By Staff
February 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON.
Don’t call his bluff.
Mayor Goldring has taken up the challenge put out Bfast — Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit – challenging all members of Burlington City Council to take city transit to commute to work for five days by March 28.
Mayor Goldring will be more bundled up than this next Thursday as he takes the bus to work. Does he have a Presto card to use?
The Mayor is the first member of Council to accept the challenge from Bfast and will take Burlington Transit to and from City Hall for five days over the course of a month. He encourages other residents to join the challenge and share their experiences.
One can only hope that the Mayor will lean on his colleagues and create a situation that has every member of Council talking transit to work.
The inevitable photo opportunities were pointed out to the media. The Mayor will be available at the bus stop and on the bus en route to downtown Burlington. Interview opportunities available on the bus and following arrival at the John Street terminal.
The mayor will share his experience using Burlington Transit on Twitter at @RickGoldring, on his Facebook page at Mayor Rick Goldring and on his blog at www.burlingtonmayor.com.
Talk about media hype – this is way over the top
The golly gosh gee whiz interview on a bus with the Mayor is a not to be missed event. You will find the Mayor at the downtown transit terminal (the one the city was going to decommission and have people walking to city hall to buy tickets)
This momentous occasion – could it be described as “miraculous” or is that word reserved for budget meetings that get done in less than four hours?
Mayor Goldring lice on Wicklow Road. He has several streets to walk along to get to the bus stop. Will he wear his chain of office ti let people know that he is the Mayor on his way to work?
The first transit trip is going to take place Thursday, Feb. 26. Media have been invited to join the mayor at 8:15 a.m. to take the Number 10 New-Maple bus that will leave the north side of New Street at Tipperary Avenue (8:18 a.m.) and travel to the Downtown Transit Terminal at 430 John St. where it should arrive at 8:25 a.m.
This is such a big deal that Director of Burlington Transit Mike Spicer might be at the wheel himself – nope that won’t happen – he isn’t a member of the union
We assume the Mayor is going to walk to the bus stop and not has someone in his family drive him The map below shows the distanced His Worship will have to walk. What if it is as bitterly cold as it has been today?
Mayor Goldring is out to prove that: – wait for it – Burlington is one of Canada’s best and most livable cities, a place where people, nature and business thrive.
This is a joke – 5 trips in 30 days. Is he planning on taking a trip where he actually has to transfer buses. It is rare for any person travelling in Burlington to only have to take 1 bus to get anywhere.
I don’t think this should be seen as “a man for the people” but rather for what it is a photo op.
While I applaud the Mayor for this effort, I have a hard time believing this will be consistent with the “real” transit commuter experience. I can see it now… a specially designated bus, freshly cleaned, awaiting his arrival at the bus stop, where those members of the press who beat him there are served hot beverages and Timbits while they wait. Once those whose names are on the special guest list hop onto the bus along side the Mayor, they’ll be on their way, asking him questions about how he’s enjoying the ride. Really, what do you expect him to say? He’s going to say it’s wonderful, because based on that experience, he’ll very likely be right! I hope my suspicions are wrong.
I’d much rather see the Mayor take the bus for a month straight, unannounced to anyone, not just 5 days spread throughout March when he’s adjusted his calendar to leave extra time, and not when those who report into him know they are being evaluated and have time to prepare. That’s the only way he’ll get the “real” experience. This publicity stunt is great insomuch that it brings attention to the issue, however don’t kid yourself into thinking his experience will be the same as yours or mine.
There you go JQ Public, now you can disagree with me directly and leave Mr. Smith alone.
Congratulations to the Mayor- its a start
The Mayor is lucky a bus goes near where he works, unfortunately the people that need to take city transit aren’t so lucky.
While one of seven is encouraging. It is only one.
I feel in need to correct the LIBERTARIAN premise that this council insists on using:
Money spent on transit is not a SUBSIDY. No public transit system in North America runs a break-even or a for-profit system.
To call what little Burlington spend on Transit a SUBSIDY is an effort to deflect the critical issue of lack of commitment and funding this council has show towards Transit for decades.
Transit spending is no more a subsidy than libraries, schools, hospitals, public housing, free parking on weekends and holidays, Roads, parks, garbage collection, paving cul de sacs, clean drinking water, storm water management, culture, fire fighting, management fees, council salaries or, dare I say, $20million dollar piers.
Exactly…Those of us who drive benefit from an efficient transit system that replaces additional cars on the roads which would otherwise be contributing to gridlock. Not to mention giving us another option if we can’t drive our cars. Even if we don’t use that option, having it available is still a marketable feature that adds to our property values.
To quote Enrique Penalosa…a developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transport.
I have to agree with you James on this posting. Transit should be labelled as a justifiable expense to operate in any city, with no expectation of profit or breaking even. It is a service that a city provides its citizens and can have many helpful consequences such as aiding the disabled, seniors and young people without cars, encouraging walking and lowering vehicle pollution if actively used.
Calling the extra expense to run it a subsidy only demeans its value and treats it like a luxury that is not required. It is not a luxury.
Can you please remove my comments in brackets “(an unusual occurrence)”. I thought I was responding to James, not James Smith. My bad.
I also commend the Mayor for calling some attention to transit by using it.
Will the mayor be using a Presto Card or will he pay the full cash fare? The Presto Card is the easy way to pay and will indicate that he is committed to using transit on an ongoing basis beyond five days.