Good morning,

My name is Michael Richardson. I am a volunteer with Friends of the O-train.

Friends of the O-Train is a group of volunteers whose goal it is to raise
awareness of workable transit options in Ottawa. We're comprised of transit
experts, rail enthusiasts and regular individuals who have served on over
20 city committees. Please see for more
background on our group.

This is a questionnaire to federal candidates in the Ottawa-Carleton-Gatineau
area about their views of the role of the federal government (and of federal
MPs) in facilitating advances in public transit in the region.

We would ask you to acknowledge receipt of this email (so we know that
you got it), and to return something to us by October 3. An email reply in
plain text would be preferred over a word-processor document.

BACKGROUND.

First, some history of involvement.
This is long, but it is important to understand what roles federal,

http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/cgi-bin/rulingLists.pl?type=decision&lang=e&cat...

a) April 13, 2007

APPLICATION by the Corporation of the City of Ottawa carrying on business as Capital Railway pursuant to section 32 of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C., 1996, c. 10, for rescission of Decision Nos. 474-R-2006 dated August 31, 2006 and 637-R-2006, dated November 17, 2006.

File Nos. R 8045/O1
R 8045/O1-1

On January 25, 2007, the Corporation of the City of Ottawa carrying on business as Capital Railway (hereinafter Capital Railway) filed with the Canadian Transportation Agency (hereinafter the Agency) the application set out in the title.

In its Decision No. 474-R-2006 dated August 31, 2006, the Agency approved the proposed construction of a North-South light rail transit line from the Mackenzie King Bridge to Woodroffe Avenue, in the city of Ottawa.

What animosity? You make it seem as if there is a bag of goodies and it is south's turn.

Staging priorities is about fixing a broken transit system that cannot
take more riders going east-west and through the downtown.

Staging priorities is not about encouraging urban sprawl/outside the
greenbelt - the Panel of Experts said we need to use LRT to intensify
inside the greenbelt, not to serve future greenfield development outside of it.

And, staging priorities is about affordability - Ottawa's taxpayer and
riding public cannot afford double digit fare increases and property tax
increases to pay for large NS LRT operating cost deficits because the
fare box receipts on that line can't possibly cover anywhere near 50% of its operating costs.

Staff have told us that LRT is more cost efficient to operate than BRT -
but only if there is heavy all day ridership. The NS line south of
Greenboro Station - the portion that would serve the greenfields of

http://ottawa.econsultation.ca/topics/show/38?lang=en&root=3613#comment_...

There is not now nor has there ever been a business case justification for a double tracked NS LRT. That is the reason Mr. Baird said the new Council must vote on it again after the ridership data become known and when due diligence was done.

There is, however, a business case for extending the O-Train to Leitrim Road to receive local feeder bus route riders from Riverside South and Findlay Creek, and to provide faster transit service to nearby business parks and (secret) government facilities. There is also a business case for building a large park and ride facility at Leitrim/O-Train to intercept the large number of commuters coming by car from the south and south east of the urban boundary.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY MUST MEET MINIMAL CONDITIONS FOR CREDIBLE TRANSIT PLAN

Staff must deliver credible transit plan that residents, Council, and
upper levels of government wanting to fund transit can all support.

Ottawa, April 14, 2008: Transport 2000 (T2000) and Friends of the
O-Train (FOTO) insist Staff must present a credible transit plan on
Wednesday that:

* substantially increases ridership throughout implementation to
justify the proposed price tag;
* fixes the downtown capacity problem first;
* focuses investment in light rail transit;
* takes advantage of low-cost opportunities for rapid transit
connections to under-serviced destinations; and that is
* is affordable

Details of key questions that Councilors, transit users and city staff
must consider when evaluating staff's plan are attached as a
backgrounder document.

Friends of the O-Train
Formed in the summer of 2006, FOTO is a volunteer organization of

Lack of strong commuter rail line will hurt future prosperity: MP
Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2008

While major Canadian cities are reshaping their futures with new light-rail projects, Ottawa has embraced a transit vision that will set the city back a decade and undermine its competitiveness and future prosperity, several experts say.

They point out that, in the past year, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have unveiled transformative commuter rail plans that will strengthen their ability to compete for global investments and economic opportunities.