http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2808095
Fitting busing in the budget
Local News
By MATTHEW VAN DONGEN , STANDARD STAFF
Yvonne Lambert knows she was spoiled living in Victoria, B.C.
Buses to virtually anywhere she wanted to go, every 15 or 20 minutes on her regular routes.
Now living in St. Catharines, Lambert still travels daily by bus, often with her 11-year-old daughter.
It just takes them a lot longer to go to fewer places.
"The night service makes getting around pretty tough, and we don't really even try to go anywhere on Sundays," Lambert said of the hourly service that kicks in after 6 p.m. on weekdays, as well as all day Sundays.
"I'd love to see more frequent service, generally. I know (city councillors) have talked about it, but actually making it happen is a lot different than talking about it."
Council does talk a lot about improving transit, but change has come slowly.
The St. Catharines Transit Commission added an experimental route to the east end of the city, including the museum, this year, said general manager Dave Sherlock, and will continue operating a special shuttle to the downtown VIA station during summer tourism train season.
A $644,000 pitch for better Sunday service by the commission, however, was rejected by council during 2010 budget deliberations as too expensive. In March, councillors pondered using provincial gas tax money to pay for more frequent service, but commission staff urged them to upgrade the city bus fleet instead.
Sherlock said the commission wants to improve Sunday and evening service eventually, but added the city still has several buses that are too old to be accessible to disabled riders.
"Our only source of capital funding now is the gas tax money," he said, explaining a provincial bus replacement funding program has ended, leaving the city short of bus-buying power.
"If we use the gas tax money to expand service, we're basically robbing Peter to pay Paul."
Lambert likes the new accessible, smooth-riding hybrid buses being introduced to the local fleet.
But she would prefer to see them more often -- and she's not the only one.
The city and regional government are facing increasing demands for better transit, especially with provincially funded GO Bus service now connecting Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Grimsby to the GTA.
In the past two years: The St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce has called for better intercity transit as well as improved Sunday service in St. Catharines; Officials from the city's employment help centre have appeared before council to talk about thousands of jobless clients who turn down jobs because they don't have a vehicle; Sitel Teleservices has appealed to council for better bus service for employees who work late during the week and on Sundays.
In the last term, regional council turned down a staff recommendation to form a fledgling regional transit system. Councillors did agree in principle to fund a pilot project, however, that will allow local transit agencies in Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines to jointly operate a shared system of downtown-to-downtown bus routes starting in the fall of 2011.
Sherlock said no contract has been signed yet to provide that intercity service, but added negotiations "are going well."
At least some council candidates are calling for the city to speed up improvements to local transit.
St. Andrew's candidate Sean Polden, for example, has made transit a core campaign issue and started a Facebook group for improved Sunday service that has attracted 241 members so far.
St. Catharines regional council candidate Ted Mouradian can be found on YouTube discussing the need for intercity bus service.
Several other candidates responded to a Standard request for comment on transit.
Improving Sunday ser-vice was cited as a necessary first step by St. Patrick's candidate Mat Siscoe, incumbent Merritton candidate Jeff Burch and Grantham candidate Alan Ziemianin. Better intercity transit is a particular priority for Port Dalhousie candidate Marty Mako, Merritton candidate Sam Sacco, St. George's candidate Laura Ip, St. Patrick's candidate Robert George and Merritton candidate Dave Haywood.
St. Andrew's incumbent Joe Kushner said the city should spend on improving local routes, not on regional service. Port Dalhousie incumbent Len Stack said he's confident better local transit will be a priority in 2011 budget deliberations. Grantham candidate Jim Black wants "loonie or toonie" promotional ride programs to bump up ridership.
Candidates had more to say on transit. See below:
Public Transit most definitely needs to improve. In the case of increased Sunday transit, demand already exists for extended hours of operation. Ever since Sunday shopping was introduced in Ontario, more and more businesses have been filling a void in the workweek, and employees have been called upon to work longer hours on Sunday. Just in the last several years, I've seen a number of local businesses expand their hours – a noon opening time 4 years ago has changed (in some cases) to a 7am opening time now. With this movement towards longer Sunday hours comes increasing pressure on the Transit Commission to provide the services users of the system require.
The users, of course, are the employees and patrons of these businesses. Companies like Sitel (who employee over 1100 people) operate 7 days a week. Employees need a dependable and affordable way to get to work, and personal vehicles may not be an option. They will need transit service to get to and from work, and that will may include Sundays. With current service levels being what they are, it's almost impossible for a person working an 8-hour shift to use transit to and from work; at least one trip will likely be by other means. Many shift-workers have no access to any useful public transit whatsoever on Sundays.
The other users, the patrons of business, present an equally important issue for the Transit Commission. In addition to needing people to get to work, business needs people to buy what they're making, selling or providing. There are people in this city that don't drive, for a variety of different reasons. Keeping Sunday service at its now minimal levels forces many of those people to stay home or use far more costly modes of transport. The most likely result is the former option, as opposed to the latter, and in the long run that will slow any economic growth we might hope for. Longer hours of transit service can very well mean more people frequenting local eateries and shops, and that can turn into more jobs.
