Tag Archives: traffic congestion

Ontario Ministry Of Transportation Assure “Historic Amount Of Infrastructure Being Built”

February 6, 2017 The Silo 1 Comment

Patrick Brown spoke to the Ontario Road Builders Association where he made a number of false statements about the province. Facts Still Matter in Ontario, especially when it comes to the historic amount of transportation infrastructure being built right now across the province.

He said: “I believe we’ve seen lip service to infrastructure over the last 10 years but we’re not seeing shovels in the ground”

Fact: Here are some pictures of shovels in the ground

Eglinton LRT

Spadina Subway Extension

Waterloo LRT

Highway 404 Extension

(Source: http://m.thecrosstown.ca/Text-Summary-Eglinton-Crosstown-Update?device=mobile)

(Source: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2012/07/work-progressing-stations-spadina-subway-extension)

(Source: http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6119872-video-drone-s-eye-view-of-lrt-construction-through-kitchener-and-waterloo/)

(Source: http://www.bluestarconstruction.ca/operations-services/projects/404-2/)

He said: “You go to Gujarat, you think you’re on Canadian roads. They’ve really invested in Infrastructure. No wonder they’ve seen their economy grow. No wonder Gujarat was leading India in job growth.”

Fact: The next time he wants to make this point he’s welcome to use Ontario as an example. It’s no coincidence that our government is making the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history and leading the G7 in economic growth.

(Source: https://www.ontario.ca/page/building-ontario, http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/ecaccts/)

He said: “We want to make sure that historic infrastructure 130 billion is actually spent on infrastructure not spent simply on, on promises, on press releases”

Fact: Cost of the new GO station in Richmond Hill: $22 million, cost of the press release announcing it was open: $0, cost of catching Patrick Brown making up facts: priceless

(Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2016/11/ontario-making-daily-commute-easier-for-york-region-families.html)

He said: “We have become the capital of red tape in North America”

Fact: The CFIB nominated has nominated the Ontario government for its golden scissors award for cutting red tape 3 years in a row. This year the government received two nominations.

(Source: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/4786-cfib-announces-golden-scissors-award-finalists.html)

He said: “Projects need to start within mandate… It’s an insincere commitment promising something for 2019 or 2031”

Fact: Meaningful projects take longer than 4 years to build. If Patrick Brown won’t build anything that takes longer than 4 years that means he wouldn’t build any new subways or LRT’s.

(Source: http://vivanext.com/blog/2009/12/01/the-spadina-subway-extension-moves-forward/)

He said: “The biggest announcement was for Hydro One, government said we’d get money for infrastructure. Of the first $4 billion sold, 0 went into infrastructure, money has been diverted to general revenue”

Fact: All of this money went into the Trillium Trust to be spent on projects like like GO Regional Express Rail, Mississauga and Hamilton LRT’s and the recently announced natural gas expansion.

(Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2015/04/the-trillium-trust-and-moving-ontario-forward.html, https://news.ontario.ca/moi/en/2017/01/expanding-natural-gas-to-more-communities-across-ontario.html)

For the Silo, Alana Kiteley.

Transportation

Ontario Set to be First Province to test Auto-driving Vehicles and Technology

October 14, 2015 The Silo 2 Comments

Ontario First to Test Automated Vehicles on Roads in Canada

Province Supports Innovation in Transportation Technology

You should take auto-driving cars seriously- every major Auto manufacturer is venturing forward with concepts like this one- GM's EN-V — You should take auto-driving cars seriously- every major Auto manufacturer is venturing forward with concepts such as this one from General Motors- the GM EN-V

Ontario is launching a new pilot to allow for the testing of automated vehicles on Ontario roads.

Automated vehicles are driverless or self-driving vehicles that are capable of detecting the surrounding environment using artificial intelligence, sensors and global positioning system coordinates. Automated and connected vehicle technologies have the potential to help improve fuel efficiency as well as reduce traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and driver distraction.

Beginning on January 1, 2016, Ontario will lead Canada as the first province to test automated vehicles and related technology on-road. Currently there are nearly 100 companies and institutions involved in the connected vehicle and automated vehicle industry in the province. The pilot will enable those companies to conduct research and development in Ontario rather than in competing jurisdictions, as well as support opportunities to bring automated vehicles to market.

The province is also pledging an additional $500,000 in funding to the Ontario Centres of Excellence Connected Vehicle/Automated Vehicle Program, in addition to the $2.45 million in funding recently provided. The program brings academic institutions and business together to promote and encourage innovative transportation technology.

Ensuring Ontario’s place as a world leader in the auto, transportation, information and communications technology sectors are part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Not all concepts are futuristic looking such as Google's modded Prius. We're betting Ontario will test more conservatively styled auto-drivers such as this one. CP — Not all concepts are futuristic looking such as Google’s modded Prius. We’re betting Ontario will test more conservatively styled auto-drivers such as this one. CP image: New York Times

QUOTE

“In the world of transportation, Ontario has the opportunity to show leadership on automated technology. Today, Ontario is making its claim in the global marketplace by taking the next steps in automated vehicle innovation. The automated vehicle pilot will ensure that the province’s roads remain safe without creating burdens that stifle investment and innovation in Ontario’s dynamic business environment.”

— Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation

“Ontario is a global leader in developing and manufacturing the next generation of vehicles.

This new pilot program will build on our success, and help Ontario lead the development of automated and connected car technologies. In this highly competitive global economy, investing in people’s talents and skills to create the next generation of innovative technologies is good for business, and can help lead to the easier movement of goods and services across the province.”

— Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure

QUICK FACTS

Information about applying for the pilot will be available online from the Ministry of Transportation in late November.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers forecast that by 2040, autonomous vehicles will account for 75 per cent of all vehicles on the road.

LEARN MORE

Ontario Investing in the Next Generation of Connected Vehicles

Connected Vehicle/Automated Vehicle (CVAV) Research Program

Who wouldn't want to ride/drive Chevrolet's FNR concept car? — Who wouldn’t want to ride/drive Chevrolet’s FNR concept car?

Disponible en français:
L’Ontario est la première province à mettre à l’essai les véhicules automatisés La province encourage l’innovation dans les technologies des transports
L’Ontario lance un projet pilote en vue de la mise à l’essai de véhicules automatisés sur ses routes.
Les véhicules automatisés sont des véhicules sans chauffeur ou autoconduits qui peuvent détecter l’environnement avoisinant grâce à l’intelligence artificielle, aux capteurs et aux coordonnées fournies par le système de positionnement global. Les technologies relatives aux véhicules automatisés et connectés ont le potentiel d’améliorer le rendement du carburant et de réduire la congestion routière, les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et la distraction au volant.
Dès le 1^er janvier 2016, l’Ontario sera le premier lieu au Canada à mettre à l’essai les véhicules automatisés et les technologies connexes sur la route. Près d’une centaine d’entreprises et d’établissements œuvrent actuellement dans le secteur des véhicules connectés et automatisés dans la province. Le projet pilote permettra à ces entreprises de mener des activités de recherche et de développement en Ontario plutôt que dans les territoires concurrents, en plus de créer des possibilités qui favoriseront l’introduction des véhicules automatisés sur le marché.
La province s’engage aussi à injecter 500 000 $ de plus dans le Programme de recherche sur les véhicules connectés et autonomes par l’intermédiaire des Centres d’excellence de l’Ontario, outre le financement de 2,45 millions de dollars récemment alloué. Ce programme réunit des établissements universitaires et des entreprises en vue de promouvoir les technologies de transport novatrices et d’encourager leur utilisation.
S’assurer de faire de l’Ontario un chef de file mondial dans les secteurs de l’automobile, du transport et des technologies de l’information et des communications s’inscrit dans le plan du gouvernement visant à renforcer la province. Ce plan comprend quatre volets : investir dans les talents et les compétences de la population, faire le plus important investissement dans l’infrastructure publique de l’histoire de l’Ontario, créer un environnement dynamique et novateur où les entreprises prospèrent, et établir un régime d’épargne-retraite sûr.
CITATIONS
« L’Ontario a l’occasion de montrer l’exemple par le recours à la technologie automatisée dans le domaine des transports. L’Ontario marque aujourd’hui le marché mondial de son empreinte en franchissant une nouvelle étape pour stimuler l’innovation dans l’automatisation des véhicules. Le projet pilote sur les véhicules automatisés sera mis en œuvre de façon à s’assurer que les routes de la province restent sûres sans créer des fardeaux qui étoufferaient l’investissement et l’innovation dans le dynamique environnement commercial de l’Ontario. »— Steven Del Duca, ministre des Transports
« L’Ontario est un chef de file mondial dans la conception et la fabrication de la prochaine génération de véhicules. Ce nouveau projet pilote misera sur notre succès et aidera la province à prendre les devants dans le développement des technologies des véhicules automatisés et connectés. Dans cette économie mondiale hautement concurrentielle, le fait d’investir dans les talents et les compétences de la population afin de créer la prochaine génération de technologies innovatrices est bon pour les affaires et peut faciliter un mouvement plus fluide des biens et des services dans l’ensemble de la province. »— Brad Duguid, ministre du Développement économique, de l’Emploi et de l’Infrastructure
FAITS EN BREF

Le ministère des Transports offrira de l’information en ligne sur la présentation de demandes dans le cadre du projet pilote à la fin novembre.
L’Institut des ingénieurs électriciens et électroniciens prévoit que les véhicules autonomes compteront pour 75 p. 100 de tous les véhicules sur la route d’ici 2040.

POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE
Soutenir l’innovation dans les technologies de transport Programme de recherche sur les véhicules connectés et autonomes

Culture

Ontario Greens – Average Commute In GTHA Is Eighty Minutes

May 21, 2014 The Silo Leave a comment

According to a 2011 Swedish study couples in which one partner commutes a long way to work (more than 45 mins.) are 40% more likely to divorce than couples who don’t have to travel so far for their jobs. More: http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:415050

Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario and candidate in Guelph, wants to get you home faster and will be honest about how to do it.

