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By: Sam Marchetti

The Hamilton Mountain, as it is affectionately referred to as by many Hamiltonians, is more than just a section of the Niagara Escarpment. It is an entire community, filled with rich history, quiet streets and the ever-out-of-reach Lime Ridge mall.

The mountain community is composed of largely everything atop the escarpment from Ancaster Mill and Mohawk College over to the Red Hill Valley Parkway and the infamous Devil’s Punchbowl. In between the two, there are beautiful views of the mountain brow, great entertainment at The Zoetic Theatre and a massive residential area which is home to a large portion of the Hamilton community. If you’ve never been up the mountain, I highly recommend checking it outif you can get there.

The mountain community has so much to offer and McMaster University’s students have so much they can contribute. For example, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s annual science fair usually occurs at one of the high schools on top of the mountain, as does the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair which takes place at Mohawk College.

Both of these events need judges, a task that undergraduate students are well-equipped for. However, it is rarely the case, especially in the former event, that students take these roles. Usually parents or teachers are forced to judge these events either due to a lack of promotion at McMaster, or more likely, because it is too difficult for students to make the trek up the mountain. The same logic applies for other community-involvement opportunities on the mountain that are ideal for students it just isn’t worth the trouble for many of us to get there.

To access the mountain community, McMaster students need to take a minimum of two buses. Students first have to catch one of three buses, the 5, 51 or 1, that take around 20 minutes to arrive at the downtown transit terminal. From there, they have to take another bus that takes them up one of the numerous mountain accesses.

Totaling around ten minutes to reach the mountain, to arrive to your destination can take, at minimum, an additional five to twenty minutes, depending on the location and any other buses you need to take. This is also assuming a non-weekend trip as weekend bus schedules from McMaster are even further reduced.

Students will also find that they usually are left waiting longer on the mountain for a bus than they would at McMaster, but these buses have fewer stops and are often on time. The point is, once up the mountain, getting around and accessing everything the mountain has to offer is pretty easy.

The rate limiting step always has and, until change occurs, always will be getting there. There are a number of solutions to this problem. The Hamilton Street Railway could provide a route, similar to the B-Line express, that can run directly from McMaster to the mountain brow. The total time it would take for a route like this would be about fourteen minutes.

This is half the time it takes to get there now, and removes the complexity of switching buses. Not to mention, such a route would be extremely beneficial to student commuters from the mountain.

Looking more long-term, the new light rail transit system seems to be timed perfectly to solve this issue. It opens doors for more LRT routes to be built around Hamilton, which could include one that takes McMaster students up the mountain.

No matter which solution is taken on by the municipal government, it is fair to say that this problem should be seriously addressed. The mountain should not be inaccessible to McMaster students, who want the ability to freely explore their community and have the means to contribute back. Until action is taken, it appears the city doesn’t care if students experience Hamilton.

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[spacer height="20px"]This past municipal election came with special significance.

It served as a pivotal moment for Hamilton, a moment that would decide whether the city would be moving forward with the $1 billion light rail transit system or not. While I’m grateful for those who fought tirelessly to bring something so obviously important to a city like Hamilton, I’m disappointed.

I’m disappointed that so few councillor candidates discussed the issue of affordable housing at length when today, Hamilton has the highest inflation rates in rental properties across Southern Ontario.

I’m disappointed that so few councillor candidates discussed the issue of poverty and homelessness in our city when poverty rates in Hamilton are higher than both the provincial and national averages.

I’m disappointed that so few councillor candidates discussed the surge in hate crimes in Hamilton, when the city has the highest rate of police-reported hate crimes in Canada.

Most of all, I’m disappointed that despite the fact that the city has conducted countless votes and approvals, the LRT turned into an election issue when the top mayoral challenger ran on a single-issue platform, leaving the other issues that the city faces in the dust.

Sure, there are a wide range of reasons to be against the LRT, but these reasons weren’t even touched throughout the campaign period of this election. Instead, those who were against the implementation used obvious lies to persuade voters, claiming the LRT is inaccessible, expensive and privately owned. All of these things can be so easily fact checked to prove otherwise.

Hamilton is a city with complex issues, from affordable housing, to poverty, to economic development or to the surge in hate crimes in our city. Implementing the LRT is not a complex issue, nor a debate. It’s an obvious choice, now let’s move on from this.

For a municipal election to turn into a referendum on whether or not we should be moving forward with the LRT says a lot about the “ambitious” city. Are we really that ambitious of a city if we’re afraid of change? More importantly, are we really that ambitious of a city if we’re not showing up for those who need us?

