Raise the Hammer

If I'm reading this thing properly, it sounds like these 'new routes' will only run during rush hour. Great. That's really convenient.

well it would work great...if there were dedicated bus lanes, but that creates a BRT system when what we really need is an LRT. Let's spend money on that and use the buses on the routes that are now serviced by LRT to make the new routes.

if I'm also reading the rest of this right, it sounds like they are proposing to spend $160 million for BRT?? The bulk of it on the Upper James corridor and Rymal Rd/Linc corridor?? If we're actually going to start spending real money like this on transit, please lets do it right and do LRT for the lower city east/west line and BRT for the upper james/rymal lines. we have one shot at this. let's do it right THE FIRST TIME (something Hamilton usually prefers to not do).

if i'm reading this right it seems like city staff and council are forgetting that they already raised fares once this year. at a cost, in ridership, estimated to be half a million rides a year. oh, and from my perspective, transit service has gotten worse since then.

there is no excuse for raising fares. operating and capital costs should be paid through taxes; same deal with improvements. transit is a vital public service. it is a requirement for saving money on road repairs, the inefficiencies of single-occupancy vehicles (including parking spaces) and allowing the necessary number of people to move around the city on a day to day basis. and this doesn't even take into consideration the environment.

we elected a mayor and a number of councillors on a platform that was at least partially green. how green is allowing half a million trips to move from the bus to some other means of transportation? this of course, assumes that people have a choice.

not everyone has a choice. i don't, neither do a lot of my friends and family. we live in a poor city, populated in large part by poor people. myself included. raising bus fares, while allowing parts of ancaster to pay nothing towards transit is an attack against the poor, the environment and anyone working to make Hamilton a liveable city.

anyone else want to move?

The Wentworth and Victoria route isn't exactly new.

I believe this route was available back in the eighties.

I also remember riding the bus north on Sherman Avenue on my way to work in the early eighties. This route made connections with Delaware, King, Barton and Bayfront routes.

These crosstown routes are helpful in eliminating the need to go downtown to connect with other major routes.

The Wentworth and Victoria route isn't exactly new.

I believe this route was available back in the eighties.

I also remember riding the bus north on Sherman Avenue on my way to work in the early eighties. This route made connections with Delaware, King, Barton and Bayfront routes.

These crosstown routes are helpful in eliminating the need to go downtown to connect with other major routes.

another annoying thing about this, is the fact that I'll continue to have full buses zip past me or get jammed on other ones, while new buses travel to the big boxes of Ancaster and Waterdown 2/3 empty.
This city is so screwed up....all we know is sprawl and outward growth. The transit system is overloaded all through the central city, yet I don't see a single new initiative (other than the long-overdue Keith line) to ease the crunch among existing riders...REMEMBER US HSR?? We're the ones paying the bills!! Now we'll have to pay 15cents more to be passed by over and over.