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Also of note is a cost estimate on Miller's plan for streetcar ROWs across the city: $200 million a year.
Minding the gaps in funding for transit
Cities are in a jam to find steady cash, but can they accept the federal route?
JEFF GRAY
When Prime Minister Stephen Harper handed out millions to extend Toronto's subway system this week, he signalled that public transit -- which looks green and also attacks traffic congestion -- may be moving up the Conservative policy ladder.
Just as Mr. Harper signs these much-awaited cheques, however, he faces a lineup of 22 mayors of major cities looking for more-than-billion-dollar announcements as a possible election approaches.
The mayors want a "national transit strategy" that would guarantee a flow of federal money for bus, subway and light-rail lines -- and their upkeep -- across the country.
They might want to watch what they wish for, some observers warn. Their dream could come true in the form of a strong national policy to spend transit money the way the federal government would like, with cash flowing to suburbs rich with potential Tory voters instead of urban areas where the Conservatives have less to gain.
Predicting the shape of such a national plan is difficult because needs vary wildly across the country with geography, population size and density, and commuting patterns. But almost everyone, in cities big and small, seems to agree that traffic is getting worse and public transit hasn't been able to keep up.
Michael Roschlau, head of the Canadian Urban Transit Association and one of the architects of the mayors' proposal, says it is more than just a request for a steady, predictable flow of substantial funds for public transit. It would come with a pledge by municipalities to stop the suburban sprawl that makes cars so attractive and public transit so inefficient.
"Yes, there's money. There's big bucks that are requested," said Mr. Roschlau, whose group represents all of Canada's major public transit operators. ". . . But there's an offer in there, which is, give us the money and we will commit to building the land use that supports that investment."
The proposed strategy also asks Ottawa to "separate the politics from the policy," Mr. Roschlau says, to avoid having federal governments choose public-transit projects in ridings they think they can win in an upcoming election.
For Gord Perks, a Toronto city councillor and long-time environmentalist and public-transit advocate, that is what happened with this week's visit by Mr. Harper and his $962-million announcement for public transit in the region. Little of the money will directly benefit people who live in the city proper, where the Tories were shut out in the last election, he points out.
But the subway extension into York Region, to the north, will please voters in the area's so-called suburban 905 belt, named for the area code and known for its support of former Conservative Ontario premier Mike Harris, as well as new bus express services in suburban Mississauga and Brampton.
"My fear is that instead of getting a national transit strategy that lets people who live in communities and know their transit systems plan them, bureaucrats in Ottawa are going to plunk down money for political reasons," Mr. Perks said, adding that he nevertheless approves of the mayors' proposal.
The Big City Mayors' Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities says Canada's public-transit systems need $4.2-billion a year, with 44 per cent to fix existing buses, subway and light-rail lines, and 56 per cent to expand them. While cities do receive a portion of the federal gas tax, the mayors argue it is nowhere near enough to cover rising costs.
In recent months, countless reports, studies and panels have warned of the economic and environmental costs of growing traffic congestion, while recommending expanding and better managing public transit.
While both Montreal and Toronto are expanding their subway systems, they and several other big cities are also looking at expanding or starting cheaper light-rail or streetcar systems.
Natalie Sarafian, a spokeswoman for federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, said a "long-term, predictable" plan to fund transit was in the works, but couldn't say what form it would take.
Vancouver
The system: Vancouver's TransLink runs a wide range of public transit, including light rail, buses, commuter trains -- and ferries, with 165 million one-way trips last year. Greater Vancouver's population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2021, a 25-per-cent increase over 2001.
Congestion: Vancouver's bridges and tunnels are famed for their spectacular traffic jams. The Trans-Canada Highway, meant to be a thoroughfare through Greater Vancouver, is just the first of many chokepoints. And the decision not to put commuter arteries into the heart of the city means that drivers are often left navigating narrow urban streets.
Governance: TransLink's authority extends throughout Greater Vancouver, encompassing 21 municipalities -- but not the communities to the east in the Fraser Valley.
Recent wins and losses: This week, a report submitted to the provincial government urged a major expansion in TransLink, broadening its reach deep into the Fraser Valley and northward along the Sunshine Coast. That same report, now being studied, recommended hikes in fuel taxes, property taxes, and fares to fund a massive expansion over three decades.
The wish list: The Evergreen line is the biggest wish, a $970-million effort aimed at boosting light-rail links to the growing northeast of the region, now served only by bus and the speedy but sporadic West Coast Express. Although the province has said it is aiming to slash greenhouse-gas emissions, the project still has a $400-million funding gap, with $400-million committed by TransLink and $170-million from B.C.
