Winnipeg Rapid Transit Coalition - petition

[Pootkao]

Hey folks
We've been madly circulating a petition over the last week and will be presenting to the EPC on Monday. The city needs to move quickly to put the 2005 Rapid Transit Task Force plan back on the table in order to receive $18 million made available in the new Federal budget.

Please take a moment to sign it. And you can ignore the donation page that follows your signature page, your name still gets registered.
If you could copy the link and forward to it to as many of your friends, family or colleagues, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you represent a company or an organization that would be interested in letting their name stand in support of Rapid Transit in Winnipeg when we present on Monday, please PM me.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/w...grapidtransit/

Thanks,
Mike

[Only The Lonely..]

I signed, good luck!

[1ajs]

downtown biz sent an email about this today btw

i have signed even if it is for brt its a start!

[The Jabroni]

As long it's a form of rapid transit for this city, I'm up for it!

I just signed it too, so good luck with it!

[Pootkao]

Exactly. Lets get the first leg started, and go from there. There's no reason why LRT can't be built for future lines if BRT is a success.

Its time.

[thegreattait]

The poblem lies in the fact that because BRT isn't as effect it may not succeed, where an LRT system from day one would have a greater chance of success.

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by Pootkao

Exactly. Lets get the first leg started, and go from there. There's no reason why LRT can't be built for future lines if BRT is a success.

Its time.

You're a crazy man Pookie.

BRT is for the dogs. And Hippies who love buses anyways. You once admitted you were a Hippie right Mike?

Let's go higher and build something more worthwhile.... like that subway we've been waiting 50 years for.

[Alva360]

I signed it!

Someone had mentioned on here..... "we gotta start somewhere."

This could finally be our chance!

Good luck.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by thegreattait

The poblem lies in the fact that because BRT isn't as effect it may not succeed, where an LRT system from day one would have a greater chance of success.

true true true but we don't have the money to do lrt at this moment lets start with a corridor we can upgrade... hell Auckland New Zealand has brt... they also got a train
brt goes to the rich areas train goes to the poor areas ? btw brt if done right could come out of its corridor get downtown turn around on graham or portage and and go back no

[drew]

signed it last night...

[Pootkao]

Awesome! Keep 'em coming folks!

I don't think there's anyone on the WRTC who thinks BRT is the ultimate solution. But it is the most VIABLE solution, at this point -- both politically and financially. You can wait until your deathbed for a subway, or you can get out there and help the city start taking its first steps. Little steps. But with time and energy and conviction, they will slowly grow larger, and a strong system can evolve out of the beginnings of one leg of BRT.

Godspeed, fairest Winnipeggers.

[1ajs]

yes

unfortnatly dallas hanson does not see it that way

[Pootkao]

Dallas isn't involved at all. He has made sure that he sits on the sidelines and watches.
Its too bad, he's got a lot to offer.

[hexrae]

On winnipegfreepress.com

1,500 sign petition backing rapid transit

Updated: March 14, 2008 at 01:18 PM CDT

More than 1,500 Winnipeggers have signed a petition urging the three levels of government to get off their wallets by the end of the month to fund the first phase of rapid transit for the city.

The online petition, created by the Winnipeg Rapid Transit Coalition, has been endorsed by organizations such as the Downtown BIZ, the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and the University of Winnipeg Students' Union.

"Let's not miss the opportunity presented by the federal government to seek matching funds from the province and build a permanent improvement for Winnipeg," said Paul Hesse, founder of WRTC.

The City of Winnipeg has already approved a rapid transit plan and conducted detailed studies for its first phase. It recently proposed $2.75 million be set aside for rapid transit from its operations budget.

WRTC, which was founded two months ago, created the petition shortly after the federal government announced it had allocated $500 million in its budget for transit projects across the country. To qualify for the funding, local governments have to commit to a project by March 31.

[Only The Lonely..]

Good stuff guys!

[LilZebra]

http://policyfrog.wordpress.com/2008...isses-the-bus/

Rapid transit coalition misses the bus
Posted on March 14, 2008 by PolicyFrog

Where did this Winnipeg Rapid Transit Coalition come from anyway? According to the Sun and Freep, over 1,500 people have signed the group’s petition demanding the City make a public commitment to building a rapid transit system by March 31, 2008 in order to access new federal funding.

