HSR – Page 2 – mackaycartoons

Saturday March 7, 2015

March 6, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday March 7, 2015

HSR bus cash vs. Hamilton LRT

Welcome to the bus battle.

Council will consider its first major HSR budget boost in years this morning along with a controversial new rapid transit request from the province.

The political showdown will be over a $302 million request to the province for dozens of new buses and a garage outlined as part of a 10-year transit plan. That request would have to come on top of the existing $811 million request for LRT.

Light rail advocates fear another request would muddy the water and give a cash-strapped province the chance to put off LRT funding indefinitely.

At the same time, new transit director Dave Dixon is asking for a $6 million HSR boost – including 50 new drivers and 25 new buses – over the next two years.

He said the money is critical for council to address “immediate needs” like overcrowded buses and poor service on existing routes.

But council is also struggling with a 2015 operating budget that appears on target for a 4.4 per cent average tax increase.

Finance head Mike Zegarac will start the morning with an update on whether that financial picture has improved. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Friday, January 23, 2015

January 22, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Don’t drive doomed bus-only lane yet: city

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, January 23, 2015

The city is asking motorists to stay out of the doomed bus-only lane on King Street until the signs come down – even if Hamilton police have already stopped handing out tickets.

City council voted 9-7 to axe the contentious two-kilometre experiment Wednesday night to the disappointment of a raucous crowd of largely pro-bus lane advocates.

But the city sent out a public warning Thursday morning that bus priority remains in force until all of the overhead signs are removed from Mary to Dundurn streets. Staff will meet this week “to develop a strategy” to reconvert the lane, including scrubbing lane markings and amending the actual bylaw.

Hamilton police, however, tweeted at virtually the same time that they “would no longer conduct enforcement” on the dedicated transit lane.

It is expected to cost about $100,000 to axe the bus-only lane and return street parking spots to pre-experiment locations. Much of that money won’t be spent until spring, when it’s warm enough to repaint the street.

Council’s decision appears to be just the start of an increasingly passionate battle over rapid transit in the city.

More than 100 people — many wearing yellow T-shirts and armbands to show bus lane solidarity — packed City Hall Wednesday in a rowdy, last-ditch show of support for the two-kilometre priority transit experiment.

The “disappointing” decision won’t stop newly awakened bus advocates from pushing for more transit improvements along the corridor, said Lindsay Godard, who helped organize a fledging transit user coalition that drummed up support for the meeting.

“We’re going to make sure the voice of the transit user is here the next time something like this comes up,” said Godard, noting council is about to consider a 10-year transit plan and the 2015 HSR budget pitch.

“We’ve learned there are obviously a lot of (residents) who are very passionate about transit.”

Godard said the group has signed up more than 200 members, including some angry residents who yelled “shame!” and “dinosaurs!” at councillors as they left council chambers after the vote.

The city is also still waiting to see if the province and rapid transit planning agency Metrolinx will approve Hamilton’s request for an $811-million light rail transit line.

The bus-only lane was meant to test-drive the city’s ability to deal with rapid transit in the B-line corridor. The city’s decision shows council has “imploded” on rapid transit planning, said Coun. Sam Merulla, who warned that Hamilton has effectively given its LRT cash to some other city.

Coun. Lloyd Ferguson — who was taunted by frustrated bus lane fans for a perceived conflict over his ownership of taxi plates — argued the bus-only lane served its purpose. (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)

Thursday September 4, 2014

September 3, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 4, 2014

Pull the plug on Hamilton LRT: Mayoral candidate Brad Clark

Mayoral candidate Brad Clark is officially calling on Hamilton to pull the plug on a contentious bid for an $811-million LRT system in favour of negotiating cheaper bus rapid transit with the province.

The Stoney Creek councillor said he will oppose pursuing the 14-kilometre light-rail line from McMaster University to Eastgate even if the province provides 100 per cent capital funding for the project.

“We have to make decisions based on our needs,” he said at a Wednesday campaign announcement. “We want LRT. We don’t need LRT.”

With the announcement, Clark officially positions himself in clear opposition to council colleague and mayoral candidate Brian McHattie, who has championed the LRT plan as a city-building effort with dramatic potential to boost development and business along the east-west route.

Candidate and former mayor Fred Eisenberger, who pushed the LRT plan during his time in office, has called for a citizen panel on LRT and city transit options.

Clark argued the transit overhaul is still too expensive for local taxpayers once land expropriation, underground infrastructure improvements and other traffic changes are factored in.

He dismissed the economic uplift arguments found in past studies on LRT as uncertain and overly “rosy.”

November 16, 2006

Clark said the city should instead begin negotiating with the province over a bus rapid transit system for the same B-line that he estimates would cost closer to $350 million and require fewer local infrastructure and land costs.

At the same time, he urged expanding HSR bus service as recommended in the Rapid Ready report that supports LRT.

He said it would be too expensive, however, to simultaneously pursue bus rapid transit along both the east-west B-line and the north-south A line that runs from the water to the airport.

Mayoral candidate Crystal Lavigne has said she favours better bus service over LRT, while Ejaz Butt only supports the project with 100 per cent provincial funding. Michael Baldasaro and Nick Iamonico have both expressed support for the project. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

[slideshow_deploy id=’2950’]

Saturday March 8, 2014

March 8, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday, March 10, 2014

Mayor’s LRT blog spurs confusion as he tries to reiterate his support

Attention light-rail fans: Mayor Bob Bratina says he’s always been keen on LRT.

Just not along the $800-million east-west route council is asking the province to fund.

The mayor infuriated some LRT advocates Tuesday with a new blog post that outlined his 2010 election campaign pitch for a Mountain-climbing LRT route along a converted rail line that is now a popular escarpment walking and cycling trail.

Bratina, who hasn’t registered to run in the fall election, denied the blog was a salvo in what is widely expected to be a transit-heavy campaign debate.

He also said in a Wednesday interview he has “no interest” in “resurrecting” his old rail-trail proposal as an alternative to the council-approved line running 14 kilometres between McMaster University and Eastgate Square.

He said the blog, which includes a map of the rail trail proposal, was simply meant to refute the oft-repeated argument he opposes LRT.

But LRT boosters criticized the blog online for further muddying the waters around Hamilton’s support for light rail.

Raise the Hammer’s Ryan McGreal said Bratina’s musings were “calculated to sow confusion and doubt” about rapid transit planning in the city, which has been dogged in recent years by conflicting political messages.

While Bratina starts the blog by saying he “fully” supports council’s position on transit, he goes on to note perceived problems and “doubt” linked to the B Line — listing traffic, unhappy King Street businesses and property acquisition issues.

McGreal said it’s “particularly frustrating” to see the mayor suggest in a public forum his old rail trail plan has more development potential than the B Line, after Metrolinx and the city spent years on studies identifying the lower city line as the best bet for ridership and economic growth.

“It’s noise and confusion … it’s actually unhelpful,” said McGreal, who replies to the blog in a rebuttal here.

Bratina argued the only controversy over LRT is where the required $800-million will come from. The minority Liberal government is considering new tolls, development charges and fuel surtaxes. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

[slideshow_deploy id=’2950′]