Comment 108826

By Don McLean (anonymous) | Posted February 06, 2015 at 16:02:01

95 percent of the funding ($5.7 million) for the first two years is to be extracted from the poorest people in Hamilton through very large fare increases. The other 5 percent ($300,000)comes in taxes overwhelmingly collected from residents of the former Hamilton who cover 90 percent of transit taxes. The wealthy suburbs whose transit tax rates are all less than 30% of Hamilton's are asked for next to nothing.

The tax increase will work out to less than $1 per household. The hit on transit riders - the people who are doing the right thing - is $144 for those using monthly passes. And the report falsely claims to support a fair balance. The city's position remains - "drivers rule and screw anybody who doesn't drive, especially if you can't afford to".

This should have been presented on Monday - Groundhog Day. It's another plan that likely won't be implemented because it asks for next to nothing from council.

This year is the best opportunity for actual city investment in transit. It's four years from the next election, and plunging gas prices mean the cost of driving has dropped significantly. Instead of asking them to contribute, staff are on their knees begging for scraps in the vain hope that later in the ten-year plan there will be some actual city investment.

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