Category Archives for "Highways and Bridges"

Transport Action Ontario – Annual General Meeting April, 2022 – Summary of Public Portion

By Transport Action Ontario | Events , Highways and Bridges , Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario , Southwestern Ontario , Urban Transit

Transport Action Ontario’s (TAO) annual general meeting, held April 23, 2022, included a portion open to the public. This featured a guest presentation by Elizabeth May M.P., former leader of the Green Party of Canada. This was followed by a brief report by Peter Miasek, President, summarizing the organization’s advocacy efforts over the past year.

Ms. May discussed the importance of ground transportation (intercity rail and bus) to Canada, her Private Members Bill C-236 (“VIA Rail Canada Act”), VIA’s High Frequency Rail proposal and her efforts t for, a multi-party rail caucus in Parliament.

Mr. Miasek’s presentation summarized advocacy activities in the following areas:

• Northern and Eastern Ontario Rail
• Southwestern Ontario Passenger Rail and Intercommunity Bus
• Greater Golden Horseshoe Public Transportation
• Highway 413
• Eastern Ontario Transit and Rail
• High Frequency Rail
• Other Federal Interfaces including VIA Rail

A copy of the presentation can be viewed below.

Use of Highway 407ETR as a Truck Alternative to Proposed Highway 413 – Media Interviews

By Transport Action Ontario | Highways and Bridges , Latest News

The GTA West transportation corridor, now officially known as Highway 413, continues to generate intense interest among local citizens, elected officials and media. Transport Action Ontario (TAO) is a core member of an alliance called “Stop the 413 Now” that actively opposes this project.

As described in our report “Is Building Highway 413 the Best Option” (see posting on this website August 20, 2020), people moving is more cost effectively achieved with rapid transit, which can move 4 times as many people per hour as the Highway, for the same capital cost.

For the important sector of goods movement by truck, there is increasing interest in the use of a truck toll discount on Highway 407. This was first analyzed by TAO in 2021 (see posting April 6, 2021), which showed that providing a full truck toll discount on the 407 is less than half as costly as building and operating the 413. And this solution can be implemented almost immediately, versus expressway construction which could take 10 years.

There has been considerable media interest in this solution. TAO President Peter Miasek was featured in two recent interviews:

• CBC Radio, March 26, 2022, with Mike Crawley, here
• Newstalk 1010 Radio, March 28, 2022, with John Moore, here

2021 Penalty Relief for 407ETR and implications for proposed Highway 413

By Transport Action Ontario | Highways and Bridges , Latest News

Transport Action Ontario has written a second letter to the Minister of Transportation indicating our concern about penalty relief for 407ETR. Our earlier letter (see posting of December 10, 2021 on this website) received a prompt reply from Ministry staff pointing us to the contract specifics and emphasizing that the 2020 penalty forgiveness was not a burden to Ontario taxpayers.

We found the Ministry letter to be unpersuasive and have written back urging:

• Using a probable 2021 penalty relief request as leverage to negotiate toll discounts on 407ETR to boost traffic, especially for trucks
• Using 407ETR and transit as an alternative to Highway 413.

Our letter can be viewed below:

Response to Mandate Letter to Minister Alghabra

By Transport Action Ontario | Highways and Bridges , Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario , Southwestern Ontario , Urban Transit

Prime Minister Trudeau released his mandate letters to all cabinet ministers in mid December. Transport Action Ontario has written to Minister of Transport Alghabra providing several critical perspectives on the letter he received. They are

-Full due diligence needed

-Improve transparency/reliability/accountability/communication

-Execution skills and talent are a concern

-Rail offers domestic industrial benefits

-Must account for externalities

The letter can be viewed below.

Ontario’s 2020 Penalty Relief for 407ETR

By Transport Action Ontario | Highways and Bridges , Latest News

With the news that Ontario provided $1 Billion in penalty relief to 407ETR for 2020, Transport Action Ontario has written the Minister of Transportation indicating our concern of a repeat forgiveness for 2021. Instead, we urged the negotiation of a strategic tolling framework, especially for trucks. This could eliminate the need for Highway 413. Our letter is given below.