CLARIFICATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESTO AND TTC
Recent media reports have made it clear that there is confusion about the relationship between PRESTO and the TTC’s proposed Open Standards electronic fare system.
The TTC has been a full participant in PRESTO since 2004 and confirmed its participation as recently as last November. It simply imposed conditions such as open and transparent procurement and an ability to adapt to new technology.
The fact is that funding has not been committed to implement PRESTO on the TTC. In 2004, $140 million was committed, divided evenly between the City, Queen's Park and Ottawa, based on incomplete estimates that did not account for necessary capital work. The most recent estimate puts the cost of implementation at $490 million - leaving a $350 million shortfall.
The City needs increased funding just to operate the TTC, and to keep it safe and reliable. With its recent cuts to the Transit City light rail plan the Province has made it clear that they also cannot afford new spending on transit projects.
Given that no money is available to bring PRESTO to the TTC, the Commission prudently chose to explore partnerships with the financial sector to find a more cost effective, off-the-shelf solution. I am confident that a public-private partnership to deliver electronic fare collection to the TTC will be achieved in 2010.
Adopting an Open Standard system instead of custom-built, proprietary smart card such as PRESTO is the right thing to do. Even PRESTO staff have indicated that they intend to move towards accepting Open Standard fare payment as early as 2011. The two fare systems will be totally compatible and allow riders to move seamlessly between TTC and other regional transit operators.
PRESTO staff have reportedly expressed concerns that moving to Open payments may affect their business case. The project is governed by a contract between the Province and Accenture. Given that this contract has not been made public or shared with TTC staff I cannot comment on its specifics. This contract needs to be made public before an informed public debate can take place.
Summer weather is here, and what better way to celebrate then by getting out the old two wheeler and discovering the city. I’ve noticed a craze of late: fixed gear bicycles, no brakes, no gears, just you and your wheels. While this might not be for the faint of heart there are so many ways to get excited about biking this summer. The first of which is the City of Toronto’s Bike Month – see all the details at http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/bikemonth/index.htm
Here are some of my favourite highlights of Bike Month:
The Grand Opening: The group commute was the seed that became Bike Month. Back in 1989, Toronto’s first official Bike to Work ride began, and after 19 years it germinated into Bike Month in 2008.
Safety and Maintenance: The Toronto Cyclist Union is going to be offering free air and safety checks throughout Bike Month at a bike lane/shop near you. Check out their website for more specifics: http://bikeunion.to/bicycle-service-station
Sweet Treats: For a $5 registration fee (donated to the Cyclists’ Union), tour all three Dufflet locations for sweet treats, souvenirs and the chance to be entered into a grand prize draw (do I smell summery lemon cake?). More details available on twitter @tourdedufflet or http://tourdedufflet.blogspot.com/
International Connection: Go Green, Go Dutch, Go Bike. This family ride, organized by the Consulate General of the Netherlands will raise money for bikes for children in Toronto Community Housing. The trail starts at Etienne Brule Park at 10 am on Sunday May 30th, then heads south along the Humber River to the Waterfront and finishes in Nathan Philips Square. More information can be found at www.gogreengodutchgobike.com
Community Discussion: On Thursday June 3 from 8:00 - 9:30 pm, a panel discussion will get underway on the topic of bicycle theft in Toronto. Panelists include: Richard Poplak, Yvonne Bambrick, Eric Kamphog, Herb van den Dool and others. Admission is $5, free for Cyclist Union members. More information is available at: http://www.bikeevents.to/content/kenk-community-discussion-around-bike-theft
Art: Luminato Opening Night Bike Ride, June 11, 6:30 pm departure from Riverdale Park East. Patios, bikes, art festival, how could this not be the perfect Toronto night?
Party: Bike Bike! Bike Pirates Party, Friday June 18, 8pm-2am. Party it up at this fundraiser for the Bike!Bike! Conference. Admission is $5 or PWYC. More information can be found at www.bikepirates.com
Ward 18: My two favourite combinations: bikes and beautiful Ward 18. Ride-in to watch a series of bike themed movie shorts under the stars on June 26, 8:30 pm. Hosted by Yasi’s Place (299 Wallace Avenue) and Martin de la Rue. http://www.yasisplace.ca/
I am writing to let you know that I have decided not to run for re-election in Ward 18 Davenport. This was a difficult decision to make. While I will miss working for the neighbourhood and for the people of Toronto as a whole, I am excited about future opportunities and remain committed to building the future of our city.
A sincere thank you to all my friends and family, and to all of the people who have supported me over a decade of community activism. I hope that we will continue to work together on our common goals in the future. And to the people of Ward 18, my sincere gratitude for electing me twice to represent you. It has been an incredible privilege to serve as your councillor as well as the Chair of the TTC. I am proud of all that I have accomplished, with your help and support, during my time in office.