Sunday service is simply the first step in a review of the Transit system that needs to take place, to ensure that our system is serving the greatest number of users. There is also a requirement for examining and altering schedules to make sure that the buses are being run efficiently while still serving the needs of the community.
- Mat Siscoe, St. Patrick's ward
The city does need to improve city transit and here are some of my ideas.
The routes and frequencies to other municipalities needs to increase. Currently, there is a pilot project where St.Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Welland run more routes between each municipality. This needs to increase. As a councillor, I would support this as a first step towards creating a regional transit partnership with other municipalities within Niagara. I would work with other St.Catharines councillors to pursue this idea, while also working with other municipal councillors to achieve this. A more effective and integrated regional transit system would benefit St.Catharines resident AND other residents of Niagara as a whole. It would create a reliable and fluid transportation option for all Niagara residents, including St.Catharines residents. It would also improve their connection to the labour market within all areas in Niagara. Furthermore, if these municipalities could form a partnership on transit, then their combined purchasing power would increase. The result would be a stronger position when purchasing items like new buses. At the same time, synergies could be found in other areas that would decrease costs. Any cost savings could then be re-invested to improve local (and regional) transit routes and route frequency (including expansion to other municipalities).
- Dave Haywood, Merritton ward
Bus routes can always be improved. Monies allocated for transit should be spent on improving city transit and not on regional transit.
- Joe Kushner, St. Andrew's ward
During peak times the buses are full and therefore operate very efficiently.
Many hours our buses run with less then 10 percent capacity. In fact, many times the buses run with two or three passengers for hours at a time.
A well used City transit is important to both our environmental health and our economic well being. It is important the city, the employees of the transit system and citizens be consulted to improve the transit service and encourage transit use during low periods of time. We must seriously look at Loonie or Toonie Ride promotions or partnering with retailers to provide bus passenger promotional coupons during low use times.
– Jim Black, Grantham ward
There is always need for improvement.
St. Catharines has established an excellent city transit system over the years but due to rising costs and limiting budgets the schedule frequency has decreased and its fleet is in the process of renewal. We need to expand the routes and increase the frequency so that we can increase our ridership and make our local transit operation becomes a popular mode of travel. As we attempt to do this, we are faced with the added expense of renewing our fleet
In this day and age, people have become more and more dependent on adequate and efficient transportation facilities that provide the least amount of inconvenience. If we are going to succeed in persuading people to use our local transit, we have to come up with a system that is rider- friendly and meets the needs of the majority of our citizens.
Many of us still need to be converted in terms of the importance of cutting back on automobile use and moving towards a highly efficient public transit system. To accomplish this vision, Council must be prepared to address the initial financial burden that will be required to establish a new, improved and efficient user-friendly transit system. The initial costs are high but the long-term benefits will be rewarding to our city and to the Niagara Region. If we are going to compete with the larger urban centres then we must be prepared to invest in the essentials including an effective, efficient and well managed transit system.
St. Catharines downtown area is experiencing significant development and an effective well planned and well organized transit system will serve to enhance this development and insure its future success. An improved transit system will also assist people with their personal transportation needs related to getting back and forth to their workplace. As it stands now, some individuals are forced to turn down good job opportunities because they lack the ways and means of getting to and from the workplace. This issue must be addressed.
In conclusion, if we are truly committed to an environmentally friendly community, then a new and improved transit system will be another positive step in the right direction. Yes, our transit system is in good shape but it must continue to evolve and meet the needs of the community it serves, if it is to continue it success. Council must do all it can to promote, encourage and increase its local ridership and to do this we must be willing to support substantial financial investment in creating the best transit system possible with increased routes and improved frequency. I'm confident this issue will be one of our top priorities during our 2011 budget discussions.
- Len Stack, Port Dalhousie ward
The first thing we need to do is expand Sunday transit service. This will assist seniors and workers who rely on public transportation as well as businesses who are open on Sunday and need access to a larger pool of labour on that day. Secondly, we need to do a better job assessing where new bus routes are needed as new subdivisions are developed and make sure that we engage and inform residents throughout the process. Finally, St. Catharines should be a leader at the Region in developing a better inter-regional transit system.
- Jeff Burch, Merritton ward
St. Catharines Transit is the major mode of transportation for some 30% of our residents in St. Catharines. Though our fleet is modern and sophisticated, our service is weak. Routes have seems to be constantly on the chopping block with budget constraints. I believe that we should be pushing for one transit system in Niagara run by the Region. Right now we are funding 3 separate systems in this region. By creating one system we can reduce expenditures, increase services, and provide a better intercity transit system reaching all of Niagara.
