Rapid Transit - Page 41

adam · #**801** Posted **Oct 13, 2008, 1:43 PM**

of course this sets up the A-line for something nasty...

DC83 · #**802** Posted **Oct 13, 2008, 1:45 PM**

^^ hahaha I'm pretty sure they've just spent the past couple of years trying to distance themselves from that Bee!

I just saw that Yale Properties support Light Rail? That's sweet! Now maybe they can work on supporting their own properties!?

SteelTown · #**803** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 11:12 AM**

Local rapid transit not on track till at least 2012

October 15, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator

Regional transportation agency Metrolinx gave Hamilton a reality check yesterday, suggesting planning won't even begin for local rapid transit until 2012 or 2013.

Hamilton city staff -- confident that the city has a good case for light rapid transit -- had hoped for shovels in the ground by 2011.

Metrolinx chair Rob MacIsaac said Hamilton rapid transit will likely appear in Year 4 or 5 of the agency's 2009-2013 budget. Due next month, the budget will outline timing, but not whether Hamilton is to get rail or bus rapid transit. That needs more study.

The budget, and related final regional transportation plan, are being closely watched by city staff, who have said they are "ready to go" on a new light rail system.

MacIsaac, at a Spectator editorial board meeting yesterday, said Hamilton made a good pitch for LRT, but lags behind other cities.

"City of Hamilton staff have done an outstanding job of making the case, but I think that's different than being ready to go. There is a huge inertia to getting one of these things off the ground," he said.

York Region, for example, has a construction consortium ready and environmental assessments done.

"There is no doubt that Toronto, the TTC, York Region are in a league of their own" when it comes to being ready to build rapid transit, said John Howe, Metrolinx manager of investments and projects.

Metrolinx is a provincial Crown agency charged with planning and implementing a regional transportation plan. Its draft plan shortlisted rapid transit from Centennial Parkway to McMaster University in the first 15 years of its strategy.

To start, Metrolinx has $11.5 billion in provincial cash, enough to fund seven years of a $50-billion, 25-year plan revealed this fall.

"I don't see Hamilton competing with others, I see a secure place for Hamilton," said MacIsaac, noting that the first projects to be funded in the Metrolinx budget are likely to be those being studied now: mostly Toronto projects and the electrification of GO Transit's Lakeshore line, which serves Hamilton.

MacIsaac also said that if he were a city manager, he would put money aside in the municipal budget to help fund projects. Metrolinx will only fund a "bare bones" version of rapid transit lines, he added.

City staff studying the issue say two LRT lines in Hamilton -- one east-west, and one north-south -- could cost $1.1 billion. City councillors want Ontario to pay capital costs, and worry about the cost of operating any new system.

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who is on the Metrolinx board, was unavailable for an interview yesterday.

Eisenberger is one of the 11 Metrolinx board members, mostly a collection of Toronto-area politicians and transit system chairs.

raisethehammer · #**804** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 12:41 PM**

here we go again. just like the PanAm bid.
Notice how every time MacIsaac has come here recently he's less and less enthusiastic?? 3 months ago he was falling all over himself praising how far ahead of other cities we are.
now we're 'lagging'.
in other words, Metrolinx has told him to get down here and prepare us to be screwed again since we're not Toronto.

DC83 · #**805** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 12:42 PM**

What is going on?

First all this awesome news for months and months, then Metrolinx starts saying they don't have enough money and now this?

I just wrote an article for my company newsletter saying it could possibly be ready BY 2013. This is getting frustrating... I'm sure City Staff (ie Jill Stephen) is more frustrated than me, though.

FairHamilton · #**806** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:07 PM**

And to all those that jumped all over me when I posted the quote below, chastising me and saying the money was there, nuts to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairHamilton

Anyways, they need to find the money to pay for the LRT first........

From the above I read there is money for only a "bare bones" system and the city will need to have budget for upgrades. That means the money's not there because the city hasn't budgeted anything above "bare bones" for this project.

And what's an upgrade??? Shelters on platforms an upgrade? Upgraded LRT cars (i.e. disabled access) an upgrade? Efficiently getting up the mountain an upgrade? etc........

raisethehammer · #**807** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:08 PM**

we said the 'money was there' because that's what MacIsaac and metrolinx told us. Obviously TO is running the show behind the scenes and now their story is changing.

SteelTown · #**808** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:09 PM**

From MoveOntario 2020 there is $300 million set aside for Hamilton, $100 million extra if the feds commit to MoveOntario 2020.

DC83 · #**809** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:10 PM**

^^ That's what it seems like, rth. Shocker.

I think I need to move to Toronto. Fall'09 -- Toronto here I come.

raisethehammer · #**810** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:19 PM**

might as well....Hamilton's never going to get a fair shake by the looks of it. Enjoy the multiple LRT lines in TO...we'll let you know how life on the stuck-in-traffic B-Line bus is going.

