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What the New/Old City Council Thinks of Transit
All City Councillors and the Mayor were returned to office in the 2014 election.
The following are their responses to Bfast's questionnaire re transit:
Question 1
Burlington only spends one half of the GTA average on per capita municipal spending on transit, resulting in low service levels and low ridership.
Would you increase Burlington’s share of the transit operating budget to at least the GTA average?
No - Mayor Goldring
I don't want to blindly increase the budget for transit. I will consider further investment in additional service that has good solid rational.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
_ Marianne Meed Ward Ward 2-
I’m supportive of adding resources to the transit budget for specific initiatives, including three extra community buses serving the Seniors Centre, and 13,000 hours of additional service. Transit staff has already asked for funding to be included in the 2015 budget, and I will support both initiatives. I also support adding back transit services that were redirected from downtown routes to other areas in the city, including restoring high school specials. Additional investments in transit (which I support as outlined above) must be geared to achieving specific routes/ridership/and outcomes for riders, rather than simply providing a blank cheque to attain a pre-determined average “per capita spending” target.
No - John Taylor, Ward 3
I don’t believe that it is fair to compare Burlington’s transit spending to the GTA average which
includes much bigger transit systems and denser populations such as Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton. So, no
Question 2
Burlington Transit’s capital budget has come from the City’s share of the Provincial Gas Tax Fund. Historically, Burlington had devoted 30% of their Federal Gas Tax monies to Burlington Transit.
Most GTA cities allot a larger share of their gas tax funds to transit. For example, the City of Toronto
allots 100% of their gas tax funding to transit. In 2013 and 2014, Council reduced the transit share of gas
tax funding from 30% to 20%, removing $500,000 annually from the transit budget and using these
funds to re-pave some side streets and cul-de-sacs.
Would you restore transit’s share of Provincial Gas Tax funding to 30%?
Yes - Mayor Goldring
I would consider restoring the funding to 30% as long as there is a rational to do so.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
I supported the diversion of transit funds to roads as a temporary measure to provide much needed, short term funding for deteriorating roads , that cost three times to repair if we let them go any longer. The redirection of funds did not affect the operating budget of transit; the fund were earmarked for capital expenditures (i.e. new buses) which staff advised were not needed for another 10 years. Staff advised council that they could support a short term redirection of transit capital funds toward now -need road repair. Having addressed road repair needs before they deteriorate further and cost more to repair, we are now in a position to redirect the funds back to transit. I will support a vote to reinstate transit funding to 30% or higher of the provincial gas tax.
No - John Taylor, Ward 3
No as the Federal Gas Tax reduction still meets transit’s capital needs and we have other defined
infrastructure needs totaling $150 million, plus, an as yet to be defined increase for storm water management improvements.
Question 3
Although Burlington has one of the lowest transit service levels in the GTA, it leads the way on its fares. The $3.25 adult cash fare makes our fares amongst the highest in the GTA. For example, Hamilton cash fares are $2.55 (22% less than Burlington!). Even the TTC has a lower fare than Burlington.
3a) Would you freeze or reduce BT fares?
Yes - Mayor Goldring
I would freeze fares at the current rate for at least one more year if not longer.
Don't know - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
I support a review of transit fares, including a possible reduction across the board for certain segments of riders based on need. We know there is a direct correlation between ridership and fares; when fares go up, ridership initially goes down. I’d rather have full buses at half the fare, than half empty buses at twice the fare – both scenarios would bring in the same revenue to the city, but the preference is always for more riders, and fuller buses.
No - John Taylor, Ward 3
Burlington transit fares reflect the cost of running a small transit system that has not seen a significant increase in ridership in the past 25 years despite a doubling of the City’s population. Fares only account for less than 25% of the operating and capital cost of Burlington Transit (about $15.6 million total per year). The Presto Card also offers discounts for regular users of the system while the SPLIT pass offers much heavier discounts for financially challenged users
3b) Would you maintain or expand existing discounts for users with special needs? (CNIB, ARC Industries, special needs students with HDSB)
Yes - Mayor Goldring
I support the Halton Region Split Pass Program.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
With the caveat that we need to review all of our fare structures, and provide fare relief or discounts
equally for those people who are in the greatest financial need, perhaps by topping up the Regional SPLIT pass program, which currently covers 50% of the fare for people who qualify. Regional Council, myself included, supported expanding the SPLIT pass program, making it easier to apply and adding additional funding, a step in the right direction.