Having grown up and gone to school in the area, Davenport will always be the part of the city nearest to my heart. During my time as the local councillor, it has been my great pleasure to meet and work with countless local residents who share my passion and love for our community. Together, we have achieved a great deal of positive change in our part of the city:
The Dufferin "Jog" tunnel project, currently under construction, will finally link Dufferin and Queen streets, more than a century after they were cut off by railway construction in the 1880's;
The West Queen West neighbourhood is thriving and the cityscape is being transformed; the community's participation has made a huge difference in improving the quality of these developments;
The Bloor Gladstone Library has undergone a stunning renovation and expansion.
The West Toronto Railpath Park has been built and is a model for how we can reclaim and transform our former industrial spaces;
Sections of Gladstone Ave. and Lansdowne Ave. were redesigned, including public boulevards with hundreds of new trees;
Dufferin Grove Park has been nurtured as a model of what can be achieved with true community participation and collaboration in the stewardship of our park lands;
Construction begins later this year on a new police station for 14 Division as well as the renovation and expansion of Dufferin Station.
As Chair of the TTC for the past three years, it was my privilege to work with the city's transit riders, advocates and experts to launch a renaissance at the TTC and lay the foundations for an expanded and revitalized system that will be able to meet Toronto's growing transit needs. Although much work is still needed to sustain the momentum we have achieved and to reverse short-sighted cuts, I am proud of what we have accomplished together in only a few short years:
The Transit City LRT plan was brought from conception to construction, with shovels already in the ground on Sheppard Avenue. Once completed, this plan will bring fast, reliable public transit to every corner of the city to and all our priority neighbourhoods;
The TTC implemented the largest service increase in a generation and ridership has reached record levels;
The Fleet Renewal plan was completed, with contracts awarded to replace every single aging bus, streetcar and subway car in the city as well as include minimum levels of Canadian content;
The Station Modernization program was launched to renovate and revitalize these fifty year old public spaces;
The TTC's Green Plan is reducing our environmental footprint through measures like green procurement, building retrofits and lower energy consumption;
The TTC's e-Initiatives include a new website and trip planner, next vehicle station displays, and the upcoming role-out of next vehicle displays at street car and bus stops as well as text-message based stop information.
It has been my privilege to serve the public and I look forward to continuing my work as the Councillor for Ward 18 and the Chair of the TTC for the remainder of my term. I am excited by the possibilities a return to private life brings for new opportunities for activism and advocacy to help bring about a better tomorrow for all Torontonians. In particular, I want to encourage the city's young people, so full of passion, energy and transformative ideas, to continue to engage in politics and to fight to bring about positive change.
Thank you.
Adam Giambrone
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 18 Davenport
Chair, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Toronto City Hall, Suite C42
100 Queen Street West
Toronto ON M5H 2N2
The city's outdoor ice rinks opened recently and the other day I got the chance to get my skates out and go for a spin on one of our local rinks. It was a nice sunny day, relatively warm for this time of year. It was great to see all the families out enjoying the skating, as well as whatching the shinny players having a blast on the other pad.
The rink season opening seems to have gone relatively smoothly this year, which was a nice change of pace, as it's usually a very hectic time for the Parks and Recreation department, who are responsible for getting everything up and running.
We are also trying an experiment this year, opening the rinks up earlier in the fall than normal (we will also be closing them earlier than normal in March). Credit goes to local rink activists for this change, some of them have been arguing for years that with the short days and lower angle of the sun in November, the compressors would be able to keep up even with temperatures well above zero. In contrast, in March, when days are much longer, the sun much higher, things always get slushy on the rinks pretty quickly. It seems they were right, as the ice was in great condition when I was there, even though the temperature was around eight degrees.
I hope everyone gets a chance to get their skates out and enjoy one of our great outdoor rinks this winter!
September is always such a great time of year, when summer winds down, the kids head back to school, and people refocus their attention away from the rest and relaxation of the summer and towards new projects at work and new endeavours in the community.
Whenever I visit friends who have school-age children, I always get the impression the kids have grown at least an inch over the summer. A few carefree summer months spent outside in our parks and playgrounds always seems to do them a world of good. By September, however, without fail the kids are always excited to get back to school, to begin a new year full of new experiences, friendships and possibilities.
The rest of us would do well to remember this feeling of wonder and excitement at new possibilities as we head into the fall. This was a difficult summer in many ways, with a long labour dispute being the most obvious example. With a new contract in place, it's time to put this issue behind us and refocus our collective attention on what we can do to address the problems faced by our community and our city. There are many exciting projects already under way or just getting started this fall, in both our community and the city as a whole, from the tunnel being built at Dufferin and Queen, or to the new Transit City lines starting construction.
I know I'm excited by what the future holds and confident that we'll be able to overcome the challenges we face together. I hope you'll join me in this adventure. And when things get tough, when anxiety and doubt creeps into our thoughts, it would be good to remember the way our children face the unknowns of a new school year: full of excitement and wonder as they move forward to discover the new possibilities and opportunities that await them.
