Bus Lane • mackaycartoons

Saturday February 7, 2015

February 6, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 7, 2015

Radical bus boost pitched as riders left in the cold

Council will mull an ambitious 10-year strategy to expand transit even as overcrowded buses leave more riders at the curb each year.

Complaints about buses whizzing by stranded riders jumped from 174 to 250 between 2011 and 2013, The Spectator learned via a Freedom of Information request. Driver “customer service” complaints also rocketed to 503 in 2013 from 290 the previous year.

The city was on track for 200-plus complaints again based on partial 2014 data, with at least 50 of the “pass-bys” reported on routes along the B-line, including King, University and Delaware — despite a $3-million budget boost in 2011 aimed at the busy corridor.

The LRT waiting game gallery

Transit blogger Jason Nason said only a fraction of bypassed riders register a formal complaint and suggested more and longer buses are desperately needed on several routes. “I would say sarcastically the current strategy seems to be ‘do nothing’ and wait for ridership to drop, which I guess would also solve your overcrowding.”

A new 10-year transit proposal from HSR director Dave Dixon acknowledges the city needs to spend millions of dollars fixing existing “deficiencies” like pass-bys before switching gears to expand the bus network and ramp up rapid transit.

Dixon wouldn’t discuss the strategy before Friday’s budget meeting, but his presentation, posted online, says the city should raise fares, add $6 million to the transit budget, hire 50 new people and buy 25 extra buses by 2016.

Over 10 years, the bus budget could grow by $51 million, add 336 hires and 126 buses. The report outlines several reasons for urgent investment in the bus system.

Ridership in Hamilton is stalled at about 21 million and Dixon’s report says trips per person have fallen slightly since 2006 to 45, meaning the HSR has lost ground on its goal of 80-to-100 trips per person by 2025.

By comparison, municipalities like York Region, London and Brampton have spent more on transit and watched trips per person explode by double-digit percentages. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Saturday, December 13, 2014

December 12, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

Councillors want to end bus-only lane now

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, December 13, 2014

Councillors want to give motorists and merchants an optional bus lane for Christmas.

The city created a three-kilometre dedicated transit lane on King Street more than a year ago to test-drive rapid transit along the busy corridor.

The contentious experiment, slated to end in October, has been prolonged because council won’t get a chance to see detailed results until January — and lane markings can’t be removed until the snow disappears.

But several politicians are ready to effectively kill the unpopular bus-only lane now by ending enforcement against drivers who ignore the vehicle ban.

“I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it appeared to be a colossal failure from the outset,” said Coun. Chad Collins, who urged colleagues Monday to give unhappy King Street merchants an “early Christmas present.”

Collins said he’ll introduce a motion Wednesday at general issues committee to make the bus-only lane “nonenforceable” until council makes a final pronouncement on the experiment in January.

Council would have to formally sign off on the idea next week, but city staff appeared resigned to the possibility.

Public works head Gerry Davis said transportation planners would work with the councillor to explore methods to “safely” allow car traffic back into a lane that will still be marked as bus-only. That could include covering overhead signs and asking police to refrain from enforcing the rules.

Joseph Chatelain, general manager at Papagayo Restaurant, said he’ll cheer any move toward ending the project, particularly if it helps salvage the holiday season.

“I’d like it gone completely, but we’ll take whatever help we can get,” said Chatelain, who ideally would like parking to return along the right-hand lane in front of the long-standing restaurant. “It’s hurt us from Day 1. Our takeout service has gone down to nothing.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)