There are more prominent issues at the table to be so obsessive, yet divided, on a crucial investment for Hamilton. While I’m glad we can finally put this argument to rest, let’s work together to be the ambitious city that Hamilton needs.

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By Rob Hardy

The latest chapter in the decade long saga of Hamilton's road to building light rail transit has brought us to yet another mayoral election.  Endless dawdling over trivial minutiae prevented council from finalizing construction plans, giving opportunistic politicians a chance to win election votes from wary residents unsure of the project.  

First it was Doug Ford who campaigned provincially for city votes by promising to keep funding in Hamilton should council axe LRT, and now Victor Sgro is seeking municipal support to follow through on Ford's words.  Our current mayor, Fred Eisenberger, is determined to ride out this latest threat to Hamilton's LRT dreams and hopefully, finally, complete the last phase of planning so that shovels will indeed soon be in the ground.  

No one can blame you if over the course of years you have switched sides on this issue, perhaps more than once, given how long this tiring soap opera has dragged on.  After all, when decisions which have been voted on multiple times somehow repeatedly get challenged and second-guessed, it's inevitable that our community will become as unsure as its councillors.  Indeed, there are some who just want this issue settled once and for all, regardless.

But there are several things to consider as you weigh the pros and cons of who to vote for.  First of all, as of now all systems are a go for building LRT in Hamilton, as slow as things are going.  In the years since full funding was given to Hamilton, businesses have made contingency plans, residents have paid a premium to buy homes near a promised LRT line, while others have moved, and considerable investment has occurred because rapid transit was a factor.  Backing out now would be bewildering to stakeholders.

With LRT possibly shelved, we have to consider what would replace it.  Well, nothing. Sgro's plan, as per his campaign website, is to invest $300 million towards adding more buses, some of these being express routes to rural Hamilton locales where most residents have cars.  I'll leave it up to voters to decide if transit usage on the HSR is going to increase or become profitable based on merely updating and reshuffling bus routes.

Moreover, a vote for Sgro is not necessarily a vote to kill the LRT project.  The mayor can neither unilaterally save nor scrap the project. Council would still need to formally vote to back out, and given recent criticism against our provincial premier and his political conduct, it is plausible that city council might not find Ford's promise credible enough to depend on.  In other words, even those against LRT might prefer to stay with the current plan rather than gambling on vague alternatives.

If LRT were to actually get nixed, plans for a future BRT at some point would still be years away, as even the best case scenario would involve some more lengthy planning, and further back and forth squabbling, given this is Hamilton we are talking about.  This means that current HSR riders will remain trapped on the same and only transit system we have for the foreseeable future.

This also means that despite what Sgro's camp asserts, growth and investment in Hamilton would certainly be adversely affected.  For instance, there is a reason why downtown Toronto attracts millions of tourists a year, and a reason why Niagara Falls does the same.  It isn't a mystery why Hamilton, despite being an attractive, sizeable city halfway between the two, does not see the same brisk business.

One of the main debates regarding LRT cites the city's falling transit usage.  With a considerable portion of residents falling within a very low income bracket, it is a very curious thing to wonder why so many people find ways to avoid using the HSR.  A reasonable hypothesis is that what is being offered is so unappealing that massive upgrades are needed, and that buses alone aren't enough to attract a wider ridership.

Whether it is LRT or BRT, a subway or a sky train, Hamilton needs to revamp its image and infrastructure, and we can't afford to wait any longer.  Given that LRT is the option we've chosen, and the only one possible to begin implementing within the year, this is the project that will finally see Hamilton soaring to new heights.  

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Over the last few months, planning for the development of the Hamilton light rail transit has been underway, with construction expected to kick off next year and wrap up in 2024. However, Doug Ford’s promise to abandon his predecessor’s funding plan may put the project in jeopardy.

The 1.3 billion dollar LRT, which was introduced by former premier Kathleen Wynne in 2015, is expected to span 14 kilometers, running from McMaster University to Eastgate Square, through downtown Hamilton and making 17 stops along Main Street, King Street and Queenston Road Corridor.

The McMaster University stop will be located on the north side of Main Street West at the intersection of Cootes Drive.

According to Kris Jacobson, the director of the LRT project office for the City of Hamilton, the university’s stop will consist of two passenger platforms separated by LRT stops, one for each direction.

“Metrolinx and McMaster are also proposing to construct a joint transit terminal and parking garage on an existing surface parking lot adjacent to the LRT stop,” said Jacobson.

The proposed parking addition would likely require an agreement between Metrolinx and McMaster. Discussions for which are afoot.

It’s also worth noting that the Longwood Road Bridge, a sixty-two-year-old bridge atop Highway 403, will be reconstructed to support the LRT tracks to the storage facility, which will sit in the Longwood Road South, Frid Street and Chatham Street area.

