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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, February 25, 2010 · 14 Hoping to change the face of transit by 2031 Continued from page 13 ice levels they desire and paying the Region accordingly. While Halton's transportation master plans have traditionally focused on building more roads - $1.1 billion is projected for such projects over the next 11 years -- transit has been at the forefront of other Regional plans. Included in the recently passed amendment to Halton's Official Plan, ROPA 38, the Region has set a target of having 20 per cent of all peak period trips made by transit by 2031, with automobiles used for 70 per cent of such trips and walking, bicycling and other "active transport" modes used 10 per cent of the time. Reaching that target will require a massive sea change in both the attitudes and behaviour of Halton commuters as well as the level of transit service offered to them. In 2006, only five per cent of peak period trips were made by transit and two per cent by active transport. The Region's plans depend on the Province to continue investing heavily in inter-regional transit, including the planned electrification of the "The more roads they build, it doesn't mean the congestion will be less. " Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar Lakeshore West GO train line and a bus rapid transit line on dedicated lanes on Dundas Street between Halton and Kipling Station in Etobicoke. With such investments, the Region hopes 42 per cent of peak period trips made outside Halton region will be made by transit in 2031. Only 11 per cent of such trips within Halton would be made by transit. Combined, the two add up to the 20 per cent transit target. That target is not unique to Halton, as York Region, Ottawa, Waterloo Region and Markham are all aiming for the same percentage by 2031. In the GTA, York has been the forefront of investing in a regional transit system, beginning its York Region Transit (YRT) in 2001. Over the past five years, YRT's ridership increased 33 per cent, from 13.8 million to 18.3 million, while the region's population only grew about 13 per cent, according to a Metroland York news report. York's privatized rapid transit system, VIVA, expects to be running its buses on dedicated lanes in three years, two years before a TTC subway extension to York in Vaughan is scheduled to be completed. Metrolinx, the Province's transit planning agency, and York are also planning for an extension of the TTC subway to Richmond Hill. However, that increased level of transit service in York costs money. In 2010, property taxpayers there can expect to cover about 57 per cent of YRT's $160 million budget this year, according to York's budget documents. That equates to an approximate $89 per capita investment by York's one million-plus residents. The Region is projecting a YRT ridership at just over 20 million this year. The investments haven't had a skyrocketing effect on property taxes in York, however. York Region averaged 2.725 per cent annual hikes in property taxes for regional services over the past four budgets. Halton averaged 1.5 per cent over the same period. In Halton, which has a population just under half that of York, the three local transit systems recorded a combined ridership of 4.4 million, only a quarter of YRT's ridership. That was split between Milton Transit with 102,000, Burlington Transit with 1.86 million and Oakville Transit with 2.44 million. Halton residents, however, will pay less per capita for local transit this year, from a low of approximately $14.45 in Milton to a high of $74.50 in Oakville, according to 2010 budget documents listing net expenses divided by the municipalities' estimated populations. The investment made by Oakville residents is on par with the approximate $74 per capita investment made by Toronto's 2.67 million residents for the TTC and Wheel Trans, which recorded a record 466.7 million trips in 2008, according to Toronto documents. The TTC is one of North America's most financially efficient systems, with Toronto's property taxpayers paying only about 15 per cent of the transit system's budget, according to City documents. The City of Toronto doesn't have a system to charge non-residents from the 905 a surcharge on top of fares for using the system. Ticket fares and other revenues account for only about a third of the transit budgets in Halton. This has often come under criticism by some residents, who comSee Elgar page 15 905.847.7333 or toll free 1.866.707.7333 Serving Oakville Since 2005 Service & repairs to all makes & models of motor vehicles Specializing in European & Japanese Vehicles BMW Trained Auto Technician Gary Wragg C.A.E. 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