Transportation

Mayor Valérie Plante’s recent statement that Montreal cannot afford to provide free public transit struck me as incredibly shortsighted: she might be surprised to learn how unaffordable terminal climate change is going to be.

May 16, 2022

As the cost of gas soars once more in parts of the province like Metro Vancouver, the BC Greens are proposing a temporary relief measure.

May 11, 2022

A fare evasion ticket is significantly more expensive than a parking ticket in major cities throughout the country.

Last year, I wrote an article arguing that Canada should “ban the sale of pickup trucks to all consumers unless they’re able to meet strict requirements to prove it will be used primarily for work purposes.” I argued that one reason such a ban would be desirable is the incredibly damaging impact pickup trucks have on the climate. 

Apr. 17, 2022

Ben Isitt, a Victoria city councillor, is pushing for a referendum that would ask residents how they feel about free public transit. Isitt hopes B.C.'s capital will join roughly 100 municipalities worldwide that already offer free public transportation.  

[Also a spokesperson for Free Transit Ottawa - an Ottawa group concerned about the social and environment importance of free and good public transit ] 

Apr. 4, 2022

Rich households were found to benefit the most from Millennium Line and Canada Line SkyTrain extensions, so who should pay for them going forward?

Expanding rapid transit systems has long been accepted as a necessary precursor to improving the lives of working class households while reducing emissions from gas-powered cars. 

But could Vancouver’s growing SkyTrain network be helping the rich the most? 

Apr. 4, 2022

To avoid major cuts in service levels, the federal and provincial governments jointly announced today they will be providing TransLink with an additional $176 million in pandemic-time operating subsidy funding.

An additional $28 million will also be provided to BC Transit.

Mar. 1, 2022

Mar. 24, 2022

A transit user advocate says raising fares discourages passengers from returning to the transit system, which is down 50 per cent of pre-pandemic ridership numbers

Mar. 18, 2022

Listen to this episode here.