“The new bridge will be widened to accommodate sidewalks on both sides and the addition of a bi-directional cycle-track on the east side of the road will connect and extend the existing cycle-track and multi-use past south of Frid Street,” said Jacobson.

#HamOnt is growing, with 780,000 expected in population by 2041. #DYK @HamiltonLRT is a key part of preparing for that growth, and will be one of many types of transit moving more people across the city pic.twitter.com/BMqd55Yce4

— Crosstown (@CrosstownTO) August 16, 2018

While LRT planning has continued apace, the project is being threatened by Ford’s April 2018 promise to quash Wynne’s LRT-only investment plan. Alternatively, Ford has proposed giving Hamilton City Council the ability to decide what the one billion gets used for.

In the wake of Ford’s decision and against the backdrop of a looming Hamilton municipal election, LRT debates have resurfaced.

According to Joey Coleman, a municipal affairs journalist in Hamilton, the LRT issue may define the mayoral race.

“Hamilton has a tradition of single-issue elections for the past three decades,” said Coleman. "Ultimately, Premier Doug Ford will decide. If he offers Council no-strings-attached funding in exchange for cancelling LRT, in many wards, all the candidates are saying they'd take that deal over building LRT.”

In these renewed discussions, the McMaster Students Union will take a pro-LRT stance.

“As the MSU is meeting with Ward One candidates, we are highlighting our pro-LRT stance and explaining the benefits of the project to students,” said Stephanie Bertolo, MSU vice president (Education). “After the new council is elected, if there is a vote that could potentially stop the LRT project from progressing, we will run another #YesLRT campaign where we will have students voice to Council the importance of the project.”

Doug Ford’s recently implemented hiring and discretionary spending freeze has put a pause on Metrolinx’s land purchases for LRT in Hamilton. Nevertheless, Jacobson says LRT planning will continue amid the freeze and the growing concerns that the new Council will scrap the transit project.

“The Hamilton LRT project continues to move forward per our Council’s direction,” said Jacobson.

Submissions for proposals to design, build and finance the LRT will be evaluated in the summer of 2019 and construction will commence quickly thereafter.

By: Emile Shen

The Hamilton Railway Service missed the mark in Oct. To be precise, there were 1,400 to 1,600 hours of missed bus service in October leaving students, McMaster staff and faculty and Hamilton community members late for work, class and appointments. Across campus, students stood in mass crowds waiting for the 5, 51 and 1A.

There was an average of 23 cancelled buses per day in Oct. This problem cannot be blamed on the negligence of the Hamilton Railway Service alone but is symptomatic of more substantial labour relations and workplace burnout complications.

The cancelled bus problem is troubling for both the occupational safety for bus drivers who have to step up and continuously work overtime as well the failure of contract fulfilment between the McMaster Students Union and the HSR.

The issue arose from the high rate of employee absenteeism, 19 per cent, among drivers. In turn, other employees were asked to work up to 68 hours per week voluntarily. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107, which represents all the bus drivers for the HSR says that this short-term solution is only leading to more burnout and illness amongst employees.

The director of transit for the HSR, Debbie Dalle Vedove, explained that the HSR’s troubles did not come to fruition overnight.

“The result of multiple issues that have been building over a long period of time,” she said.

The long-term issue is most accurately highlighted in the statistic that showed overtime costs due to employee absenteeism have doubled since 2012.

It is not surprising that poor service may lead much of the student body to believe that our ever-increasing bus fees are not being efficiently put to use with the HSR. Students voted overwhelmingly in favour of maintaining this level of bus service provision during the January referenda. As of the 2017-2018 academic year, each undergraduate student pays $187.67.

The bus agreement was only $138.65 per student two years ago. But within the next two years, MSU members can expect to pay $255.55 per student.

“It will take some time to address the root causes of the problem, but in the meantime we are implementing short-term actions to address the problem and provide reliable service,” said Dalle Vedove. “Service throughout the main corridor [serving McMaster] is expected to be improved as service hours are approved by council.”

It should be noted that the bus drivers’ union has previously called for Dalle Vedove to be fired.

On the advocacy side of the McMaster Students Union, vice president (Finance) Daniel “Tuba” D’Souza stated that, “We are currently completing our new agreement with the HSR and will be sure to reinforce that students expect reliable, efficient transit.”

The way forward must be sustainable for hard-working bus drivers, with the sizeable budgetary contribution of MSU students, and have a contingency plan if mass amounts of busses are cancelled again.

Given the large budgetary contribution MSU members make every year to the HSR, some of the key issues include creating more sustainable working conditions for drivers and a contingency plan if mass amounts of buses are cancelled again.

