Public transit is a non-starter
I recently received an email from a reader of my last column, “Will Canada Meet its 2025 EV Targets?” asking me the following question:
“I read your article on adoption of electric/hybrid vehicles in the St. Catharines Standard today and was disappointed that there is no mention of public transit. Isn’t it time we started to compare various transportation options and the convenience benefit of automobiles vs. the expense in terms of climate change, air quality, health impact due to lack of physical activity, etc? Reducing the number of vehicles on the road will also solve urban parking issues and the need to continually build and expand the highway system. How many families need more than one vehicle? Other countries have successful public transit options, why not use them as potential models. Sincerely, Peter T.”
Loaded question, Peter, but you had me at “the convenience benefit!” This is why I haven’t broached the topic of public transportation in previous columns — because unfortunately, if given a choice, most Canadians will choose convenience over climate change every time. That’s why we are in the predicament we are in now.
We all like convenience. However, the people that put convenience over polluting our breathing spaces with C02 emissions, are also advocates for more roads and highways.
C02 emissions from gas-fuelled vehicles have changed our air quality from a safe level of 350 ppm (in 1985) to an unsafe level of over 422 ppm currently. We are all now breathing in toxic air constantly, especially on our roads and highways.
We should therefore all be celebrating Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault’s announcement on Feb. 14 that, “There will be no more envelopes from the federal government to enlarge the road network. We can very well achieve our goals of economic, social and human development without more enlargement of the road network.”
Instead, Minister Guilbeault is getting pushback from premiers pushing for more roads and highways for his announcement because his comments were misconstrued.
Guilbeault has since clarified his comments and said that he should have been more specific about what roads projects the government will continue to fund and which ones they will not fund. The main point is that he says he wants “massive investment in public transit.”
Experts have been working on the issue of public transit usage for years, and still, we are no further ahead on getting people to get on board. A think tank called CityLab noted 76.4 per cent of commuters drive to work alone. So heck, we can’t even get people to car-share, let alone go out of their way to take a bus.
Public transit is crucial to addressing climate change, equity and health. The State of Climate Action report has calculated that the world needs to shift away from private vehicles by 2030 in order for the transport sector to limit global warming to 1.5 C.
According to the International Transport Forum, buses and trains only release up to onethird of emissions per passenger kilometre than that of a private vehicle. An even better option is zero-emissions public transit.
However, until we make public transit more convenient, enticing, and enjoyable — as with the convenient, scenic sky train in Vancouver — Canadians will continue to habitually take their car to the corner store to buy a Tim Hortons coffee before they will walk, bike or take public transit.
To set the world on a path to a green recovery, public transit is an absolutely essential key component. However, until municipal, provincial and federal governments invest in more public transit choices to make it more enticing and convenient — including zero-emissions buses and trains — taking diesel-fuelled public transit will continue to be a non-starter for people with their own vehicle.