Don't know - John Taylor, Ward 3
I need to see more information before commenting but we need to simplify the discount system.
Question 4
Transit Service Standards are used in most communities to ensure that their citizens have reasonable access to transit and good service. Transit Service Standards include maximum walking distances to transit from residences and major destinations, hours of service, and maximum wait times for transit users.
Burlington had Transit Service Standards, but some years ago, quietly discarded their standards.
This has resulted in many residents having little or no access to transit service, long waits between buses (one hour mid-day week days on North West routes), and long walks from their homes to a bus stop.
Would you re-establish Transit Service Standards?
Don't know - Mayor Goldring
Standards are fine but we should not blindly follow them. We should use them to guide us and not mandate us.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
Every good transit system has well defined services standards, and plans to attain them. We need to ensure that there are appropriate standards in place for Burlington transit, and implement a strategy to attain these standards. We have work to do on communications with riders before a route or time change is made. We lost a number of riders after changes were made last November; many residents didn’t know about the changes. For others, their trips required more transfers or led to missed connections, and generally made their trips longer. Overall ridership has gone down in the past year. We need to correct that. I support taking steps that will increase mid-day ridership; increased service on holidays; increased hours of service, especially late night (which has been added to clear the downtown at bar closing); providing community buses in residential areas to feed major routes, reduce time between buses (headway); and reduced walk distances to buses, including restoring transit service into Mapleview Mall. I would support embedding these goals, where appropriate, into service standards.
- John Taylor, Ward 3
The Transit Service Standards are being reviewed by staff and will be recommended to Council
l in the first quarter of 2015.
Question 5
Many of our citizens have mobility issues that prevent them from driving, or from using conventional transit. Burlington’s spending on special transit (handi-van and taxi scrip) has been well below the provincial average
resulting in longer waits and poor service levels for special transit users. In addition, Burlington has cut funding for “taxi-scrip”, a program that enabled disabled passengers to take a taxi at an affordable rate if neither conventional nor special transit could meet their needs.
The elimination of the Taxi Scrip Program has made it difficult in some situations for persons with mobility
issues to attend urgent appointments or social events.
5a) Would you increase funding for special transit to the provincial per capita average?
No - Mayor Goldring
If there is a need for increased funding, it should be based on the needs here in Burlington not a Provincial average.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
- Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
I support adding resources to Handi-Van, and voted in favour of adding two new buses in the last term. We also need to expand the eligibility for Handi-Van users to include people who are blind and can’t ride conventional transit without an escort. Some riders don’t have an escort and as such should be eligible for Handi-Van. Additional investments in Handi-Van must be geared to achieving specific benefits for riders (eg. shorter wait times; ability to book preferred times) rather than attaining a pre-determined average “per capita spending” target.
Yes - John Taylor, Ward 3
Special Transit will be increased to meet community needs as our population ages.
5b) Would you restore at least some funding to the Taxi-Script Program to serve the needs of disabled passengers when conventional and special transit is not available or suitable?
No - Mayor Goldring
The taxi Scrip program was available when there was not enough special transit. If we need more special transit, we should consider increasing the budget in that area.
Don't know - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
I did not support the vote to cut the taxi-scrip program, and believe it will continue to be necessary for many of our most needy residents, including residents with the greatest mobility challenges.
Don't know - John Taylor, Ward 3
I would prefer to meet needs through the Special Transit Programme.
5c) Would you improve the flexibility for booking, scheduling, and communication for Handi-Van rides?
