work on the King-Main line, which is ready to be constructed first.

That proposal is now undergoing an analysis by the regional transportation body Metrolinx, which needs to give the thumbs-up before the line moves ahead.

Jill Stephen, director of strategic and environmental planning with the city, said the new funds will help with background work on the trickier James-Upper James corridor.

That work needs to be done before the project can be evaluated by Metrolinx.

"The escarpment provides a bit of a challenge for getting up and down, and the B-line (King-Main) is relatively flat," she said.

"So we want to make sure that we look at the lines together to see how we can co-ordinate all of the efforts."

Stephen said about $600,000 has been spent for work on the King-Main line.

Nicholas Kevlahan, spokesperson for Hamilton Light Rail, a residents' group advocating for light rail transit (LRT), said the cash from the province is a good sign.

"I think the fact that they're giving the city this amount of money when they know the city's pushing for LRT is a positive sign," he said.

City staff are planning to hold public information sessions in June to provide citizens with an update.

The Metrolinx board will make a decision on the city's King-Main line in July.

car co-op

Groups float city car-share plan TheSpec.com - Local - Groups float city car-share plan

The Hamilton Spectator, (Mar 5, 2009)

Thousands of people in Toronto do it.

Share cars.

Guelph, Waterloo and other cities across North America also have non-profit services that rent cars to people who don't need to drive every day.

And now an alliance of two environmental groups and one church now want to gauge interest in setting up a Hamilton car-share co-operative.

To do it, they're inviting anyone interested to attend a presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday at First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. S. The event is sponsored by Green Venture, Clean Air Hamilton and the church's social justice committee, which hope some who attend will take on a leadership role and participate in two next-steps workshops to develop a made-in-Hamilton sharing plan.

Guest speaker will be Mike Driscoll, president of the Guelph Community Car Co-operative (guelphcarshare.org).