Category Archives for "Urban Transit"

Pembina Institute Issues Analysis of GTHA Transit Investment and Expansion Plans from Ontario’s Major Political Parties

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

As readers know, Transport Action Ontario is part of the “Move the GTHA” collaborative of non-government organizations that is working towards improving public and political acceptance of new revenue tools for transportation.  The collaborative also includes Pembina Institute.

Pembina has just released an interim analysis of GTHA transit investment and expansion plans from Ontario’s major political parties:  Liberal Party, New Democratic Party and Progressive Conservative Party.   Four guiding principles were used as the criteria for the analysis:

• Rapid transit for the whole region
• New dollars for new transit
• Creating a dedicated fund for transit and transportation
• Fast-tracking transit improvements

Evaluations of the parties’ current positions on each of these four topics were presented, and a score was assigned:  “On track for transit”, “Some forward movement”, and “Stuck in traffic”.

The Pembina report can be read here

Presentation to Toronto Planning and Growth Management Cttee. on Regional Rapid Rail

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

On February 27, Transport Action Ontario representatives made a presentation to Toronto City Council’s Planning and Growth Management (P&GM) Committee concerning our July, 2013 report on “GTHA Regional Rapid Rail:  A Vision for the Future.”  This was in response to a request made by the Chair, Councillor Peter Milczyn.

Since its release, Transport Action has discussed the report with dozens of elected officials at the municipal, provincial and federal level across the entire Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, as well as to municipal transit and planning agencies.  The response has typically been very positive.  In late November, 2013, Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly to direct planning staff to consider the report’s findings in the Official Plan review.

The P&GM presentation can be viewed here: TAO-TorontoP&GM-2014-02-27

GO Stouffville Corridor Rail Service Expansion

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

GO Transit is in the midst of an Environmental Assessment to expand and improve rail service on this corridor.  The project will involve double tracking and station improvements  from Scarborough Junction to Unionville Station.

Transport Action Ontario is very supportive of this project.  In general, improvements to GO Rail offer badly-needed, region-wide rapid transit that is cost-effective and rapidly implementable and has little interference to road capacity.  However, we felt that the scope of this EA appears to be narrow.  We felt that a number of additional issues needed analysis, including electrification, new stations, parking considerations and road-rail separations.

Our submission to GO Transit can be viewed here:  TAO-GOStouffvillePIC#2-rev2

Statement by “Move the GTHA” on Transit Investment Panel Report

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

On December 12, 2013, the Ontario Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel, chaired by Anne Golden, issued its final report.  It made 20 recommendations for how new transportation projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) should be funded.

As a part of the Transit Panel’s public consultation process, the Move the GTHA collaborative, which includes Transport Action Ontario,  made a submission to the Panel, shown as another posting on this website.

Move the GTHA compliments the Panel for its excellent work under a short timeline, and for recommending a combination of funding sources that will raise a much needed $1.7 to $1.8 billion annually when fully implemented.

With the reports by Metrolinx and the Panel now in hand, Move the GTHA calls upon the Ontario Government and the opposition parties to work constructively to arrive at a resolution on transportation funding sources.

View the full statement here.

Move the GTHA: Submission to Provincial Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

In September, the Ontario government announced the formation of a Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel, tasked to review and advise the government on its response to the Metrolinx Investment Strategy, and to potentially consider additional funding options.   The Panel was to report back to government by December, 2013.   The Panel was chaired by Anne Golden, Past President & CEO of The Conference Board of Canada, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Special Advisor at Ryerson University.

The Move the GTHA collaborative, including Transport Action Ontario, met with the Panel in November, and subsequently made a formal submission to the Panel on November 26, signed by over 30 non government organizations.

The text of the submission can be read here:  Move-the-GTHA-Transit-Panel-Submission