No - Mayor Goldring
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
Council has been advised that Handi-Van is booked on a first come, first served basis, and there is no discrimination on the basis of the purpose of the appointment. However, firsthand reports from users are that the intake schedulers for Handi-Van give preference to certain types of appointments (for example medical) making it difficult, if not impossible for some users to book Handi-Van for other necessities (groceries/errands). Compounding that problem is the elimination of the Taxi Script program, where users could book a taxi at a discount rate if Handi-Van was not available. We know that to foster maximum social inclusion in our community, and allow our residents to live independently, they need access to transportation for many worthwhile things beyond simply medical appointments, including senior’s centre programming, grocery shopping and errands, church, visiting friends and family, and more.
Yes - John Taylor, Ward 3
This is already under way.
Question 6:
The growth of transit use in Burlington will also need a considerable promotional effort and incentives to get drivers out of their cars and on to the bus. Reduced fares are a proven method of increasing ridership.
For example, Oakville has increased the use of transit by seniors by providing free transit to seniors one
day a week.
6a) Would you support one free day a week for seniors?
Don't know - Mayor Goldring
In order to consider this, I would want to see the data on the Oakville initiative. If it sis effective there, I would consider it.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
- Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
I’m open to reviewing a whole range of reduced or even free transit for various users, including
seniors, for example, a mid-day rate to get more riders on the bus at off peak times, or further reductions in the youth rate to keep them on transit. I believe we need to do an entire review of the various fare options to bring more equity among users who have financial needs, to encourage off peak use, and to encourage young people to take the bus.
- John Taylor, Ward 3
I would prefer to have a discounted monthly pass for seniors plus an expanded SPLIT pass programme for financially challenged seniors.
6b) Would you support working with employers to get their employees using transit?
Yes - Mayor Goldring
I have introduced many employers to the Smart Commute Program.
Yes - Rick Craven, Ward 1
Yes - Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
Yes - John Taylor, Ward 3
Please add any comments or ideas you may have on improving transit in Burlington.
Mayor
Burlington City Council will consider additional investment in more service during the budget process for 2015.
Rick Craven, Ward 1
I am a big supporter of public transit and I agree the City is currently not doing enough in this area.
Marianne Meed Ward, Ward 2
We have work to do to make transit the preferred option for Burlington residents, and it boils down to better routes that get people where they are going quickly, for a reasonable fare. Many of our residents take transit because they have no other option –they can’t drive, or don’t own a car. They will endure high fares, long waits between buses, and lengthy trips that would be half or less the time in a car, because they have no other transportation option. But we need to make transit the preferred choice for people who do have other transportation options, and that means making transit convenient and time-effective. A number of people
don’t choose transit because they can’t afford the “time penalty” –the extra time it takes (versus driving in a car) to take the same trip by bus, waiting or transferring or on meandering routes. And they won’t pay top dollar in fares for service they can’t afford the time to take. Targeted investment in transit routes –like the high school specials and community buses serving the seniors centre –is a step in the right direction to meet the needs of these unique rider groups. Routes along the employment corridors would also help ease congestion. We need to ensure transit funding and decisions are tied to overall transit strategy; sometimes proposals are based solely on bean-counting –the proposal to close the downtown transit terminal, for example, because it would save money and the bus drivers could use washrooms at the new GO station. However this completely overlooked the importance of the transit station for riders –to buy tickets, stay warm (or cool) in extreme weather, to get maps and information. I successfully brought a motion to keep the station open. The proposal shouldn’t even have come forward,since the downtown is identified as a provincial mobility hub (which includes transit) and would work against our overall strategy of supporting people to use transit. We also need to improve communications about potential route changes –before they take place –and engage our riders in solutions. We need to ensure a resident voice on active transportation generally, which includes transit. The Transit citizen’s advisory committee of city council was sunset last year because the committee was struggling and had difficult meeting quorum. I support establishing an “active transportation” committee with the goal of getting people to walk, cycle and/or take transit as an alternative to the car. In this way, recommendations for budget decisions can take into account all the active transportation options and opportunities, rather than focusing in a siloed way on one form of active transportation over another.
