News:

OPIRG TLC Meeting

February 2, 2005

Brian McHattie and Mary Lou Tanner, Manager of Strategic and Environmental Planning spoke about the fit between cars and alternative modes of transportation, and what pedestrians, cyclists and transit users have to look forward to.

The forum was hosted by OPIRG's Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC). 

Tanner said the City of Hamilton has undergone a "philosophical
shift" in its recent planning, toward thinking about transportation as more than just a way to move goods and cars on inner-city freeways.

The city added nearly 14 kilometres of bike lanes to its network last year, along Sterling, Longwood Road North, Upper Paradise Road, Stone Church Road and others.  The following is planned for 2005:

• James and John streets will go two-way south of Main Street to St. Joseph's Drive this summer, a move intended to make streets more pedestrian friendly.
• A bike lane will go in along Hunter Street from Wellington Street South to Dundurn Street South. Another along York Boulevard from Dundurn Castle to Burlington's boundary will, at points, reduce York from four lanes to two.
• Building will start on a pedestrian and bike friendly bridge on Ferguson Avenue North, to link to the waterfront. The existing Mary Street bridge will be closed to cars and reopened as a pedestrian and bike only link to the water.
• A new McMaster entrance on Main Street West at Emerson Street, to open this fall, will aid HSR bus turns and be less confusing for visitors. It's expected to slow cars by 50 seconds on the route.

In 2003, the city began a broad planning project, known as GRIDS, to guide growth over the next 30 years. For this, the city is developing a Transportation Master Plan and has published 23 draft policy papers.
(See www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/cityandgovernment/
projectsinitiatives/city-wide-tmp).

A summary of the papers notes the goal is to reduce the number of car trips per person by 10 per cent by 2011 and 15 per cent by 2021, something that requires what Tanner calls a "balanced" system with transit, walking and cycling as alternatives to car travel.

Tanner said Hamilton will see wider sidewalks as streetscape improvements go ahead because 1.5 metre wide sidewalks don't encourage walking. She's excited about a possible transit link from Waterdown to Aldershot's GO station and a restored street tree program.

OPIRG (Ontario Public Interest Research Group) is a student funded/student directed organization working on issues of human rights, the environment and social justice. 

TLC is a working group which advocates and takes action on sustainable transportation issues. TLC supports public transit, cycling, walking as viable alternatives to the private automobile. TLC supports infrastructure to support sustainable transportation and government programs that enhance sustainable transportation options. TLC organizes events to promote changes to the dominant car culture.

See http://opirg.org/mcmaster/about.html for more information.