🚍🗳️ During the #Elxn44 campaign, there’s been plenty of discussion about how Canada can recover from COVID-19. Experts and an advocate I spoke to want to make sure one topic in particular isn’t left out: transit. (And not just because public transit starred in #ShangChi) [1/9]
https://twitter.com/TheAgenda/status/1438586518428323844
“Building back better — to use what's become a slogan — involves transit, and you've seen governments recognize that,” @DrewFagan4, professor at @munkschool, says. That goes beyond funding projects and requires intelligent land-use, he adds. [2/9]
Putting what people need along transit lines results in what researchers call “transit-oriented communities.” An @ontario360 paper Fagan cowrote states such communities co-locate housing, jobs, public amenities and social services near transit. [3/9] on360.ca/policy-papers/…
.@BrockUniversity prof Chris Fullerton says such communities improve the quality of life for people who don't drive, and also make transit more attractive to people who do, something experts say matters given that the pandemic seems to have led more people to drive. [4/9]
In #HamOnt, the @HamCommFdn found public-transit ridership fell 46 per cent to 11.7 million rides in 2020, compared to 21.6 million rides in 2019. @iancborsuk says that shows a significant portion of riders depend on transit for essential reasons. [5/9] hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca/getting-around/
Borsuk is a member of the national advocacy coalition Keep Transit Moving, whose platform calls for federal operational and capital funding, inter-city transit, better accessibility, and leadership to improve equity. [6/9] keeptransitmoving.ca
Matthew Palm, a researcher with @UTSC's Mobilizing Justice Project says people who depend on transit need to be the focus going forward, since improvements helping essential riders will also make systems more useful for people who don't rely on them. [7/9]
Federal leadership is important here, Borsuk says, since feds can guide cities and provide much-needed funding. Fagan says that while historically reticent to do so, federal leaders now seem willing to attach conditions to funding around housing or emissions, for example. [8/9]
I asked the Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green parties if transit is part of their plans for pandemic recovery and if so, how. Their answers and/or details about their platforms are in the article: tvo.org/article/how-ca… Watch for more on @TheAgenda Friday night! [9/9]
@TheAgenda Here's a teaser for tonight's upcoming segment on @TheAgenda! Thanks, as always, to @carrletta, @JeyanTVO
and the team.
and the team.
https://twitter.com/TheAgenda/status/1438940315466014732
Here's the full piece:
https://twitter.com/TheAgenda/status/1439967593973129218?s=20
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