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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Jul 28

A very welcome announcement today! We're thrilled to see this action to bring down ferry rates between the Atlantic provinces, especially on Marine Atlantic to Newfoundland. This is concrete action toward one of TAA's major election campaigns. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

news-pei-prime-minister | CBC News

The federal government is slashing tolls on the Confederation Bridge and lowering ferry fares in Eastern Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced while in Prince Edward Island on Monday.

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Jul 6

Interesting new study from @smfthinktank.bsky.social finds a correlation between car dependency & loneliness, particularly in rural towns.

This might be due to there being “fewer ways to reach others” and space given to cars creating “barriers in what might have been walkable neighbourhoods.”

People lacking good public transport more likely to feel lonely, UK study finds

Research finds correlation between car dependancy and loneliness, particularly in rural towns

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · Jun 30

This is a brave endeavour considering the current state of bus connectivity between provinces:

Miles in Transit @milesintransit.com · Jun 19

WE ARE CROSSING THE ENTIRETY OF CANADA EXCLUSIVELY BY BUS!!!

We just left Victoria, BC; if all goes according to plan, we'll be arriving in St. John's, NL on Wednesday night after six days, seven bus companies, and nine Canadian provinces - all but PEI!

Miles in Transit @milesintransit.com · Jun 19

Our biggest adventure yet starts tomorrow. Watch this space!

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Jun 25

This whole thread is an excellent look at what's involved in crossing Canada by bus today - and highlights the gap across the Quebec-New Brunswick border. Having to walk nearly 5km between buses is not an acceptable connection!

Miles in Transit @milesintransit.com · Jun 23

Maritime Bus used to run to Quebec, but since COVID they've exclusively stayed in the Maritimes. That means the only way to continue east is to walk the 3 miles or so into Campbellton, NB, spend the night, and catch Maritime Bus the next morning!

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Jun 1

Interesting study from Canada on transport equity.

Finds that “… elected officials have little direct experience with transportation barriers, with few experiencing issues such as unaffordability, disability, or harassment, and evidence that this influences their values related to equity.”

Transportation barriers and equity: Values and experiences of elected officials

Despite the importance of elected officials in shaping transportation policies, there has been little direct research on their values and experiences. Understanding the values of elected officials ...

www.tandfonline.com

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · May 30

Transit leaders here in Canada could learn from this - for starters, we should be regularly benchmarking and trying to improve our transit systems' inclusivity too!

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · May 30

Evaluation of the DfT's inclusive transport strategy released yesterday.

The strategy's goal is "that disabled people should be able to travel confidently, easily and without extra cost."

Despite some good initiatives, key outcomes didn't improve over this period (although this is complicated)

Inclusive Transport Strategy evaluation

Findings from an evaluation into the Inclusive Transport Strategy that ran from 2020 to 2024 and considered whether the strategy met its objectives.

www.gov.uk

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · May 27

Equally applicable to the Canadian federal government and provincial and municipal governments across the country.

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · May 27

The UK gov should follow the EU’s lead on this and a) establish a national definition of transport poverty & transport related social exclusion, b) target reducing it, c) embed this in local transport plan guidance and d) put £s in the right place to widen access to decent transport options

Giulio Mattioli @giuliomattioli.bsky.social · May 26

A few years ago "transport poverty" was just a niche academic concept.

Now the EU has published its recommendations on how to tackle it & a helpful data dashboard transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/...

I have made a thread with my first impressions here: threadreaderapp.com/thread/19270...

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · May 26

Halifax's full fleet of 60 electric buses are on the road at last! Emissions savings equivalent to taking 650 gas cars off the road - even more if the buses are more popular than the diesel ones they replace. www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/nov...

Halifax Transit adds 60 electric buses in push toward zero emissions

Halifax Transit announced Tuesday that it has added 60 battery-electric buses to its fleet as part of a $112 million project aimed at cutting carbon emissions and modernizing public transit in the cit...

www.ctvnews.ca

Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · May 26

We're still big fans of buses, but if you believe it takes light rail to get passengers on board, maybe this lower cost construction technique has a role to play!

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · May 26

👀 Coventry’s very light rail pilot.

“Traditional light rail systems can cost between £50 million and £100 million per km, often due to the need for deep excavations and utility diversions. The Coventry VLR team estimates its system could be delivered for around £10 million per km”

Coventry’s low-cost rail test track begins - Cities Today

Construction is under way on the UK’s first Very Light Rail (VLR) test track, part of a pilot project in Coventry that aims to develop a lower-cost, zero-emission alternative to traditional tram syste...

cities-today.com

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Veronica O. Davis @veronicaodavis.bsky.social · Dec 3

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. For those in the transportation ecosystem, drop some coins on fellow @islandpress.bsky.social author @nondriver.bsky.social “When Driving is not an Option”.

islandpress.org/books/when-d...

When Driving Is Not an Option

islandpress.org

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Apr 15

Brampton, ON (pop 700,000) has 226,500 bus riders on an average weekday. How? Simple. The core bus network runs every five minutes and secondary routes run every 30 well into the late evening. Ridership went up 288% (!) between 2004 when they started and 2018 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit?

Transit ridership is off the charts in Brampton, Ontario, despite its typical low-density suburban layout. Here’s how the city got residents to get on the bus.

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · Apr 15

It looks sturdier and more comfortable than anything on offer in Newfoundland!

