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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, December 13, 2013 | 6 We have become a car culture. Over the past century, no other piece of equipment has impacted our lives the way the automobile has: its ubiquitous existence today is a testament to its origins as a benign symbol of prosperity in the Industrial Age, a modern totem of personal freedom, even a statement of personal taste. But as the Oakville Beaver's recent threepart series Shifting Gears (which saw its nal instalment in yesterday's edition -- visit www. insidehalton.com and click on Hot Topics to view the series) attempted to show, if our romance with the motor vehicle is to continue, it must undergo a serious revamp. People are spending more and more time on the road. As billions of dollars are spent on infrastructure, our cities' arteries are clogged to the point of standstill. Businesses are losing vast amounts of money as their wares sit in the queue of traf c that stretches from the U.S. border, along the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) through Toronto and beyond. Communities suffer as fewer people have time after work and commuting, to volunteer, participate in local events or just connect with one another. It's increasingly clear things must change. But where do we start? Here are some suggestions -- by no means complete, but a good start to the conversation: · Municipal planning and development needs to undergo a huge shift that sees businesses rewarded for setting up shop outside of the GTA and that demands affordable housing and taxes for those who do need to live and work in the Toronto area. Development areas such as Waterdown and Milton must be designed with pockets that allow residents to access services and goods within their own neighbourhoods. · Companies need to take some responsibility to offer solutions that keep employees off the roads during peak times -- such as telecommuting or exible scheduling. · After reducing the number of people who must move great distances during rush hour, a sustainable plan for regional public transit must come. Alternatives for moving goods, such as rail and water, also must be examined. · There must be an intelligent plan for designing a road network that considers the demands of commerce, geography and people. · Finally, residents can do more than alter how and when they use their vehicles: they can demand that their leaders create solutions -- now. When it comes to taming traf c in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), we have to get back in the driver's seat. Time to take a new road Editorial H O L I D A Y T R E A S U "Connected to your Community" R E 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 149 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor Members of the 178th Oakville Sea Cadets, like Adam Nicol, 12, help unload and stack Christmas trees at the Optimist Club of Oakville's lot in the Dorval Crossing parking lot. In return, the Optimist Club donates money to the cadets for swimming and sailing programs. The lot is open until Dec. 23. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) or www.facebook.com/HaltonPhotog ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Status quo not an option for transportation Orla Johnston e were very pleased to see the Oakville Beaver's recent series on transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). We hear frequently from our members, transportation -- movement of goods and people -- is a key barrier for their businesses. In our 2013 Advocacy Survey, it was identi ed by our respondents as one of the top factors in deciding to do business in Oakville. The series puts a face on the issue and impact transportation barriers have to Oakvillians' quality of life. Ontario's transportation network is a major part of the province's infrastructure and a signi cant economic enabler of trade and economic investment. Sixty-two per cent of Oakville's residents who are employed leave the community to commute to work. This number is 50 per cent above the provincial average. Transportation improvements can make a signi cant difference to Oakville commuters' quality of life, allowing them to spend more time with their families. My View SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution W Oakville Chamber of Commerce Chair Businesses understand the cost of congestion. The ability to get people moving helps the bottom line -- opens up new markets, allows goods to move freely, and grows the pool of potential employees from which they can draw. Current trafc congestion costs the economy an estimated $6 billion per year. For every $100 million invested in infrastructure, 1,670 jobs are created. Encouraging business development in Oakville by making it attractive for companies to locate here with competitive development charges and business taxes can reduce the number of commuters. Affordable housing offered at competitive residential tax rates may encourage people who commute in to Oakville to relocate here. What else can we do? The Metrolinx Big Move Project is a 25-year, $50-billion plan to co-ordinate, integrate and build transportation and transit infrastructure in the GTHA. The chamber network supports the urgency of moving on this plan. We recognize the status quo is not an option. We cannot let the problem worsen for future generations. Beyond the Big Move, we realize we need to have a broad discussion dealing with transportation issues in the GTHA. To that end, the Oakville Chamber has partnered with the Professional Engineers of Ontario, Oakville Chapter, to present a symposium on transportation in the GTHA. Experts in each area of transportation (air, land, sea, rail) will present insights and ideas on moving today for tomorrow. This symposium will take place in May 2014. Stay tuned for more details. CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud official media sponsor for: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud official media sponsor for: OPC Ontario Press Council Defending principles to inspire public trust The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.