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Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) a working group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster. PO Box 19 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton ON, Canada, L8S 1C0 905-525-9140 ext. 26026 |
Transit advocates are urging the city to spread the cost of its bus system across all taxpayers to avoid a fare increase.
"The community needs to get behind transit," Peter Hutton of the Transit Users Group told council yesterday.
The city's transit system is area-rated, so residents are taxed based on the services miles in their ward. Residents in outlying areas without transit, like Flamborough, pay nothing. Specialized transit, DARTS, is funded equally by all taxpayers.
The city has a group studying area rating.
Hutton argues transit should be like city libraries -- everyone pays for the service for the good of the community, even if they don't benefit.
City staff are proposing a 15- cent transit fare hike to cover skyrocketing costs, including fuel. The increase would bring in an extra $1.5 million, but also cause an estimated permanent loss of about 780,000 passenger trips a year.
Transit was the topic of choice yesterday as council listened to public delegations on the 2006 budget. The city is starting with a $45-million shortfall, which would mean a tax increase of nearly 8 per cent.
Community activist Don McLean urged council to explore phasing out area-rating for transit over five years. At the same time he said the city should use gas tax money to increase services in the outlying areas.
Raising money through increased fares will only hurt ridership, compromise other government funding and the environment, he argued.
The McMaster student's union also protested a fare hike as well as seniors, who balked at a proposed $40 increase to their annual bus pass, which now costs $205. A petition signed by more than 300 seniors urged council to drop the yearly cost to $100.
But resident Mark Harrington said the proposed increase from $2.10 to $2.25 for a cash fare is reasonable.
"It's the best deal in town," Harrington said.
"I feel like I'm being taxed into the poor house," he added.
Harrington questioned why the city gives money to HECFI, arguing the average resident can't even afford to go there for a show.
HR Matters, a non-profit skills and workforce development group, had the biggest request yesterday, asking council to make up for $220,000 in lost funding over the next three years.
Other speakers urged the city to add more bylaw officers, increase its advertising budget to generate more community engagement, invest in Flamborough and explore the sustainability of the city's growing employee costs.
nmacintyre@thespec.com
905-526-3299