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · Apr 15

I'm for fruit-themed bus infrastructure.

Two men wait at a bus stop by the sea; one is seated inside a whimsical, fruit-shaped shelter designed to look like a green melon with a leafy stem, while the other sits on a roadside railing. The shelter features a curved entrance and windows.

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · Apr 7

Terrible. But also here in Newfoundland and Labrador a reminder we don't have a publicly supported, scheduled, inter-community bus service at all! (unless you count the meagre local St John's/Mt Pearl/Paradise route)

Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · Apr 7

Dozens of intercommunity bus routes across Ontario have been lost as a result of the end of provincial funding this month. This is a severe blow to rural communities and residents. Many of these service were launched in 2020 only really getting known now.

TGO Inter-Community Transit Discontinued

As of April 1st, TGO buses will no longer take people to Woodstock, Ingersoll and other local municipalities.

www.heartfm.ca

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Long Branch Mike (LBM) 🇨🇦 @longbranchmike.bsky.social · Mar 25

@transportaction.ca @transportactionatl.bsky.social

Toula Drimonis @mtltoula.bsky.social · Mar 25

"If Canadians pride themselves on their universal healthcare system, why isn’t it equally important to ensure that people can get to where they need to go, even if they can’t afford a car?" #transit #publictransit #Canada
thephilanthropist.ca/2025/03/good...

Good transit is essential to good cities – we need more people speaking up for it - The Philanthropist Journal

Public transport is an essential service that promotes equity and health and reduces pollution. Non-profits can help mobilize riders and fund research and advocacy to support meaningful change.

thephilanthropist.ca

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Mar 1

As populations across the Atlantic provinces continue to age, we need to make sure that our elderly don't feel they have to keep driving if they want to stay active and independent without avoid forcing friends and family to act as chauffeurs

Hyperlexic @hyperlexic.bsky.social · Mar 1

80+ year old drivers are as dangerous as 16-17 year old ones.

We really need to do something radically different in Berkeley.

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Jan 29

Helpful new summary of the role of transport in improving access to opportunities produced to prompt discussion in Parliament.

In sum: “Adaptable, reliable, accessible, sustainable, resilient to disruption and affordable transport is essential for accessing economic and social opportunities”

The role of transport in improving access to opportunities

There are significant regional and demographic differences in accessing opportunities, including jobs and education. How can transport improve connectivity?

post.parliament.uk

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Dec 16

Wow - UK-focused but much will surely be applicable to 🇨🇦 as well - topics include transportation poverty, disabled people's access transport needs, a just transition for transit and more. Downloading now!

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Dec 16

📣 Delighted to launch @ippr.bsky.social's transport issue of Progressive Review today

Many thanks to the authors who have provided such diverse and timely perspectives on transport's impact on our lives, the places we live and the environment

The below 🧵 has the direct links to the articles

The great enabler: Transport’s role in tackling environmental crises and delivering progressive change: IPPR Progressive Review: Vol 31, No 3

Click on the title to browse this issue

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Dec 16

Just two days left to sign this petition to fix the only remaining public transit link between the Maritimes and the rest of Canada!

Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Nov 19

Poor 🛤️maintenance by CN in NB is a key reason Via Rail's Montreal to Halifax 🚊 takes 5 hours longer than it did in the 90s - limited to 30km/h in places! It's the only transit link between the Maritimes and the rest of 🇨🇦. Tell the Federal Government to step in! www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

Sign this Petition - Petitions

www.ourcommons.ca

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · Dec 11

In case you needed a city-making smile. A #Christmas metro train in Warsaw, Poland decked out for the holidays, shared by @adambielitz.bsky.social.

How you create a #CityOfSmiles.

A train decked out in Christmas red and white, snowflakes, candy-cane colours etc.

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Dec 10

In Nova Scotia, transit was a key election issue. Meanwhile in the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador...

essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · Dec 10

The city's budget was also passed today. Still no sign of the two-years-overdue Metrobus growth plan. Financial support from the city was raised 2.8% from last year... making it still $837,670 lower than 2023 - a 5.6% decrease inc inflation while the service is suffering from its own success...

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · Dec 10

It's a 🎄miracle! Metrobus announced a new bus route 33 - an express between the Village Mall, Avalon Mall and Memorial University. Not until the new year, not on weekends or in the evenings but better than a lump of coal! www.metrobus.com/33/33details...

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Dec 10

When NL negotiated in 1988 the shutdown of the railway in exchange for road improvements, we were promised we'd "always have passenger services comparable to those provided in the rest of Canada". Roadcruiser had 25 buses and carried 161,000. Its successor DRL runs two coaches a day, without subsidy

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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · Dec 10

Did a little archive work and back in 1983 a study found making a standard gauge railway across NL would cost the equivalent of $2.1bn over the existing alignment or up to $5.7bn with better alignment. That would fund a *lot* of buses/coaches.

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · Nov 23

Are you fed up with trains being infrequent, slow, or late?
A Fair Rail For Passengers Act would allow more passenger trains to run on time while keeping freight moving too.
Sign our petition to Parliament:
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-5097

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Reposted by Transport Action Atlantic

Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · Nov 26

Do we love taking the #viarail #train to the Maritimes?
Yes! But 50 km/h is s-l-o-w. Simple track repairs would make it 110 km/h again.
Sign our petition to Parliament to get it done:
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-5107

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