By Doug Draper
The decade-long drive for a full-fledged transit system for all of Niagara, Ontario has finally been put in the fast lane.
Niagara Regional chairman Gary Burroughs celebrates launch of pilot transit service in September, 2011. File photo by Doug Draper
“I have heard enough from residents of Niagara that we need a regional transit system,” Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey told fellow councillors at a meeting of the regional council this July 26 before tabling a motion asking for a report and recommendations to be produced by this spring of next year for launching one Niagara transit system for the region.
“We need an action plan for this,” said Badawey, adding that the three-year pilot project the regional government launched last year for a limited run of buses between Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines “is not fully representative of what a regional transit system can be. … This is 2012. Look around at most, if not all municipal jurisidictions with populations over 400,000. They have regional transit.”
“We are a world-class destination,” stressed Badawey of the millions of people who visit Niagara Falls and places and festivities in other parts of the region. “Let’s start acting like one.”
Badawey’s call for an “action plan” for one fully functioning transit system for Niagara received the approval of majority of councillors, including Grmsby regional councillor who has been an advocate for enhanced transit services going back to her years as the regional government’s chair a decade ago.
“This motion tonight is exactly what we should have done in 2006,” Zimmerman said. The region needs one, integrated Niagara transit system, she added, and it doesn’t have to be a “big ‘R’ scary regional transit system” in the sense that the regional government has to run it. It could be one system put together by the existing transit commissions for some of the local municipalities in partnership with the regional government and other bodies.
Badawey made the same point to this reporter after his motion was passed. He said there are examples of other regions in Ontario (the Waterloo region is one of them) that have two-tier systems like Niagara’s, with a regional council and a number of local municipal councils, and they have managed to put together a single transit system for their reginos that work.
There were a number of detractors, however. Fort Erie regional councillor John Teal said the pilot project, costing somewhere between $2 million and $3 million annually, is losing money and not attracting the number of riders it should. He said the regional government should just let the pilot project “run its life and if we find ourselves in a hole, we should stop digging.”
Some citizen advocates for a full regional transit system have argued that the pilot project is not providing enough access to potential transit users because it is so limited in its runs. Some also raise concerns about the $6-per-ride fare, arguing that the buses might very well have more riders than the few they have now if the fares were lower.
Badawey said Niagara needs a transit system people in all parts of the region can count on to get them back and forth from home to work, and can get visitors to this region from Niagara Falls to other events they may enjoy in the region like the annual Marshville Festival in Wainfleet or Canal Days in his community of Port Colborne in the coming week.
Niagara At Large is posting the full text of Badawey’s motion and the case he made for a Niagara transit system below. And at the end of all that, we encourage you to share your views.
Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey’s motion to regional council –
That while continuing with the Inter-Municipal Transit Pilot Project, the
Transportation Strategy Steering Committee (including municipal
representation) initiate a process of facilitating the implementation of a
Niagara Transit system; and
That this Niagara Transit System process would include dialogue with the
City of St. Catharines Transit Commission, Cities of Niagara Falls and
Welland transit systems, the feeder systems in Fort Erie, Port Colborne,
Thorold and Niagara-on-the-Lake, as well as from the private sector, in
determining the players and framework for a Niagara Transit system; and
That a report and recommendation come forth to the Public Works Committee
and Regional Council, by the spring of 2013.
Vance Badawey’s statement of support for his motion to regional council
> “As with already underway initiatives, such as the Gateway Economic
Strategy, Community Improvement Plans, Innovate Niagara, Niagara-Open for
Business Action Plan, Sustainable Niagara, World Garden Event, integrated
dialogue with the Southern Ontario Gateway Council Niagara Economic
Development, Transportation Strategy and the Great Lakes/Waterfront
Enhancement strategies to name just a few, Niagara is galvanizing – we are
coming together as Niagara vs. 12 individual silos. The next progression is
working together toward a Niagara transit system.
Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey
> This is 2012, look around at most, if not all jurisdictions with 400,000
plus residents, they have regional transit.
> Question is; does the Region get into the Transit business or do we set
a commission similar to the TTC in Toronto or utilize the private sector?
That is what I expect this process to solidify.
> Many recognize that Niagara Transit will bring people closer to their
destinations – jobs, healthcare, leisure, education, tourists and GO transit.
> We are a world class destination we must start acting like it!!!
> Although challenges exist, in business/politics you have critics and
leaders. Ultimately, not unlike all of our ongoing initiatives, this
process will take leadership to move forward with the solution(s) to put
this in place.
1. Focus on the solutions – attach an action plan to the thrust
2. Focus on the action plan and overall benefits the action plan will
provide to both residents and visitors to our world class destination –
particularly seniors and students.