– Robert George, St. Patrick's ward
We need a strong, efficient and affordable transit system serving all of Niagara. We need to get transit users, drivers, schedulers, management and all levels of government together to develop an integrated plan and system that works for all community stakeholders. We need a truly regional transit system designed for the users of the sysem, and we need it as soon as possible. "We cannot afford it" is not an acceptable excuse any longer. The residents of our city who need it the most - students, the unemployed, the working poor, the disabled, the elderly and those who just prefer taking the bus, cannot afford to wait any longer.
I believe that improving public transit should be a priority for the incoming council, with links to other Niagara municipalities. As I'm canvassing door to door in the Port Dalhousie Ward I'm reminded by our senior residents that we used to have an efficient electric rail system here back in the 1930's. So effective public transit in our city is not a "new" issue. We are simply trying to address all of the challenges caused by urban sprawl over the past generation.
Possible solutions could include an expansion of the existing St. Catharines transit system service including:
a) Sunday and holiday service (starting at 7:00am, last bus at 10:00pm)
b) Increased frequency during rush hours - from 7:30am to 9:00am, and 3:00pm to 5:30pm (from 30mins to 15 mins intervals)
c) Regional links between St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, NOTL and Welland, etc. on a regularly scheduled basis
A Port Dalhousie senior recently mentioned her concerns to me about Sundays and how she was having difficulty getting to church on time. An excellent point, which starting the bus earlier on Sundays would help to address.
However, a bigger challenge is getting people out of their cars to walk, bike and take the bus more often... and there's no magic bullet to solve that one. In my Public Health Promoter day job I promote active transportation, which involves long-term community education and policy change. These changes will not happen over night, but I have chosen to take a stand supporting a healthy people and a healthy environment.
– Marty Mako, Port Dalhousie ward
We have to look at new and creative ways to provide efficient transit to the citizens of the city. Empty buses on underutilized routes is a problem. The city should study ridership and the number of people that take different routes, and have different sized vehicles accommodate different routes. Weather we invest in small energy efficient buses for these routes, or look at a certain level of privatization things have to change. Also, transit should be provided at no cost to seniors and the disabled. Also, full Sunday bus service is essential to business in the city, why penalize hard working environmentally conscious people and make them struggle to find a ride to work one day a week.
– Alan Ziemianin, Grantham ward
Yes, city transit routes and schedules need to improve. I know that some will say there's no point because very few people ride the bus, but I would argue that there are not more riders because the routes and schedules are not sufficient or appropriate for people to rely on transit to get to and from work, school, shopping, etc. Further, we have got to stop talking about regional transit and do it already. Well before the end of this upcoming four-year term, a system needs to be in place that will get residents to and from other municipalities - again, for jobs, school, etc. - on a reasonable schedule.
– Laura Ip, St. George's ward
Public transit is essential infrastructure to many residents, as much as roads and parking lots. I think it's time City Council starts looking at it that way. My largest concern is Sunday service where the buses only run 11 am to 6pm, meaning that people looking to find their way across town for church Sunday morning or work in the morning or evening can't rely on transit. The Chamber of Commerce has told city council on numerous occasions that the current service was bad for business in St.Catharines. Unfortunately, when the transit commission recommended to council that we increase Sunday service to match Saturday service, council refused. I want to expand service on Sunday and will continue to advocate for better, more efficient service. This improvement, however, doesn't necessarily mean an increased cost to the service. I want to use my routing and scheduling experience obtained from other municipal transit providers to reduce redundancies in the system and use the cost savings from that to improve the service elsewhere.
Another area of interest to many I've talked with is bringing back the late-night bus on Friday and Saturday evenings. Currently, from 1:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. large numbers of people walk up Glenridge towards South St. Catharines disturbing neighbours along the route. Many residents I have spoken to along Glenridge would like to see this service returned and I think we should be looking at how we should go about reviving it.
– Sean Polden, St. Andrew's ward
I would agree that frequency and routes need to be addressed in the city. The real way to address this issue is to move to develop a regional plan that will allow citizens in all municipalities to move quickly and easily to meet their work, education, health care or shopping and entertainment needs. I would urge city council and regional council to work with provincial and federal representatives to develop a strategic public transportation plan that includes improvements to address modes, frequency and routes. The plan should also include seeking
partnerships with industry leaders such as SNC Lavalin and Bombardier to design and
manufacture a light rail system to support the extension of GO Transit in Niagara. It would be the region's good fortune if Bombardier saw the wisdom of inhabiting the soon to be vacant GM facilities on Ontario Street as a means to establishing a footprint in Ontario.
- Sam Sacco, Merritton ward
Right now the most obvious need to improve transit is to extend hours on Sunday. Currently there is bascially only afternoon service. Having longer service on Sunday was seriously considered by the last council, but was not done because it was felt more important to have a more up to date transit fleet, with fewer needs for repairs. This being accomplished, it is rather obvious now that extending Sunday service should be a high priority for next year's city budget.
– John Bacher
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