Vibrant Communities Calgary - VCC -- favors #freepublictransit

@VibrantCalgary

Free Transit Edmonton campaign, launching early 2020.

We’d never be expected to write a firefighter a cheque before they put out a burning building. Why is public transit any different? As organizers for Free Transit Edmonton, we have a vision for a resilient, more connected city. We see free public transit as a way to address inequality, and climate change in a way that benefits all Edmontonians.

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-make-transit-free-for-the-sake-of-our-climate-and-community? 

No money for transit, but $30 million for oil trolls

After deep budget cuts to health, education and more, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s “War Room” has been launched with a budget of $30 million annually, to improve the reputation of Alberta’s oil companies.
The stated aim of the Canadian Energy Centre is to combat anti-oil “narratives” with a “rapid-response” unit, an information unit to “help the province take control of its energy story” and a “data and research unit”

https://pressprogress.ca/kenneys-war-room-spending-about-equal-to-funds-cut-from-calgary-schools/ 

Canmore, Alberta, to charge for downtown parking and apply it to #freepublictransit

"Parking has never been free. It's always been a cost that has been borne by the local taxpayer: the cost of providing that infrastructure and maintaining it," he said. "With paid parking and those paid parking revenues going toward our transit fares, our visitors are helping to pay for those costs, rather than 100 per cent of them coming from local residents."
The money is earmarked for Canmore's local transit service, Roam, which is fare-free.

Borrowman hopes the parking fees might alleviate congestion — which has been an increasing problem in the Bow Valley.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canmore-parking-1.5388552 

Edmonton, take note, this is doable

Whoa. 😲 Edmonton just turned down #FreeTransit but another sprawling is doing it. https://t.co/8VkSVTHt6n #yegTransit

— Jeff Samsonow (@jeffsamsonow) December 6, 2019

Campus Saint-Jean Council discusses #freepublictransit

Council also voted unanimously to pass the first principles on a policy regarding public transit which talks about how Indigenous and People of Colour are disproportionately targeted for fare-evasion and the idea of fare-free public transport #UASUsc pic.twitter.com/LHIfFMI20i

— Khadra.A (@khadra_ast) December 4, 2019

Blogger sharply criticizes Edmonton Executive Council for inaction on #climatejustice

You can imagine my disappointment, then, when I read in the report that the city has an opportunity to increase ridership by approximately 28% by switching to a zero-fare program, yet is not poised to take this opportunity.
...
Simply put, our obsession with single-occupancy vehicles (read: cars) is unsustainable. Beyond the urban planning nightmares it has created (not to mention the outrageously high death tolls for both riders and pedestrians which we tacitly accept in the name of convenience), low occupancy vehicles are a major source of GHG emissions. And while many point to electric vehicles as a solution to the emissions part of the equation, even EVs are problematic from a finite resources perspective.

Read the whole post: https://acornacts.ca/Transit/ 

Fares are for rationing, fines are for bullying

EDMONTON—It took 19-year-old Fouad Dahou five years to overcome homelessness, get clean off of drugs and start going back to school for social work. 

A time frame, he said, that could have been a lot shorter had the weight of his 15 transit fines (that he can remember) not been holding him back, along with the fear of getting caught again on an LRT or bus.Not having a bus ticket or pass results in a fine of $250.

https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/11/20/low-income-edmontonians-speak-out-about-transit-fines-it-makes-life-really-really-hard.html 

Edmonton could lead the way in decarbonization with #freetransit

.@CJEdmonton organizer @_SaturnReturn will be at Green Drinks on Wednesday night to talk about the how free public transit could help Edmonton get to carbon neutral faster and in a more equitable way.

Pay-what-you-can tickets here: https://t.co/wasYAR8235#GreenDrinksYEG pic.twitter.com/YeSNBUxztK

— The Local Good (@localgoodYEG) November 11, 2019

Benefits of #freetransit to Edmonton

Can we talk about #freetransit in @CityofEdmonton ?
- Decongest roads
- Save $ by hiring less peace officers
- Serious cut down on emissions
- Improve city accessibility for EVERYONE
- Less road repair
- Better parking
Anything to add @doniveson @Scott_McKeen @AndrewKnack

— tarkington (@tarkingtonU) November 2, 2019

To see the true costs of free public transit, one must also see the true costs of cars

Q: Would Calgarians sign off on a property tax increase for something like this, realistically?
A: I would like to hope that there are a number of Calgarians that care enough about the environment and enough about making this city accessible that that would be something we care about.
cbc.ca/news/

Anti-free-transit debate is focusing on cost. They are able to do that because the costs of the other way to travel - cars - is never accounted.

If you take into account all the costs of the auto system to your area, you will find that fare-free public transit will reduce those costs by much more than the loss in fares.

In the US, it would cost about $100 per household per year to make urban buses and trams fare-free. At the same time a family that reduces by one car can save that much every week!

To see an accounting of the direct, indirect, and hidden subsidy of the automobile system, you can find it on this blog, which is dedicated to that purpose. 

Free Transit YYC

https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/should-calgary-have-free-fare-transit

Myke Atkinson, founder of Free Transit YYC, believes that the current state of accessing the city is working against moving people around in a more climate-friendly and efficient way.

“We're constantly spending money on infrastructure improvements in this city to get over the problems of rush hour and congestion—we're adding more lanes,” he said. “The next lane that you add to Crowchild just convinces more people that, ‘Yeah, I'll take Crowchild. I'll hop in my vehicle.’”