John Taylor, Ward 3
I am in favour of the proposed expansion of the Community Connection service from one to three routes in 2015, a new pilot incentive programme for seniors and expanding the trial of smaller buses in residential areas. In the medium term, if Burlington and Halton are to achieve the Official Plan target of 20% alternative transportation (walking, biking and transit) by 2031 a large Ontario Provincial Government investment to expand GO Transit service is absolutely essential
Jack Dennison, Ward 4 – No response to the survey was received
Paul Sharman, Ward 5 - No response to the survey was received
Blair Lancaster, Ward 6 - No response to the survey was received
“Since
these are replacement vehicles, there will be no increase in the
overall Burlington Transit capacity and the city will continue to be
underserved in terms of bus capacity and transit service hours.
October 23, 2014 at 11:50 am · Reply
“The meeting began with a talk by a paid facilitator** who spent 25 minutes describing the three options that Burlington Transit has developed for the north end of Route 6.”
**Smacks of an attempt to CONTROL THE AGENDA, OCCURRING ELSEWHERE TOO!!!
**”I was the first person to speak from the audience, but was stopped half a minute into my statement by the facilitator and Mike Spicer on the grounds that only comments on the posted three options were allowed.
Before being cut-off, I was interrupted several times by some rude residents with comments such as “have you heard the buses.”
**ANECDOTAL RELEVANCE, SEE WARD ONE, ‘Saint Evict-Us’ Ward Councillor Craven AGAINST BEACHWAY RESIDENTS.
October 23, 2014 at 8:34 pm · ReplyI am not shocked that the city hired a consultant to deal with the Route 6 – Transit Services fiasco.
It is amusing that they hire these consultants when i would have to say these “consultants” don’t even take the bus, have never stepped on a City of Burlington Bus, may not even know the routes or how to read the schedule,and hazard a guess that they have not talked to the transit operators.
In essence, who are the true “Consultants” of public transit:
1. The public who ride the bus
2. The drivers who are out there day after day.
Its humorous as well, that our own elected officials don’t take the bus, unless there is a photo op!
Yet again, money being spent to hire a consultant? Taxpayers pay staff, staff who are knowledgable, who are experts as well, they should have been directing this meeting, giving insight and yes, giving stats. Hiring a consultant to change a schedule or route to meet that GO Transit schedule is a complete waste of tax dollar! There are how many Transit Operators that could have gone out with staff and timed the route, during AM, afternoon and PM rush hour to figure out a schedule that would work for both the passenger who is transferring to GO and for the resident who is looking to make an appointment.
As far as i know, there is no requirement for a school board to provide transportation. Students in high school should not have a yellow school bus taking them to and from school. They should have the opportunity to take the bus. We have Transit Ambassadors at our high schools, promoting a transit friendly community, so to Mr. Fletcher “what exactly is the problem?” If the problem is 65 young adults are now taking the bus, then the City of Burlington, our Transit Ambassadors and our tax dollars have been put to excellent use! Leaders from all levels of government are pushing for our younger age groups to take the bus to know that they have options, there are some out there that won’t get the opportunity to learn to drive a car, or possibly be able to afford a car.
In response to those who say the busses are empty – here we go again! A bus could pass by your house empty, but who was on the bus before, or after. This “trash” talk about empty buses is coming from those who don’t take the bus because they have their 8 cars in the driveway, but one day, they will require the service and at that point would be kicking themselves in the ass because they wanted it off their street – the writer is correct, the street does not belong to you, anyone, any vehicle (unless signed) can go up and down that street all day and all night long.
So, if the numbers show that boardings increased from the previous routing, when why are spending time, and money to hire a consultant to provide different options when the current one is better than before!?
There are major arteries that don’t even have a bus that should – DUNDAS! They (staff) should be putting time and effort into creating a route to meet Oakville and Hamilton, as a City we should not be waiting for the Region to decide this, time to take the step and leap and do it ourselves! “if you build it, they will come”.