Funding: The largest part of TransLink's funding, just over a third of its $879.7-million in revenue, comes from fares; the remainder is split; cash from fuel taxes and property taxes each account for another 30 per cent, with the remainder split between a hydro levy, a parking sales tax, and a parking site tax.
TEXT: PATRICK BRETHOUR/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Calgary
The system: Calgary's bus and light-rail transit system (known as the C Train) runs over 4,530 kilometres and includes 161 routes. In 2006, there were 129.7 million riders for a city of 991,759 people. About 500,000 riders use public transit daily. Calgary's population is expected to rise to 1.25 million in 20 years.
Congestion: As the city attempts to persuade Calgarians to leave their vehicles at home amid clogged roads, officials are battling anger about crowded public transit. Council recently approved 129,000 new hours of transit service for 2007 and has promised 40 C Train cars and 43 new buses. There is also talk of reconfiguring the seats to pack more people into trains and buses.
Governance: Calgary Transit operates the city's bus and light-rail transit systems.
Recent wins and losses: Alberta's Throne Speech this week promised massive annual funding increases for municipalities -- approximately $450-million would be earmarked for Calgary -- which the mayor said would be key in helping public transit woes. Calgary Transit is desperately recruiting drivers; 130 are needed immediately and another 100 by the end of the year, as well as dozens of mechanics to keep up with demand.
The wish list. Top of the wish list is the $600-million west-leg expansion to the LRT, which is still years away. A southeast LRT leg is among the long-term plans. The city says both would need to be completed within the next 10 years to keep up with demand.
Funding: Calgary Transit's revenue was $89.8-million in 2006 and the bulk of its operating and capital budget comes from tax collection and government funds. Calgary Transit's 20-year capital plan cites about $1-billion earmarked to maintain services between now and 2015. However, the plan also highlights an $802-million shortfall over that period, and another $1.6-billion to cope with growth through 2025.
TEXT: DAWN WALTON/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Toronto
The system: The Toronto Transit Commission's buses, subways and streetcars carried 444 million passengers in 2006, representing about 80 per cent of the public-transit trips in the Greater Toronto Area and making the TTC the country's biggest public transit agency. Toronto itself has a population of 2.5 million, with 5.3 million people living in the GTA as a whole. By 2031, Toronto proper is expected to be home to three million, with 7.9 million in the region.
Congestion: The average round-trip commute time is 79 minutes, the longest in Canada. Expressways often slow at off-peak times.
Governance: Each municipality runs its own transit agency. The province created the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority last year to run GO Transit, co-ordinate investments on regional roads and public transit, and to create a single high-tech integrated fare card, but it is still getting off the ground.
Recent wins and losses: The federal government's announcement of $697-million for the $2.1-billion subway expansion north in York Region is seen as a clear win by some, although city officials point to other priorities. But there is no word on cash for $1.4-billion plans to replace the aging streetcar fleet.
The wish list: Mayor David Miller has plans to gradually spread new express bus or light-rail lines across the city, running in dedicated lanes in the middle of key avenues. He says this would cost $200-million a year over 10 years, not including a much-needed new streetcar fleet.
How funding works: The TTC covers 75 per cent of its $1.1-billion operating budget from fares, with the city and the province covering the shortfall. Money for repairs and major TTC capital projects have, in recent years, been split between federal, provincial and city governments.
TEXT: JEFF GRAY/THE GLOBE AND MAILOttawa
The system: A diesel light-rail train and a fleet of 900 buses carry Ottawa commuters on more than 300,000 trips a weekday. Yearly, this amounts to about 90 million trips for a population of about 800,000. The eight-kilometre-long light-rail line, also dubbed the O-Train, connects the southern suburban neighbourhoods to the northern downtown. The Transitway features buses running along exclusive roadways that rarely intersect city streets. Projections, based in part on the city's technology boom that fizzled in 2001, indicate that Ottawa's population could swell to 1.2 million by 2021.
Congestion: During rush hour, car traffic slows on the east-west Queensway, while bus traffic becomes sluggish on downtown Albert and Slater Streets, where one lane for each street is exclusively dedicated to the Transitway.
Transportation authority: OC Transpo has authority over the city's transit system. But buses from the neighbouring Quebec city of Gatineau and buses belonging to the Société de transport de l'Outaouais carry passengers on about 40,000 morning trips into Ottawa's downtown.