“[I would] like to apologize for the recent route cancellations that McMaster students have experienced. This is unacceptable,” said Dalle Vedove.

Hamilton city council voted on Nov. 8 to hire up to 58 more drivers.

HSR users may also attend the Emergency HSR Meeting on Nov. 14, held by Environment Hamilton, to talk about ways to improve the service.

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Those commuting in Downtown Hamilton will notice a significant change when driving along King Street throughout the week. The one-year public-transit-only lane pilot project was finally launched early in the morning on Oct. 23 following numerous delays throughout September.

The lane will operate as transit-only 24/7 for a trail period of one year and is exclusive to buses operated by the HSR, GO Transit, Greyhound viagra online and Coach Canada, as well as emergency vehicles.

The project is set to gauge the effectiveness of a lane exclusive to transit and emergency vehicles on the flow of traffic in the congested streets.

With the north lane exclusive to buses, running along King St. East from Mary to New Street, one block east of Dundurn, drivers and cyclists will be limited to two lanes for the same portion length of the street. Any private vehicle driver taking advantage of the new lanes will be subject to a fine of $65.

"The bus priority project is a very progressive step allowing us to test the use of a dedicated lane in preparation for future rapid transit in our city,” said Ward One Councillor Brian McHattie. “Hamilton can join with the very best middle-sized cities in Canada in putting transit first."

Preparation had been made weeks in advance for the $300,000 project with signage being posted, but weather delays on Oct. 21 postponed the use of the lane until street markings could be painted. The prominent change to street parking also led to the installation of new display parking machinery.

Disabled & Aged Regional Transportation (DART) vehicles and taxis are allowed limited access to the lane when dropping off passengers, while all other vehicles will face fines, except in the case of turns at an intersection or driveway.

This time next year, city staff will evaluate the need for the lane. The general issues committee will make decisions based off of feedback from the community.

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

Imagine making your usual half-hour trek to school in five minutes.

Imagine tackling this journey to school not on your own two feet, or with your bike, not even with the loyal but often tardy HSR transit bus, but with a cross-breed vehicle- a mix between a bus and a train.

Hamilton’s proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) is expected to be a rapid line of transit directly linking the City’s downtown core with the McMaster campus.

This rapid mode of transportation does not have to be a figment of the imagination, and as of Oct. 14, Hamilton City Council re-established their commitment to the project that has projected gains for McMaster students and the City of Hamilton.

Numerous groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and Metrolinx, as well as individuals heavily involved in the project, shared their insights in an effort to promote the prospect of the LRT.

A concluding vote saw almost unanimous support for the LRT.

The criticisms of the project revolve primarily around the cost to taxpayers, calling for a more careful     analysis of the plan’s benefits.

“There have been no funding promises, but it is something the City is going to pursue,” said Alicia Ali, MSU VP (Education).

She explained that the prospect of a Light Rail Transit system through Hamilton began in 2007, when the province committed $17 billion toward the funding for the facility, to be established within the GTA.

The project gained immense support at the time, giving way to many groups that began looking to the finer details and logistics of the matter, who were met with a shock this summer when the LRT was facing reconsideration.

“There was a lot of talk as to whether the city would actually pursue the LRT, or if they were going in a different direction,” said Ali.

Discussions surfaced because Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina openly stated that his focus would be the implementation of a GOTransit system running from Hamilton to Toronto.

Both the LRT and the GOTransit system would serve McMaster in different but equally important ways, noted Ali, outlining the benefits of each transit facility, however the payback will not be seen for another 15 to 20 years.

With a significant number of McMaster students commuting from various cities around the GTA, a trend that is not expected to reduce, a GOTransit system running between Hamilton and Toronto would certainly lead to substantial gains.

Meanwhile, the LRT would ease the integration of McMaster students into the city, consequently increasing the likelihood of graduate retention, and contributing to the revitalization of the City’s downtown core, a strong long-term priority for Hamilton.

To put pressure on council to follow through with their re-affirmed commitment, the MSU is in the process of launching a social media campaign to give students a say in the matter.

“When you’re standing at a bus stop and four buses pass you by, or you’ve been waiting an hour for a bus, all you have to do it is tweet that you’re waiting for the bus, and hash tag ‘#WeNeedLRT’,” said Ali.

Although the implementation of a Light Rail Transit system through Hamilton will not be seen for at least another 15 to 20 years, the project will only gain momentum with pressure on the part of the University and its students to make it a reality.

Careful evaluation has finally concluded that such a facility would benefit all parties involved and would be neatly in line with the goals of the University and the City of Hamilton.

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