2010 Election: Furtenbacher's transit alternative

Over the course of the 2010 Mayoral Election campaign, Public Transit in Ottawa will be sitting down with as many mayoral candidates as are available, discussing their platforms and thoughts on transit in this city, and what they hope to achieve during their mandate, if elected mayor.

After the debate of what service to run (bus rapid transit or light rail), one of the most discussed options Ottawa has for transit plans is between surface or underground lines. The current plan includes a 3.2 km tunnel downtown, but mayoral candidate Joseph Furtenbacher thinks that's more for show than practicality, and would move towards surface rail along the 417 if elected mayor.

I prefer light-rail down the 417-174 corridors and down the O-Train/VIA rail corridors. Not all at once, you know. That seems to make a lot more sense, starting off doing that, than by digging a tunnel that’s going to be a status symbol.

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By running light-rail down the 417-174, it’s the historical and natural section obstruction re-route through the city. It’s like the TTC in Toronto, connecting up the east-west ends of the section and the north-south sections in a T, basically. That’s the same idea I have: Use existing corridors, lay new track, use light rolling stock, and start thinking about the whole city instead of office workers.

2010 Election: Furtenbacher on the transit plan

Over the course of the 2010 Mayoral Election campaign, Public Transit in Ottawa will be sitting down with as many mayoral candidates as are available, discussing their platforms and thoughts on transit in this city, and what they hope to achieve during their mandate, if elected mayor.

Mayoral candidate Joseph Furtenbacher is among the candidates who's received the least media attention, but he's still got his thoughts on public transit in Ottawa. On his blog, Furtenbacher stated his belief that "our present transit rationale contains holes big enough to drive a light rail train car through".

Furtenbacher believes that the current plan, or any which includes a downtown tunnel, is more the result of wanting to keep up with other big cities than trying to most effectively solve our transit problems.

I prefer light-rail down the 417-174 corridors and down the O-Train/VIA rail corridors. Not all at once, you know. That seems to make a lot more sense, starting off doing that, than by digging a tunnel that’s going to be a status symbol.

Later this week, we will offer a bit more information on Furtenbacher's alternative light-rail proposal.

Recap of the mayoral debate on the environment

The first ever Ottawa mayoral debate on the environment took place at Saint Paul University on Sunday night, and there was no shortage of... excitement for those in attendance.

Fireworks started right off the bat, when candidate Jane Scharf questioned the fairness of the questions participants were to be asked, and withdrew from the debate. This opened up a spot for candidate Andy Haydon (who hadn't responded in time to be an official member of the debate), but he declined the opportunity--but still joined into the debate, informally and periodically. Candidate Joseph Furtenbacher was also in attendance, but because he hadn't responded in time to become an official candidate (he said he wasn't invited, possibly because he joined the race late) [Ed. note: Mr. Furtenbacher contacted be to explain that he wasn't invited to the debate because invitations were sent out prior to his registration as an official mayoral candidate], he wasn't invited to participate, and simply sat in the seat vacated by Scharf--without participating.

And all that excitement was before the debate had even officially started.

Over the course of the debate, a large number of environmental issues came up, from protecting aquifers and sensitive ecological areas to water management to 'smart growth' and urban planning. Although no question was directly asked about public transit, it did come up periodically, and there was a significant discussion about cycling in Ottawa.

As for public transit, candidates spoke up about their plans. Incumbent Larry O'Brien spoke about his support for the current plan, as did Jim Watson; Mike Maguire and Clive Doucet each briefly mentioned their alternative transit plans; Andy Haydon very briefly mentioned his support for expanding Ottawa's BRT system, and called Ottawa's transit system Canada's best (citing ridership per capita to support his claim); and Robin Lawrance one again expressed his concerns for public safety with regard to the plan to build a tunnel. The only other speaker given an opportunity were César Bello--who didn't discuss transit plans, but did say he'd ensure no more transit strikes--and Charlie Taylor, who didn't speak much to public transit in general (but has in the past expressed grudging support for the city's current transit plan).

As I write this post, hours after the debate, I'm still not sure what to think about what I just witnessed. There were some good points made, but they were rare gems hidden in the personal attacks and ideological statements and slogans that dominated the debate. And, as was pointed out by Taylor, the whole thing was dominated with 'greenwashing', and many of the candidates were definitely speaking to the audience in front of them.

Still, the debate can be seen as nothing but a positive thing for this city. There were a couple hundred people in attendance (it was standing-room only by the time it started), and most of the audience were very interested in what was said. In terms of getting the environment on the radar for the mayoral race, as well, the event was a huge success.

Good news for those of you who missed the debate, but want to watch it: It will be on Rogers 22 in Ottawa this Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 8:30 p.m. Tune in, if you can; you won't be sorry.