BACCC asked all municipal candidates for their views on environmentally-friendly transportation options, presenting them with these three questions. Views expressed are solely those of the candidates and do not reflect the views of BACCC or its members. All responses have been reviewed to ensure appropriateness and relevance to the questions posed. We encourage you to make an informed decision by researching your local candidates.
Hamilton Ward 4 Candidate Alex Johnstone
From the recommendations in BACCC’s Options for Travel report, which would be your top priority to enact to ensure safe, reliable, convenient and equitable transportation options?
“Offering free public transit during the Holiday Season, to complement the existing program for free parking downtown”
I would also like to go a step further and examine the possibility of offering free public transit one day a month in order to encourage first time riders. Free public transit days could also aline with possible free or discount access days to museums, heritage and arts. Free public transit days could also align with times of the month when persons receiving defined benefits tend to experience the greatest financial hardship due to insufficient funds.
If environmentally friendly transportation options are not convenient, residents will be less likely to choose those options over driving.
What steps would you take to ensure environmentally friendly transportation options are convenient?
To ensure transportation options are convenient, I will work with community partners, city staff, HSR employee groups and a ward 4 community advisory committee to prioritize interests. Without the benefit of collaboration and consultation, commuting to open data and developing data sharing agreements is the best starting point to understand how to meet the evolving needs and behaviours of riders.
Environmentally friendly transportation needs to be perceived as safe in order to be viewed as a viable option.
What steps would you take to ensure all users feel safe when using all transportation methods?
To meaningfully increase the perception of safety on public transportation, the City needs to conduct an annual public transportation climate survey to effectively measure, set goals and ultimately increase the perception of safety. To develop an annual report, I will work with community partners, city staff, HSR employee groups and a ward 4 community advisory committee to gather collaborative input. Without the benefit of collaboration and consultation, proper lighting, snow clearance, functioning internal bus heating and cooling systems and diversity and anti-bias training.for both staff and users are great places to start.