Recent wins and losses: Under Mayor Larry O'Brien, the city cancelled a $1-billion electric light-rail line that would have extended the O-Train line north into the downtown core and south into the suburbs. Critics of the project said the expansion was too costly and had the potential to clog the already busy downtown arteries.
The wish list: The mayor has appointed a task force to study the future of transit, and a report is to be made public later this year. In the meantime, the city is testing a double-decker bus on one of its routes.
Funding: In 2005, fare-box revenue covered nearly half of the $227-million expenses of OC Transpo. The rest was covered by city council and a $2-million transfer payment from the federal government as part of the gas-tax measure.
TEXT: ALEX DOBROTA/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Montreal
The system: Montreal's fleet of 1,600 buses and five Métro subway lines are run by the Montreal Transit Corporation. Passengers get on board for 360 million trips each year. Montreal's population of 1.8 million is projected to grow to 2.1 million by 2026.
Congestion: Montreal has the country's second-longest commute times. The average trip is 76 minutes.
Governance: The Montreal Transit Corporation runs transit in the city; a provincial government outfit, the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, looks after the five commuter train lines for the 3.6 million in the metropolitan region. (Some suburbs also have their own transit authorities.)
Recent wins and losses: Montrealers will be getting their first new Métro stations in two decades. Three new stops will be added in the bedroom community of Laval this year. But construction rang in at $804-million, four times the original budget, and the new stations are expected to operate at a deficit. City hall would have preferred to see new stops in its east end, not off the island.
The wish list: Mayor Gérald Tremblay joined the chorus of mayors this week in calling for money from Ottawa; the Montreal region alone needs $630-million from now to 2015 to bring its aging buses and Métro cars -- some dating to the Expo era in the 1960s -- up to speed. Also on the wish list is an electric tramway to serve a central artery and run into Old Montreal. The feds have been dropping hints about reviving the idea of a rail link between downtown and Trudeau International Airport. And there's talk of a light-rail connection to the South Shore to relieve congestion off Montreal's perennially blocked bridges.
Funding: Passengers in Montreal cough up about 47 cents on every dollar to run public-transit operations, a budget of $880-million this year. A monthly transit pass costs $65. The city is the second-largest donor at 31 per cent. TEXT: INGRID PERITZ/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
© Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Minding the gaps in funding for transit
Cities are in a jam to find steady cash, but can they accept the federal route?
JEFF GRAY
When Prime Minister Stephen Harper handed out millions to extend Toronto's subway system this week, he signalled that public transit -- which looks green and also attacks traffic congestion -- may be moving up the Conservative policy ladder.
Just as Mr. Harper signs these much-awaited cheques, however, he faces a lineup of 22 mayors of major cities looking for more-than-billion-dollar announcements as a possible election approaches.
The mayors want a "national transit strategy" that would guarantee a flow of federal money for bus, subway and light-rail lines -- and their upkeep -- across the country.
They might want to watch what they wish for, some observers warn. Their dream could come true in the form of a strong national policy to spend transit money the way the federal government would like, with cash flowing to suburbs rich with potential Tory voters instead of urban areas where the Conservatives have less to gain.
Predicting the shape of such a national plan is difficult because needs vary wildly across the country with geography, population size and density, and commuting patterns. But almost everyone, in cities big and small, seems to agree that traffic is getting worse and public transit hasn't been able to keep up.
Michael Roschlau, head of the Canadian Urban Transit Association and one of the architects of the mayors' proposal, says it is more than just a request for a steady, predictable flow of substantial funds for public transit. It would come with a pledge by municipalities to stop the suburban sprawl that makes cars so attractive and public transit so inefficient.
"Yes, there's money. There's big bucks that are requested," said Mr. Roschlau, whose group represents all of Canada's major public transit operators. ". . . But there's an offer in there, which is, give us the money and we will commit to building the land use that supports that investment."
The proposed strategy also asks Ottawa to "separate the politics from the policy," Mr. Roschlau says, to avoid having federal governments choose public-transit projects in ridings they think they can win in an upcoming election.
For Gord Perks, a Toronto city councillor and long-time environmentalist and public-transit advocate, that is what happened with this week's visit by Mr. Harper and his $962-million announcement for public transit in the region. Little of the money will directly benefit people who live in the city proper, where the Tories were shut out in the last election, he points out.
But the subway extension into York Region, to the north, will please voters in the area's so-called suburban 905 belt, named for the area code and known for its support of former Conservative Ontario premier Mike Harris, as well as new bus express services in suburban Mississauga and Brampton.