I appreciate the group’s enthusiasm for rapid transit, but I do have to question whether this is just a way for its Chair, Paul Hesse. to attract a little attention and keep his base of supporters active. Hesse, if you recall, was the Liberal candidate for Fort Rouge in last spring’s provincial election, and is considered a rising star in local Liberal circles.

I’m questioning the true intent of the Coalition because it’s a fairly apparent this thing was slapped together in a hurry without much research or forethought.

Most significantly, they seem to have missed the point that the $500 million in recently announced federal transit funding is intended for construction-ready projects. Last I checked, the City and Province haven’t even agreed on a rapid transit strategy yet, so I don’t think we’re anywhere close to putting shovels in the ground.

Even if planning was further along, Winnipeg’s portion of the funding would be $7 or $8 million at most. That’s hardly enough to make significant improvements to our existing transit service, much less build a new rapid system.

The Coalition also has some problems with its supporting data. For example, their website includes a comparison of transit ridership between Calgary and Winnipeg. It appears ridership is up by 70% since Calgary launched the C-Train, while Winnipeg ridership has dropped.

Of course, this comparison ignores the fact that the population of Calgary has nearly doubled in the same time period. In other words, transit ridership — as a % of all trips taken in Calgary — has actually dropped since the C-Train was launched according to this data.

The same page also makes a reference to the popularity of Winnipeg suburbs like Whyte Ridge and Royal Oaks. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Royal Oaks exists. Royalwood maybe?

I’m all for engaging in more rapid transit debate; I find it endlessly amusing when the subway and BRT nuts start butting heads. I also think it’s an important policy issue for the City. However, if the Rapid Transit Coalition wants to be taken seriously, then it’s going to have to do its homework first.

[1ajs]

sure 7 or 8 is just a drop in the backet... it does buy land... it does get the ball rolling.............................. pays for another one of these stupid studies

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

sure 7 or 8 is just a drop in the backet... it does buy land... it does get the ball rolling.............................. pays for another one of these stupid studies

We don't need more studies, we need the shovels in the ground already.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

We don't need more studies, we need the shovels in the ground already.

i know

least it can buy some more land...

[newflyer]

Rapid transit coalition misses the bus
Posted on March 14, 2008 by PolicyFrog

Where did this Winnipeg Rapid Transit Coalition come from anyway? According to the Sun and Freep, over 1,500 people have signed the group’s petition demanding the City make a public commitment to building a rapid transit system by March 31, 2008 in order to access new federal funding.

I appreciate the group’s enthusiasm for rapid transit, but I do have to question whether this is just a way for its Chair, Paul Hesse. to attract a little attention and keep his base of supporters active. Hesse, if you recall, was the Liberal candidate for Fort Rouge in last spring’s provincial election, and is considered a rising star in local Liberal circles.

I’m questioning the true intent of the Coalition because it’s a fairly apparent this thing was slapped together in a hurry without much research or forethought.

Most significantly, they seem to have missed the point that the $500 million in recently announced federal transit funding is intended for construction-ready projects. Last I checked, the City and Province haven’t even agreed on a rapid transit strategy yet, so I don’t think we’re anywhere close to putting shovels in the ground.

Even if planning was further along, Winnipeg’s portion of the funding would be $7 or $8 million at most. That’s hardly enough to make significant improvements to our existing transit service, much less build a new rapid system.

The Coalition also has some problems with its supporting data. For example, their website includes a comparison of transit ridership between Calgary and Winnipeg. It appears ridership is up by 70% since Calgary launched the C-Train, while Winnipeg ridership has dropped.

Of course, this comparison ignores the fact that the population of Calgary has nearly doubled in the same time period. In other words, transit ridership — as a % of all trips taken in Calgary — has actually dropped since the C-Train was launched according to this data.

The same page also makes a reference to the popularity of Winnipeg suburbs like Whyte Ridge and Royal Oaks. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Royal Oaks exists. Royalwood maybe?

I’m all for engaging in more rapid transit debate; I find it endlessly amusing when the subway and BRT nuts start butting heads. I also think it’s an important policy issue for the City. However, if the Rapid Transit Coalition wants to be taken seriously, then it’s going to have to do its homework first.

Good points...

As a daily user of transit... I am all for rapid transit, but this rapidfire patch job of an effort is not helping. There is still not plan to impliment.

SOMEBODY ... make a complete plan with costs. Its not enough to just say .. Lets Build It.