“Our great grandparents invested in Niagara Falls to power our homes and businesses. Our grandparents invested in 400 series highways to move the goods we produce. Those investments have powered Ontario’s economy,” says Schreiner. “Our generation must invest in the transit infrastructure needed to move our economy forward in the 21st century.”

The average daily commute time in the GTHA is 80 minutes long. That’s the equivalent of eight 40-hour work weeks every year — or about seven years in a working lifetime. Gridlock costs us $6 billion a year and will cost more than double that by the end of the decade.

“We can fix gridlock for less than it costs,” says Tim Grant, Green Party Transportation Critic and candidate in Trinity-Spadina. “It mystifies me that the other parties promise the moon but can’t tell us where the money is coming from, as if we’re children who believe in the tooth fairy.” The Green Party is willing to say how much it will cost and where the money is going to come from. We propose a combination of province-wide and urban-focused mechanisms (including a gas tax, congestion charges, commercial parking levies, and land value capture) to produce the revenue necessary — $3 billion a year — to build and operate the public transit and transportation infrastructure we need.

“For $250 a year for each person in Ontario, we can solve a lot of problems,” says Scheriner. “We can save people months stuck in traffic. We can lower costs for businesses trying to get goods to market. We can help employees take the jobs they want because they know they can get to work.”

The Green Party is committed to bringing better transit to Ontario, and honesty, integrity, and good public policy to Queen’s Park. For the Silo, Candice Lepage.

Supplemental- How commuting sucks the life out of you http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/07/qa-why-commuting-sucks-the-life-out-of-you/

Culture

GTHA Traffic Hurts Farmers Trying To Move Food Through Region Quickly

April 8, 2013 The Silo 1 Comment

Like a column of ants- "Today, in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the average commute time is 82 minutes a day. Gridlock is a major issue affecting our province’s productivity." Ontario Premier Wynne image: us.123rf.com — Like a column of ants-
“Today, in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the average commute time is 82 minutes a day. Gridlock is a major issue affecting our province’s productivity.” Ontario Premier Wynne image: us.123rf.com

Where investing in transit can take us…….The first subway line in Toronto opened in 1954, the year after I was born. I still remember riding the subway with my grandmother as a little girl. I was wearing my white gloves because it was a special occasion. Everyone was so excited, so proud.

Today, in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the average commute time is 82 minutes a day. Gridlock is a major issue affecting our province’s productivity.

This is not just an issue of commute times for people in one region. Congestion in the GTHA hurts farmers who want to move food through the region quickly, truck drivers trying to get to the US border, tourists trying to visit and countless families who want to move from one side of the city to the other, without getting stuck in endless traffic.

Fixing transportation infrastructure will improve our lifestyle and our economy. It will also have a positive impact on our tourism, our natural environment and on the health of the millions of people who call this region home.

That’s why I know we have to move forward on this conversation.

But I don’t want anyone to think that transit or the GTHA is getting unfair attention or disproportionate investment.

And so it’s important to note that for the past 20 years, transit investment in Ontario has lagged well behind the funding we have put into the province’s road network, our bridges and underpasses.

That part of our transportation puzzle has received hundreds of millions a year; and in the past nine years, billions.

In contrast, there have been several years in that time period when the provincial government’s capital expenditure on transit was exactly zero.

There is a pressing need for change. That is not up for debate.

But when I listen to the rhetoric around transportation investment, I believe some politicians have made a short-sighted decision to avoid real solutions.

I know improving our daily commute is not about scoring political points. It’s about ensuring Ontario’s success. And that is my core responsibility as the Premier of this province.

People are ready to get moving. But to develop real momentum we have to change the way we talk about these investments.

We need to bring excitement back to the discussion of transportation infrastructure, and where it can take us, our children and grandchildren.

We have to talk about what we DO want. We want every part of this province to move quickly, safely and efficiently so that we can all benefit.

When it comes down to it, transportation investments will need tens of billions of dollars over the next twenty years. Our whole provincial budget each year is about $125B.

And our spending on programs including education and health care is already tightly constrained, the lowest of any province.

We need to find dedicated revenue for these projects, because the money cannot be found elsewhere.

I believe that any new funds must be directly tied to a measurable result. People need to know what they are paying for; they need to see where the money is going.

Whether the need is for new transit in the GTHA, light-rail lines in Ottawa, bridge repairs in Kenora or highway refurbishing in Huron County, we need to get this done.

We need to get Ontario moving.

So I will keep talking about what we can achieve for this great province. I will focus on the positive impact we can make through smart, fair investment.

But I need your help. Let’s tap into the desire for a safer drives, a better commute, cleaner air, a stronger economy. I know the will is there. I know the support exists. And progress will be made.

Together we can get this done. Premier Kathleen Wynne

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