Given the choice between new transit infrastructure or better funding and operations of existing stock, Ontario residents stated in a new poll they favour the latter.
That’s a smart decision suggests Transport Futures founder Martin Collier, who recently hosted a one-day conference in Toronto billed as the Ontario Transit Funding Forum.
“Can we use existing infrastructure, existing capital, better and invest in that, as opposed to expanding?” Collier said in an interview following the Sept. 22 event. “I think, obviously, transit does need to be expanded, but I know the road system…we can use that much more efficiently and actually generate revenue, as opposed to spending money.”
The forum focused on operations and revenues rather than capital projects, a decision Collier said stemmed from a survey of participants following the last Transport Futures conference in 2024. Collier wrote: “A perfect storm has been brewing: customer demands for affordable fares and reliable service are at an all-time high while capital and operating costs are soaring.”
The event kicked off with a presentation of the findings of a Survey on Transit Issues from Mainstreet Research. Among other questions, almost 1,000 Ontario residents were asked:
“The provincial and federal government is investing billions of dollars in transit infrastructure projects and rolling stock, but local transit agencies are struggling to provide reliable service and maintain systems. Do you think investing in operations and state of good repair would deliver more long-term bang for the tax dollar?”
The responses were: Yes, 54.5; No, 19.8; Don’t know, 25.7 per cent.
Investing in operations “would free money for both maintenance of the existing road infrastructure and the existing transit infrastructure,” commented Collier.
Other conference headlines:
New player in Montreal
The newest transit agency in Quebec is Mobilite Infra Quebec (MIQ), established this year following legislation passed last December.
Ludwig Desjardins, an executive with the Montreal Autorite regionale de transport metropolitain (ARTM), explained during a presentation that the mandate of the MIQ is to facilitate complex transport infrastructure projects, ensure greater planning efficiency and serve as a resource for leading-edge expertise.
The agency will strive for faster project delivery with lower construction costs.
The ARTM’s core business remains strategic planning, Desjardins explained.
Road pricing remains relevant
Following a day of proposals for revenue tools and solutions, the conference participants narrowed priorities down to road pricing and improved governance.
“There’s probably about 20 different solutions, in terms of actual revenue tools that were put on decision,” explained Collier about a conference poll taken at the end of the day. “There’s too many.
“Road pricing was the top one. But I think that we also have to talk about governance. They have to get the governance right to get the road pricing.”
Reliability the key
Another question from the Survey on Transit Issues prepared by Mainstreet Research asked: “Which policy has the best potential for easing traffic congestion?”
Responses: frequent and reliable public transit, 46.5 per cent; expanding road capacity for cars, 35.6 per cent; expanding sidewalks and bike lanes, 9.7 per cent; don’t know, 7.1 per cent.
Myers suggests Ontario Card
Toronto Transit Commission chair Jamaal Myers told delegates road congestion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area threatens Toronto’s status as one of the world’s most attractive regions for talent, investments and jobs.
Over the last 12 months, nearly 80,000 more people moved out of the GTA to other parts of Canada than have moved in. The Toronto Region Board of Trade estimates gridlock drains over $10 billion from the GTHA economy every year. Toronto commuters face the longest commutes in North America, about 98 hours a year in traffic.
The obvious solution, Myers said, is public transit. But unlike the TTC’s global peers, the TTC receives no provincial or federal operating funding – the TTC relies almost entirely on fares and property taxes to fund operations.
Said Myers, it’s time to propose a “radical” solution to “tackle congestion head on…I’m here today arguing for an Ontario Card, a simple, unified provincial transit pass that builds on One Fare and Open Payments with a provincewide fare cap across all participating local and regional transit systems. One card, one cap, one province.”
The goal of the Ontario Card, which is inspired by a German program, would be simple, Myers said: “Make transit the first and best choice for getting around Ontario.”