-end.
It was not a well-attended meeting, and some concerns were raised that this was due to both poor advertising and the choice of meeting location. In both cases, it seems that no special effort was made to reach, or be accessible to, the people who actually use Route 6, except for direct contact made with Notre Dame Secondary School. Valid questions were raised about why the meeting hadn’t been advertised on the bus route itself, or to the high density, and in some cases, high need areas closer to Guelph Line who rely heavily on transit. Further, Tansley Woods Community Centre on Itabashi way is in no way central to the affected neighbourhood, nor is it located on the route in question. A meeting room at Fortinos, Notre Dame or St. Timothys would have been much more obvious choices.
The #6 bus route was changed almost one year ago because Burlington Transit needed to find three to five minutes in order to meet connection times at Burlington Go and the 407 Go – the two main termini of the route. To do this, they amputated a fairly critical piece of the route that covered the Burlington Supercentre (the Fortino’s mall), Guelph line, and the high density housing along Pinemeadow Drive. The new route uses the southern portion of Headon Forest Drive, a low density housing area where residents are none too pleased with the new traffic.
Admittedly, hindsight is 20/20, but I’d like to suggest that Burlington Transit needs to assess routes with a more sensitive rubric: one that doesn’t see all roads as equal, but instead sees roads with lower-income and higher-density housing as higher priorities and links them to the services they need like local shopping and groceries. Termini are important to be sure, but as there is a more express route from the Burlington to 407 Go (Route 25), Route 6 can hardly be considered an A to B commuter route.
Another extremely valid point raised, was that the current walking distance standard also needs recalibrating in that not all 500 meter stretches are equal. For example, 500 meters of steep grade is not the same as 500 meters of leisurely stroll; and when the snow comes, we all know that there are radical differences in 500 meter lengths. Apparently Burlington Transit does not evaluate the type or difficulty of walking access – just the distance, thereby again doing another dis-service to their high-need customers.
Finally, its important to note that both public meetings were presented by a member of the UK-based consulting firm Steer Davies Gleave. In a system that seems to be trying to constantly shave dollars and minutes from its schedule – clearly to the detriment of its clients – do we really need another consultant? If this can’t be solved in-house, do we need to do some house cleaning?
Burlington Transit doesn’t just need more data, it needs to understand its customers and their needs. This isn’t just about a grid on a schedule. This is about looking after our youngest, oldest and most vulnerable – about serving the communities who actually need transit services. It seems that Burlington Transit has missed the bus.
I too have run into the problem of the City not providing data or only providing data that makes them look good. They seem to pick and choose only the data that could support the decisions they have already made.
.
“Here are the three options. Please note they did not include an option along Upland Drive that meets the criteria of providing transit to the Burlington Supercentre mall, but would consider it if the public requested it.”
If the public requested it? I’m pretty sure the public has requested service to the Supercentre. The Hamilton Spectator did an article on this matter last August 13th and reported, “Transit rider ——-, 69, has taken the bus to the shopping plazas north and south of Upper Middle Road at Guelph Line several times a week for 20 years.
She says last November’s route change has meant she has to walk from the last stop on Upper Middle Road at Headon Forest Drive to her grocery store and bank in the plazas. She would like the number 6 bus restored to its former route so there are once again stops at Guelph Line and Upper Middle Road.
“It’s not nice anymore,” she said. “My bus ticket only lasts so long, so I lose all the time walking. Some women (riders), I don’t see them anymore, because the bus doesn’t go to the mall anymore.”
That’s one request where the data is available to the public.
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“One lady recommended going back to the old #6 route which serviced Burlington Mall as well as the Fortinos plaza.” (Above comment from Doug Brown.)
That’s 2 requests. Now, I’m requesting here that they service the Supercentre. That’s 3 requests. It only took 3 people to have the stops moved. Let’s see what happens when we have 3 requests for service.
.
“Before being cut-off, I was interrupted several times by some rude residents with comments such as “have you heard the buses.””
Burlington, the city where bullies rule.