We, the taxpayers, have inherited the LRT debacle, not just the City Council.
The LRT system is a colossal failure, through no fault of our own. Its unreliability and poor service have eroded public trust, and there seems to be no clear path to rectify the situation. Adding insult to injury, taxpayers are burdened with increased costs for this dysfunctional system.
Short, medium and long term plans are required, along with costs to taxpayers, and clearly communicated to taxpayers.
Taxpayers need to know what to expect, with clear timelines, and hold Council accountable.
I find these transit discussions very conventional and repetitive. They rarely focus on viable solutions and instead always try to find additional funding sources. This process is a fundamental failing of most elected politicians and their advisors. We don’t need more of the same flawed, unrealistic approaches to problem-solving.
If the people of Ottawa want a functional, timely transit system within a reasonable annual budget, then find a manager who is allowed by Council to lead and make the tough decisions necessary to make it happen.
That means:
1. Permanently cutting bus routes that don’t have much demand, primarily in the newer suburbs. Inform the development community there will be no new transit services;
2. Take the resulting savings from less busses, fewer drivers and reduced fleet maintenance costs and start delivering reliable, on-time service to a more limited zone;
3. Appoint someone who has a clue about how to run a railway. The complexities of rail transit are way beyond the competence of the regular folks who get elected to Council, not to mention staff.
Now, having said all this, I don’t think the situation will ever Improve if suburban councillors don’t begin to understand that the city cannot service their outlying Wards. It’s just too costly. Amalgamation was a huge failure for Ottawa and the adjacent municipalities. But here we are.
This won’t happen, but instead of selling land or air rights near stations I’d like to see Ottawa directly build housing at park and ride stations. Could provide affordable housing on a percentage of units and pocket the difference on the rest to fund transit long term.
We, the taxpayers, have inherited the LRT debacle, not just the City Council.
The LRT system is a colossal failure, through no fault of our own. Its unreliability and poor service have eroded public trust, and there seems to be no clear path to rectify the situation. Adding insult to injury, taxpayers are burdened with increased costs for this dysfunctional system.
Short, medium and long term plans are required, along with costs to taxpayers, and clearly communicated to taxpayers.
Taxpayers need to know what to expect, with clear timelines, and hold Council accountable.
I find these transit discussions very conventional and repetitive. They rarely focus on viable solutions and instead always try to find additional funding sources. This process is a fundamental failing of most elected politicians and their advisors. We don’t need more of the same flawed, unrealistic approaches to problem-solving.
If the people of Ottawa want a functional, timely transit system within a reasonable annual budget, then find a manager who is allowed by Council to lead and make the tough decisions necessary to make it happen.
That means:
1. Permanently cutting bus routes that don’t have much demand, primarily in the newer suburbs. Inform the development community there will be no new transit services;
2. Take the resulting savings from less busses, fewer drivers and reduced fleet maintenance costs and start delivering reliable, on-time service to a more limited zone;
3. Appoint someone who has a clue about how to run a railway. The complexities of rail transit are way beyond the competence of the regular folks who get elected to Council, not to mention staff.
Now, having said all this, I don’t think the situation will ever Improve if suburban councillors don’t begin to understand that the city cannot service their outlying Wards. It’s just too costly. Amalgamation was a huge failure for Ottawa and the adjacent municipalities. But here we are.
Very well said.
This won’t happen, but instead of selling land or air rights near stations I’d like to see Ottawa directly build housing at park and ride stations. Could provide affordable housing on a percentage of units and pocket the difference on the rest to fund transit long term.
Could be both, of course -- air rights to property developers, plus some space set aside for affordable housing by non-market builders.