> Because Transit continues to be financially strapped within those
providing the service, it behooves us to move forward in a direction that
looks at any opportunities that may present themselves with respect to
enhancing services in a more efficient manner.
> Currently we are putting regional taxpayers dollars into a “pilot
project”. In my opinion, this “pilot project” is NOT representative of what
a Niagara transit system would in fact be and therefore, is not feasible.
It is in fact wasting taxpayers dollars. It is a Band-aid to an ailing
Niagara service.
I have seen, learned and most importantly, heard enough from the
residents of Niagara – Niagara Transit is needed.
– Can I hop on a bus and get to St. Catharines from P.C., Grimsby or
Lincoln for a health care appointment as quick today as I would in the
future within an overall Niagara system – NO
– Can I hop on a bus and get to Niagara Falls in time for my 6:00
reservation at Copa Cabana – NO or for my 4:00 shift at the Marriott – NO
– Can a student hop on a bus and get from the south, west or east to one
of our campuses as quickly today compared to within a Niagara transit
system – NO
– Can a tourist coming from Toronto or staying in Niagara Falls hop on a
bus to come down to Niagara’s South Coast to go sport fishing or to the
Marshville Festival – NO
– Can one of the over 300,000 people that attend Canal Days hop on a bus
and visit the Falls for a few hours before coming back to god’s country –
NO
> Question then is members of Council – HOW, how can we make this happen?
> That is what this Motion asks. The intent is to receive those answers by
the spring of 2013.
> This motion will galvanize this Council toward working within a Team
Niagara environment and therefore, galvanize the region, including all of
our partners.
> Therefore, I would truly appreciate your support for this motion.
> Thank you.
(Share your views below.)
Niagara At Large 
The whole idea of running a proof-of-concept is to prove an idea has merit.
The fact that the region has executed such a project and politicians are discounting the findings ( a waste of time a waste of money ) makes me wonder why run a PoC in the first place.
These facts remain:
a) the buses are empty, no one other than a few are interested in this service,
b) it wastes money that could be used for other more worthy causes,
c) it places more strain on the regions taxpayers which frankly do NOT get good value for their tax dollar.
d) if this idea had merit then the private market would atleast be looking at satisfying this type of service as they did with Coach Canada and the variety of tour type services that can be found if one opens up the yellow pages.
e) the region can not be everything to everyone. This fringe project satisfies a very limited requirement, as proven by the PoC, and as such should be prioritized accordingly not expanded.
A well run company would not run a PoC then discount the findings. It would accept them and act accordingly. In this case, shelve the idea and move on to new business. I guess the difference between a well run company a our local government is that they are not held accountable for their actions or performance. They do not have to adhere to some pretty basic business best-practices and principles. Sadly it is the taxpayer that is held accountable.
In my opinion, Vance Badeway and Debbie Zimmerman have watched too many Kevin Costner movies. “Build it and they will come” only happens in movies and fairy tales. Not a good way to spend hard-earned tax dollars. Not a good way to run any kind of organization. Shouldn’t have to but, just sayin….
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Very nicely said Mayor Badawey. You are a true leader.
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This is a common sense approach to move towards; however, I don’t envision some of our councillors currently sitting around the table as endorsing transit in the way they need to, nor only for economic and social purposes, but environmental as well. We have a few councillors that appear to be against supporting public transit, because THEY drive … or they view it as a cost to taxpayers, while often at the same meetings they endorse or support the payments of millions and millions of dollars into road repair, building extensions to highways, funding parking garages and making provisions for “free parking” at public amenities, while failing to understand that “somebody” is also paying for this too, while not everybody benefits from this largesse.
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I feel the current pilot should also be used to garner public opinion, needs tracking and to find support for the best revenue raising tools, which can eventually become the model for a regionally-coordinated transit service. I say, if certain municipalities are not getting served, my question is why not? I am sure that not every single person in these unserved municipalities drives a car or has a person who, on demand can drop whatever they are doing and take them wherever. I think this whole debate is nonsense, particularly as other jurisdictions are growing their transit systems and even investing in light rail service.
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I have had the opportunity to witness on my travels approximately 3 dozen of these buses travelling the region on what should be PEAK rider times. EMPTY EMPTY and EMPTY. It would be cheaper by a factor of a 1000 to provide each of those riders with full day limo service.
Unsustainable, poorly designed and poorly executed municipal, regional and provincial government projects and services are the reason it costs $3,000 a year in property taxes to live in a modest bungalow in this region. That amount represents roughly seven per cent of after-tax income of a family making the regional median salary of $90,000.
This project has proven it has no merit and should be shelved.
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