Some transit
riders across the region are telling me that buses and trains are
more crowded than ever. Mississauga Transit (MT) may not be unique,
but its busiest routes are so packed that often drivers have to
close the bus doors and refuse riders.
Now that York
Region has launched the Viva “rapid bus” network, and Brampton is
pushing a transit scheme of its own, I recently asked Mississauga
mayor Hazel McCallion about her city’s plans.
Pointing to a
lack of funding from the federal and provincial governments,
together with tight budgets at city hall, she acknowledges, “We
don’t have an adequate transit system. We know that.”
The mayor says
that some money has been received. “We’re putting all the gas tax
into expansion of our transit system,” she states, adding this “is
just a drop in a big bucket.”
As for the
city’s own contribution to transit, she says “We’ve been increasing
it for years by a small amount. See, we balance our budget. We don’t
go to the province for a hand-out because we can’t balance our
budget.”
Is relief on
the way for MT riders? McCallion says that studies are underway for
a light rail line on Hurontario Street, and planning work is
proceeding for bus rapid transit (BRT) along Highway 403. “We have
the BRT, which we can’t even get the funding for. It would help us
and GO.”
GO Transit and
Mississauga are to unveil new bus stops near Square One on November
29, at which time the mayor says “We will outline the changes we are
making to our transit system. We’re changing the size of buses and
everything.”
Will these
changes make a dent in MT’s current crowding situation? She says,
“It’s going to make a difference -- but as to how much, I don’t
know.”
She says
“you’ve got to sell people on transit” and that there is existing
capacity on Mississauga’s system. “Yes we have some closed doors on
some routes, but we have buses wandering around on other routes that
are not filled at all.
“People love
their cars. They want the transit system when it’s convenient for
them to use it. Many residential areas were never planned for
transit service. They’re full of cul-de-sacs and crescents. It’s
pretty hard for buses to get around in some of those.”
How often does
she get a chance to go out and talk with MT customers? McCallion
replies, “I don’t have to. I meet them every day at church,
at shopping, at all the many events I go to. They’re transit riders,
a lot of them.”
Does she use
MT, to get to her meetings and other duties? She says, “I can’t. I
would have to walk a mile to get to a bus (stop).”
Asked if
transit is a lower civic priority because riders have less political
clout than car drivers, the mayor responds, “I don’t see that, no. I
thinks it’s a case of money (government funding) and a case of
getting people to use transit.”