"My fear is that instead of getting a national transit strategy that lets people who live in communities and know their transit systems plan them, bureaucrats in Ottawa are going to plunk down money for political reasons," Mr. Perks said, adding that he nevertheless approves of the mayors' proposal.
The Big City Mayors' Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities says Canada's public-transit systems need $4.2-billion a year, with 44 per cent to fix existing buses, subway and light-rail lines, and 56 per cent to expand them. While cities do receive a portion of the federal gas tax, the mayors argue it is nowhere near enough to cover rising costs.
In recent months, countless reports, studies and panels have warned of the economic and environmental costs of growing traffic congestion, while recommending expanding and better managing public transit.
While both Montreal and Toronto are expanding their subway systems, they and several other big cities are also looking at expanding or starting cheaper light-rail or streetcar systems.
Natalie Sarafian, a spokeswoman for federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, said a "long-term, predictable" plan to fund transit was in the works, but couldn't say what form it would take.
Vancouver
The system: Vancouver's TransLink runs a wide range of public transit, including light rail, buses, commuter trains -- and ferries, with 165 million one-way trips last year. Greater Vancouver's population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2021, a 25-per-cent increase over 2001.
Congestion: Vancouver's bridges and tunnels are famed for their spectacular traffic jams. The Trans-Canada Highway, meant to be a thoroughfare through Greater Vancouver, is just the first of many chokepoints. And the decision not to put commuter arteries into the heart of the city means that drivers are often left navigating narrow urban streets.
Governance: TransLink's authority extends throughout Greater Vancouver, encompassing 21 municipalities -- but not the communities to the east in the Fraser Valley.
Recent wins and losses: This week, a report submitted to the provincial government urged a major expansion in TransLink, broadening its reach deep into the Fraser Valley and northward along the Sunshine Coast. That same report, now being studied, recommended hikes in fuel taxes, property taxes, and fares to fund a massive expansion over three decades.
The wish list: The Evergreen line is the biggest wish, a $970-million effort aimed at boosting light-rail links to the growing northeast of the region, now served only by bus and the speedy but sporadic West Coast Express. Although the province has said it is aiming to slash greenhouse-gas emissions, the project still has a $400-million funding gap, with $400-million committed by TransLink and $170-million from B.C.
Funding: The largest part of TransLink's funding, just over a third of its $879.7-million in revenue, comes from fares; the remainder is split; cash from fuel taxes and property taxes each account for another 30 per cent, with the remainder split between a hydro levy, a parking sales tax, and a parking site tax.
TEXT: PATRICK BRETHOUR/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Calgary
The system: Calgary's bus and light-rail transit system (known as the C Train) runs over 4,530 kilometres and includes 161 routes. In 2006, there were 129.7 million riders for a city of 991,759 people. About 500,000 riders use public transit daily. Calgary's population is expected to rise to 1.25 million in 20 years.
Congestion: As the city attempts to persuade Calgarians to leave their vehicles at home amid clogged roads, officials are battling anger about crowded public transit. Council recently approved 129,000 new hours of transit service for 2007 and has promised 40 C Train cars and 43 new buses. There is also talk of reconfiguring the seats to pack more people into trains and buses.
Governance: Calgary Transit operates the city's bus and light-rail transit systems.
Recent wins and losses: Alberta's Throne Speech this week promised massive annual funding increases for municipalities -- approximately $450-million would be earmarked for Calgary -- which the mayor said would be key in helping public transit woes. Calgary Transit is desperately recruiting drivers; 130 are needed immediately and another 100 by the end of the year, as well as dozens of mechanics to keep up with demand.
The wish list. Top of the wish list is the $600-million west-leg expansion to the LRT, which is still years away. A southeast LRT leg is among the long-term plans. The city says both would need to be completed within the next 10 years to keep up with demand.
Funding: Calgary Transit's revenue was $89.8-million in 2006 and the bulk of its operating and capital budget comes from tax collection and government funds. Calgary Transit's 20-year capital plan cites about $1-billion earmarked to maintain services between now and 2015. However, the plan also highlights an $802-million shortfall over that period, and another $1.6-billion to cope with growth through 2025.
TEXT: DAWN WALTON/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Toronto
The system: The Toronto Transit Commission's buses, subways and streetcars carried 444 million passengers in 2006, representing about 80 per cent of the public-transit trips in the Greater Toronto Area and making the TTC the country's biggest public transit agency. Toronto itself has a population of 2.5 million, with 5.3 million people living in the GTA as a whole. By 2031, Toronto proper is expected to be home to three million, with 7.9 million in the region.
