Today's letters: OC Transpo woes aren't really Amilcar's fault
Amilcar wasn't to blame; the budget was
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While I agree that 'New Ways to Bus' has been a resounding failure, I would not put the blame completely onto Transit boss Renée Amilcar's shoulders.
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I mostly blame the decisions of the past few years of council for approving entirely inadequate budgets to meet the real needs of this city. For Amilcar to have to shoehorn limited buses, drivers and mechanic needs into an entirely inadequate transit fund was an impossible task.
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Several other needs in this city have been postponed because there is not enough money. People and properties are suffering.
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Municipalities are hamstrung in their ability to raise money to cover all the responsibilities shifted to them from higher levels of government. When we have families with great discretionary income to vacation abroad and buy the latest expensive luxury while others are housed in shelters and holding low-paying jobs, something is wrong with our tax system. Unless federal and provincial governments address the disparity in wealth, municipalities in this country will not thrive.
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4 days ago
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Grover: Along with a new GM, OC Transpo needs more democracy
Renée Amilcar will step down as OC Transpo general manager on July 18. I can't say I blame her: being the face of a crumbling public transit system with no means to fix it is a deeply unenviable job. Article content Of course, she is fully responsible for certain decisions, such as the specific route changes we've all been enjoying under the 'New Ways to Bus' era of longer commutes and more transfers. But those are, to be maximally charitable, the result of having a very limited toolbox with which to address Ottawa's longstanding, structural transit issues. Article content Article content Article content Ultimately, the general manager operates within parameters set by the mayor and city council, who for the last several years have approved sub-inflationary tax increases, have underfunded bus service, and have upheld car-centric city planning. As a result, OC Transpo has neither enough buses to run frequent service nor any dedicated lanes to keep its busiest routes out of traffic; these bedrock issues are political choices. We can't expect a new general manager to do any better with the same limited resources, provided by the same mayor and council. Article content Making Ottawa an affordable place to live, with far less traffic and air pollution, requires good public transit. Years of fare hikes and austerity budgets have made this impossible. Transit is far too important to get wrong; if the politicians can't figure it out, they should hand the reins to those who live it every day. Article content Article content Article content Selecting a new general manager is an opportunity to democratize OC Transpo. Rather than being hand-picked by the city manager, a hiring committee composed of those most impacted by transit service should make the selection. Representatives from groups with democratic membership structures, such as the bus drivers' union, student unions and rider advocacy groups would fit the bill. A general manager serving at the grace of these interests would be much more broadly accountable to the public. Article content This same committee could become a permanent feature of the OC Transpo governance structure, placing those who use and operate transit at the decision-making table. Route planning can and should involve direct input from riders, who know best what makes the system work or not. The annual transit budget should be drafted by this committee, before the budget directions are set, to reflect what matters to the people of Ottawa, not just to politicians and city staff. This is more likely to result in sorely needed investments: frequent service, transit priority infrastructure, better maintenance, affordable fares and an adequate fleet of Para Transpo vehicles.
Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
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Today's letters: OC Transpo woes aren't really Amilcar's fault
Amilcar wasn't to blame; the budget was Article content Article content While I agree that 'New Ways to Bus' has been a resounding failure, I would not put the blame completely onto Transit boss Renée Amilcar's shoulders. Article content I mostly blame the decisions of the past few years of council for approving entirely inadequate budgets to meet the real needs of this city. For Amilcar to have to shoehorn limited buses, drivers and mechanic needs into an entirely inadequate transit fund was an impossible task. Article content Article content Several other needs in this city have been postponed because there is not enough money. People and properties are suffering. Article content Municipalities are hamstrung in their ability to raise money to cover all the responsibilities shifted to them from higher levels of government. When we have families with great discretionary income to vacation abroad and buy the latest expensive luxury while others are housed in shelters and holding low-paying jobs, something is wrong with our tax system. Unless federal and provincial governments address the disparity in wealth, municipalities in this country will not thrive.
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