By Staff
September 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The chair of Burlington for Accessible. Sustainable Transit (BFAST) says he wants an independent inquiry into the reasons for the mess the system finds itself in.
“ ‘Disgraceful’ is not a strong enough word to describe the extent to which Council has overseen the decay of Burlington’s transit system,” said Brown. “We need an independent inquiry as to why this has been allowed to happen.”
“Not only has the transit system been starved of funds with the result that ridership has plummeted, but it has deteriorated to the extent that the safety of its passengers and other users of our roads has been called into question,” Brown said.
“Council must be accountable for this lamentable state of affairs and must get serious about Burlington’s transit service.”
Doug Brown,chair of Bfast, knows that a well run bus service is a beautiful thing.
Brown has long questioned the information Council has received from City staff on the transit file and says he was “not surprised” to find that the facts confirmed the system is in crisis.
Brown says the City needs a transit study that’s part of Burlington’s overall transportation plan. He says Council’s penchant for robbing the transit budget and “micro-management” of the system have been primary causes of its decay.
The Mantra I hear at every OP and intensification information meeting that I go to is this, “Thou shalt Walk”.
No more highways or road expansions, and now the Transit system is a mess. I don’t think it has ever been anything but some version of mess.
Doug Brown deserves his inquiry.
So get new walkers, or a bike, or both – to ride on controversial and scattered bike lanes – and get ready for winter.
Or hitch a ride from a truck going your way.
That’s it folks. The transportation plan every meeting says will solve the grow bold population/cars problem, does not exist, except in the planning dept. minds and paper.
Pencil it out folks. People times cars outstrips times walkers and bikes every time.
I’m not complaining. That does no good in Aldershot.
I’m just sayin’.
I read Joan Little’s Column this morning where James Ridge told Council about all the problems that exist with public transit in Burlington. The most pressing issue of safety I must admit came as a surprise. The public has been saying this for years certainly this cannot have come as such a surprise to Council members. For a council who is always telling residents to leave their car at home, to take public transit, to walk, to cycle it is interesting that there never seemed to be the connection of how important a good public transit is needed to accomplish this.
Thank you for this article. Its about time someone understood the rider’s problems and spoke up. I must say the drivers are great.