Congestion: The average round-trip commute time is 79 minutes, the longest in Canada. Expressways often slow at off-peak times.
Governance: Each municipality runs its own transit agency. The province created the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority last year to run GO Transit, co-ordinate investments on regional roads and public transit, and to create a single high-tech integrated fare card, but it is still getting off the ground.
Recent wins and losses: The federal government's announcement of $697-million for the $2.1-billion subway expansion north in York Region is seen as a clear win by some, although city officials point to other priorities. But there is no word on cash for $1.4-billion plans to replace the aging streetcar fleet.
The wish list: Mayor David Miller has plans to gradually spread new express bus or light-rail lines across the city, running in dedicated lanes in the middle of key avenues. He says this would cost $200-million a year over 10 years, not including a much-needed new streetcar fleet.
How funding works: The TTC covers 75 per cent of its $1.1-billion operating budget from fares, with the city and the province covering the shortfall. Money for repairs and major TTC capital projects have, in recent years, been split between federal, provincial and city governments.
TEXT: JEFF GRAY/THE GLOBE AND MAILOttawa
The system: A diesel light-rail train and a fleet of 900 buses carry Ottawa commuters on more than 300,000 trips a weekday. Yearly, this amounts to about 90 million trips for a population of about 800,000. The eight-kilometre-long light-rail line, also dubbed the O-Train, connects the southern suburban neighbourhoods to the northern downtown. The Transitway features buses running along exclusive roadways that rarely intersect city streets. Projections, based in part on the city's technology boom that fizzled in 2001, indicate that Ottawa's population could swell to 1.2 million by 2021.
Congestion: During rush hour, car traffic slows on the east-west Queensway, while bus traffic becomes sluggish on downtown Albert and Slater Streets, where one lane for each street is exclusively dedicated to the Transitway.
Transportation authority: OC Transpo has authority over the city's transit system. But buses from the neighbouring Quebec city of Gatineau and buses belonging to the Société de transport de l'Outaouais carry passengers on about 40,000 morning trips into Ottawa's downtown.
Recent wins and losses: Under Mayor Larry O'Brien, the city cancelled a $1-billion electric light-rail line that would have extended the O-Train line north into the downtown core and south into the suburbs. Critics of the project said the expansion was too costly and had the potential to clog the already busy downtown arteries.
The wish list: The mayor has appointed a task force to study the future of transit, and a report is to be made public later this year. In the meantime, the city is testing a double-decker bus on one of its routes.
Funding: In 2005, fare-box revenue covered nearly half of the $227-million expenses of OC Transpo. The rest was covered by city council and a $2-million transfer payment from the federal government as part of the gas-tax measure.
TEXT: ALEX DOBROTA/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Montreal
The system: Montreal's fleet of 1,600 buses and five Métro subway lines are run by the Montreal Transit Corporation. Passengers get on board for 360 million trips each year. Montreal's population of 1.8 million is projected to grow to 2.1 million by 2026.
Congestion: Montreal has the country's second-longest commute times. The average trip is 76 minutes.
Governance: The Montreal Transit Corporation runs transit in the city; a provincial government outfit, the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, looks after the five commuter train lines for the 3.6 million in the metropolitan region. (Some suburbs also have their own transit authorities.)
Recent wins and losses: Montrealers will be getting their first new Métro stations in two decades. Three new stops will be added in the bedroom community of Laval this year. But construction rang in at $804-million, four times the original budget, and the new stations are expected to operate at a deficit. City hall would have preferred to see new stops in its east end, not off the island.
The wish list: Mayor Gérald Tremblay joined the chorus of mayors this week in calling for money from Ottawa; the Montreal region alone needs $630-million from now to 2015 to bring its aging buses and Métro cars -- some dating to the Expo era in the 1960s -- up to speed. Also on the wish list is an electric tramway to serve a central artery and run into Old Montreal. The feds have been dropping hints about reviving the idea of a rail link between downtown and Trudeau International Airport. And there's talk of a light-rail connection to the South Shore to relieve congestion off Montreal's perennially blocked bridges.
Funding: Passengers in Montreal cough up about 47 cents on every dollar to run public-transit operations, a budget of $880-million this year. A monthly transit pass costs $65. The city is the second-largest donor at 31 per cent. TEXT: INGRID PERITZ/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
© Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.