tragedy in slow motion

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?

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Cyclist killed going home from work TheSpec.com - Local - 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

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

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

First Bicycle Casualty of ward politics

"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

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

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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

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!

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

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 TheSpec.com - Local - 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

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...

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

TheSpec.com - News - “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

Public input to 'inform' city's plan for light rail TheSpec.com - Local - 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

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

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

the booze lane?

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

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

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

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

Support fully functional rail trail for west Hamilton

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)