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Friday, October 1 ,1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 3 Cham bers urged to lobby for m ore transportation funding "l f o u r centres cannot m ove people an d goods an d services on th a t highw ay, than th e eco­ nom ic engine o f th is province is running on th ree cylinders, n o t e ig h t." -- Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale (Continued from page 1) lengthened by hours, it also adds to air pollution problems, creates dif­ ficulty for emergency vehicles responding to calls and encourages drivers to seek out rural and subur­ ban roads as alternate routes. But perhaps the most signifi­ cant impact is that the gridlock damages the area's economic well­ being, said Kate Johnston, director of the regional business develop­ ment department. And since the GTA and Hamilton-Wentworth areas are the economic engines of both the province and the country, it's time for federal and provincial govern­ ments to wake up and provide their share of funding to solving the transportation crisis, she added. About 50% of the gross provin­ cial product and output is generat­ ed in the GTA and Hamilton- Wentworth regions, while the two areas account for about 21 % of the gross national product. "It's clear that the factors that hinder economic development in the GTA have a provincial and national effect too," said Johnston. "If our centres cannot move people and goods and services on that highway, than the economic engine of this province is running on three cylinders, not eight," added Oakville mayor Ann Mulvale. Speakers at the breakfast meeting emphasized that new roads aren't the only solution to the trans­ portation crisis. Public transit, com­ muter parking lots and high occupancy vehicle lanes also have a role to play in ensuring traffic moves smoothly throughout the area. But while over 70% of Halton residents commuting to downtown Toronto use GO Transit, com­ muters to many other areas of the GTA have no access to public tran­ sit. Halton regional chair Joyce Savoline echoed the call to get other levels of government involved in providing funding for transportation infrastruc­ ture. She urged the Chambers of Commerce to lobby political representatives for more funding, and said the Halton regional council would like to see the provincial govern­ ment invest a portion of tra n sp o rta tio n -re la te d revenues collected in the area back into the trans­ portation system. In 1997-98, the provincial and federal governments collected about $1.95 billion in gas taxes and vehicle and driver fees in the GTA and Hamilton-Wentworth areas, said Savoline. None of the federal monies, and only 20% of provincial revenues collected were reinvested in the transportation infrastructure in the area. Savoline suggested that an investment of 80% of the revenue collected would solve the area's transportation crisis. Strangely enough, despite sit­ ting in hours of gridlocked traffic, local residents don't realize the extent of the crisis, McCleary.told the audience of about 50 people. 'They, in fact, think someone has a plan and someone's solving the issue," he said. Randy Eccles, a representative from a Burlington trucking firm, admitted he was concerned by the information presented at the meet­ ing, as well as the apparent lack of a cohesive plan for solving the cri­ sis. As a national accounts manager with Specialty Freight Consultants, he said the traffic congestion is impacting on the number of trips that the company's fleet of trucks can schedule, and therefore, on the profitability of the company. "Our drivers say it's constantly getting worse," he said. Traffic Facts □ Halton residents currently make 750,000 car trips per day, or 6.4 car trips per household. That number is expected to increase to 1.213 million total trips by the year 2016. □ Without GO Train service, the QEW would need to be widened by three lanes in each direc­ tion to handle additional traffic. O About 80% of all truck movements occurring in Ontario each day either originate or pass through the GTA or Hamilton-Wentworth regions. □ A 1986 University of Toronto study estimated that road congestion adds $3 billion per year to the cost of goods movement in the GTA. Estimates suggest that number could be as high as $9 billion today. □ Transportation infrastructure needs will cost between $700 and $900 million in Halton over the next 20 years..