DC83 · #**811** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

might as well....Hamilton's never going to get a fair shake by the looks of it. Enjoy the multiple LRT lines in TO...we'll let you know how life on the stuck-in-traffic B-Line bus is going.

I'm not joking, dude.
LRT was the main reason for staying in this City. They say 2013 now, in 2 more years they'll say 2015 and then there will be so many changes in local politics between now and then that this isn't even a guarantee anymore.

I NEED rapid transit in my life. Everytime I'm in TO (about once a week on avg), I ask myself why I still haven't made the move. I have an answer now. I'm just going to get thru Winter, have a nice summer in Hamilton then pack it up in Fall'09 and move downtown Toronto. Finally.

FairHamilton · #**812** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

we said the 'money was there' because that's what MacIsaac and metrolinx told us. Obviously TO is running the show behind the scenes and now their story is changing.

Good, now you've learned not to believe everything they tell you.........

FairHamilton · #**813** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

From MoveOntario 2020 there is $300 million set aside for Hamilton, $100 million extra if the feds commit to MoveOntario 2020.

"if", so the money's not there. And if it's all going to come from this source, why is McIsaac 'suggesting' to city managers to "put money aside" in the city budget?

Remember, if it looks too good to be true (i.e. all the money's there and it will cost the city nothing), it probably is!

the dude · #**814** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 2:00 PM**

i already posted this critique but the attitude this city has towards lrt just isn't enthusiastic enough. something to the effect of, 'we want it but won't pay for it.' kinda says something as far as i'm concerned. besides, these other municipalities are ready to go and probably didn't require all the poking and proding that our city leaders needed. it's a kick in the arse, no doubt about it.

Millstone · #**815** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 3:29 PM**

uggghhh f*cking Hamilton manages to find a way to screw anything up.

adam · #**816** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 4:03 PM**

Hamilton is slowly improving... heck, we are only STARTING to see some productive urban areas like James North popping up. Its kind of like too little too late, but in 5 more years it could be a different story altogether.

Toronto already has guaranteed ridership due to the TTC and subway. To contrast, Hamilton chose to get rid of streetcars completely. In Hamilton...wWhat kind of a message are Terry Whitehead et al making to the people like metrolinx outside of Hamilton when they complain about downtown improvements like 2-way conversions and slowing down traffic along Main and King? It shows Hamilton isn't ready and single occupancy vehicles are the priority.

Jon Dalton · #**817** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 4:41 PM**

Everyone, get bikes - they're faster than LRT anyway.
I just hope they don't waste any money on BRT and thus ruin our chances of getting it 5 years down the road. If that's the route they're going to go, just paint some bus lanes and be done with it.
If we do get the shaft from Metrolinx it was still a great accomplishment on behalf of the LRT group and everyone involved to get practically the whole city on board. Now that they think it's such a good idea, perhaps the next step is to commit even a small portion of the funding to be set aside.

flar · #**818** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 5:03 PM**

I don't think Hamilton is screwing this up (though they should have been setting money aside for this years ago), Hamilton is getting screwed by Toronto again. Metrolinx is bullshit! It's just the Greater Toronto Transit Authority and we all know the GTA ends at Burlington (which should be part of the GHA, another case of Hamilton getting screwed by Toronto).

crhayes · #**819** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 6:59 PM**

Well, logically Toronto should have LRT before we do. Their population is 5 times greater, way denser, and they are definitely in need of it more than Hamilton.

However, Hamilton is the third (correct me if I'm wrong) largest city in Ontario. Somehow we still get shafted all of the time... The way I see it, Totonto really needs this to fix their infrastructure. Hamilton SHOULD get this to prevent our infrastructure from becoming like Torontos.

Think about it.... it's not that bad in Hamilton right now, but it is getting worse. They can either act now or sit around and let us become like T.O.

And what about funding from the Federal government? Why is the federal govenment not dishing out money to the Municipalities that need it most. The only party that I saw had ANY type of infrastructure plan was the Green Party...and they have 0 seats?

Edit: Trains and LRT are definitely the way to go. Buses just have this persona about them that cause people to not want to take them. I would much rather take a train than a Go bus, and LRT over a city bus. They are on par with each other, but Trains and LRT are just more attractive.

Also...buses get stuck in traffic! Not only are you not going to be attracting people to public transit (so you will have just as many cars on the road), you will be jamming more buses on the streets and highways that ultimately get caught in the traffic they are not preventing!

omro · #**820** Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 8:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by crhayes

Well, logically Toronto should have LRT before we do.

While I agree with most of what you have said, with regard to the above...

Hamilton should be able to have LRT at the same time as Toronto.

Parallel upgrades rather than sequential.