GO Transit – mackaycartoons

Tuesday January 21, 2020

January 28, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 21, 2020

GO Transit expansion turning out to be a bumpy ride

It is too early to say GO Transit’s planned expansion might be coming off the rails. But it’s not too early to worry about whether the timing and the scope of the expansion could be in doubt.

December 21, 2019

The GO Expansion plan is intended to transform what is essentially a commuter railway into an all-day, two-way transit network with service as frequent as every 15 minutes in core areas. When fully rolled out the expansion could boost ridership from current levels of about 70 million to 200 million by 2055. It also involves electrification of core parts of the transit network.

According to documents obtained by our sister paper, The Toronto Star, provincial transit agency Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (the agency responsible for delivering major public infrastructure projects) are being compelled to reconsider how the procurement process for the expansion is working. Companies in charge of executing the expansion are raising concerns about how the province is contracting out the work, and the amount of risk private sector bidders are being asked to assume through the public-private partnership model being employed.

September 25, 2008

The leaked documents also warn that changing procurement procedures at this point could delay the final phase of the expansion which is supposed to be complete by 2025.

Obviously, this is a big deal for the GTA which is still the heartland of GO Transit, but the threat of delays should also concern more peripheral areas such as Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo Region and Peterborough, all targets for commuters fleeing GTA prices and congestion.

What, if any, impact will the procurement concerns have on the scope and timing of the project? We don’t know, because GO and Infrastructure Ontario aren’t saying, but it is telling that Infrastructure Ontario would not confirm whether the final phase will be completed as planned and on time. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

Graeme’s Gallery 2014: Hamilton

December 27, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

The tradition continues with a whole Spectator opinion page devoted to:

January 24, 2014

September 5, 2014

July 9, 2014

January 31, 2014

August 20, 2014

November 28, 2014

October 28, 2014

2014 Mayoral Race

September 26, 2014

August 23, 2014

March 10, 2014

Coming tomorrow: Graeme’s Gallery, the special world edition…

Wednesday April 29, 2014

April 29, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 29, 2014

Gardiner grief: delays, lane closures a sign of things to come

Long-term lane closures on Toronto’s busy Gardiner Expressway begin today and mark the start of a long-term repair project that will add extra time to an already busy morning commute for the next few years.

On Monday morning the left lanes on both the eastbound and westbound Gardiner were closed between Park Lawn Road and Strachan Avenue. The closures are part of long-term construction work on the Gardiner that will continue through to 2016.

“On my way in to work this morning, the road was already slower than usual,” CBC’s Linda Ward reported.

In the early morning hours there were further lane restrictions eastbound from the Humber River to Carlaw. Those extra closures were removed up as of 5 a.m.

Things didn’t get much easier as the morning wore on. CBC overnight reporter Tony Smyth reported stop-and-go traffic on the eastbound Gardiner at 6:40 a. m

As a result of the construction work, eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard was also very slow Monday morning.

There were also a dozen collisions on the Gardiner Monday morning, three of them involving injuries.

Other details about the long-term repair work on the Gardiner:

The work and the lane closures it creates will continue until December 2016 with a pause for next summer’s Pan Am Games.

During this period, crews will repair three bridges on the Gardiner between the Humber River and Park Lawn Road. There will also be work done this summer to replace the centre median between Ellis Avenue and Dufferin Street.

GO Transit officials say they expect the work will cause delays during peak hours on the following bus routes: 16, 21 and 31.

“You’ll definitely need to give yourself more time in the mornings,” Ward reported. “These delays are going to be the new normal for the next few years.” (Source: CBC News)

Friday July 22, 2011

July 22, 2011 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 22, 2011

Touch and GO on LRT

MPP Ted McMeekin says there’s little chance Hamilton will land Light Rapid Transit unless the city makes it a priority.“My read on LRT, put very simply, is we’ll take our cues from the City of Hamilton,” he said. “Let me say it as bluntly as I can: If LRT is not a priority for the city council and the citizens it represents, the province is highly unlikely to come to the table with big bucks to do it.”

McMeekin’s comments mark the second time this week a provincial official has stressed the importance of the city’s enthusiasm and desire for securing LRT. Earlier this week, Metrolinx, the regional transportation agency in charge of rapid transit, said public support will be “critical to successfully implementing the rapid transit this region needs.”

Those comments come after City Manager Chris Murray and Mayor Bob Bratina signalled a move away from pursuing LRT in favour of prioritizing all-day GO service. Part of that move was to suspend all non-essential work on LRT, which means a study of development possibilities along the LRT line will be cut short and the number of city staff working on LRT will shrink from six or seven to one.

This week, LRT advocates have raised concerns about how the city’s apparent cooling on the issue would be affected by comments from city hall.

However, in contrast to his comments earlier this week, Bratina said Thursday that LRT is a priority. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)