Speak up for transit at forum next month

NEWS RELEASE
BURLINGTON FOR ACCESSIBLE SUSTAINABLE TRANSIT
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Burlington’s 2024 Transit Users’ Forum, to be held Saturday, May 4, at the Burlington Public Library Central Branch, will give riders a chance to question Burlington Transit management directly about their concerns.

But this year’s Forum will also focus on how riders and supporters can best engage their city politicians to get moving on a transit system that can meet the community’s growing needs.

A panel of transit and environmental activists, including Gideon Forman of the David Suzuki Foundation and Ian Borsuk from Environment Hamilton, will join Burlington’s Deputy Mayor for the Environment, Councillor Rory Nisan, to discuss pro-transit initiatives in other communities and how supporters got their best results. The Forum will also feature a state-of-the-system report and a question-and-answer session with Burlington Transit Director Catherine Baldelli.

All city councillors have said they will attend and Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is tentatively scheduled to provide opening remarks. Burlington MP and Government House Leader Karina Gould has also tentatively scheduled her attendance.

“People are realizing that transit is a common-sense alternative to ever-mounting car expenses, traffic gridlock, pollution and concrete sprawl,” said Doug Brown, chair of Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit (BFAST), which organizes the event. “It’s the best bang for the city’s investing buck.

“Ridership at Burlington Transit is the highest in its history and growing. That’s a tribute, in part, to the leadership of the Mayor and City Council. Their investment in transit is working. It’s working so well that the system is now stretched.

“Transit needs the resources to meet today’s demand, let alone the needs of tomorrow. We have to find the best way for transit users and supporters to get that message across.”

Gideon Forman is Climate Change and Transportation Policy Analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation. He is the author of a number of recent articles about the proposed Highway 413 and the benefits of public transit.

Ian Borsuk is Executive Director of Environment Hamilton, a community-focused non-profit organization. Through Environment Hamilton, he also works with the Hamilton Transit Alliance, a coalition of local organizations that support public transit.

Rory Nisan is City and Regional Councillor for Burlington’s Ward 3. As deputy mayor with responsibility for environmental policy, his mandate extends to the city’s transit service. Rory is a strong transit supporter and uses the system himself.

The Transit User’s Forum has been organized annually by BFAST since 2015, with a three-year break from 2020-2022. Last year’s Forum was held in September, but this year’s returns to its traditional May date.

The Forum will be held in Centennial Hall at the Burlington Public Library Central Branch, 2331 New St., from 1-3:30 p.m., Saturday May 4.

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