Future of HSR in post-pandemic world under consideration at this week’s council meeting
Published June 3, 2020 at 12:48 pm
The future of public transit will be debated Wednesday (June 3) during Hamilton City Council’s virtual meeting.
The future of public transit will be debated Wednesday (June 3) during Hamilton City Council’s virtual meeting.
A week after a marathon 16-hour council meeting that focused on the reopening of the city and its ‘new reality’ in a world with COVID-19, the council will be addressing the impacts pandemic measures have had on the HSR.
In a motion put forth by Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins, ridership is reported to be down by a historic 70 per cent.
Since late March, buses have also not been collecting fares to help prevent the spread of the virus and protect the safety of drivers.
Videos
Several letters from community organizers concerned about the future of the HSR are also on the council agenda to be taken into consideration.
One letter, submitted by Ian Borsuk who is the campaign coordinator for Environment Hamilton, calls on the city to take immediate action to make transit a priority in the recovery period.
“I am writing to you today to raise concerns about the impacts the pandemic is having on the HSR, and to urge Council to take action to ensure that our public transit system survives the crisis,” Borsuk wrote.
“We are urging Hamilton City Council to demand that the federal government provide operational support for our public transit system.”
Borsiuk says that Environment Hamilton has joined forces with organizations across the country to add their voices to the call on senior levels of government to provide emergency funding to support public transit systems.
In a letter from Neighbour to Neighbour, a local non-profit organization that provides a variety of services to vulnerable members of the community, they call on the city to push for funding.
“As the City of Hamilton and the Province of Ontario take steps to reopen facilities, it is
important that we think of these most vulnerable residents in developing a transit plan for the
upcoming months,” the letter says.
“For what it is worth, we ask that City Council support calls for emergency transit funding to ensure that access to reliable service remains a priority.”
Collins’ motion is asking for a fulsome report from staff on the impacts of declining transit revenues and what options are going forward to offset the losses.
Wednesday council meeting is set to get underway at 9:30 a.m. and can be watched via the city’s Youtube channel here.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising