What can residents do for public transit in Ottawa?

Ottawa’s city councillors are looking to the residents they represent to help manage the city’s forthcoming transit commission. But it’s not entirely clear what the politicians expect from their non-political counterparts around the table.

The transit commission will have twelve members, eight of whom are drawn from city council. The other four members will be chosen from the general public.

Local transit blogger Peter Raaymakers, the founder of transitottawa.ca, says a balanced mix of political and non-political members could lead to a better-managed transit system. He says including members of the general public might “lead to more long-term thinking.”

“In the past there has been a tendency for councillors to make budget decisions too personal by trying to make perfect bus service in their [ward],” says Raaymakers. “The commission will add voices and give the public a place at the table. These people may not be as quick to politicize their decisions.”

Stittsville councillor Shad Qadri, a member of the new transit commission agrees with Raaymakers.

“It’s always good to have civilian input on city issues. Other Ottawa boards, such as the public library board, have citizen members and it works well for them,” he says. “I am not concerned with the politicizing of transit. I am concerned with how we [can] make the system work better.”

Qadri shed some light on the kinds of qualifications he’s looking for in prospective members of the transit commission.

“It would be great to have members that represent key components of the transit riding population, such as someone with a disability,” he says. “But first and foremost, we should be looking for someone who’s experienced in the transit business.”

Raaymakers, for one, is thinking about applying for a position on the commission.

“I need to wait and see what the requirements are, but it has piqued my interest and I would be interested in contributing.”

There are some major issues on the horizon for OC Transpo, including ongoing negotiations with the city’s largest union of transit employees, the Amalgamated Transit Union, on a new collective agreement. Raaymakers says the transit commission will play a very important role as the city moves forward with plans to build light rail across the city.

“The commission’s role will be greater because the city will be funding a lot of what will be constructed,” he says. “It won’t just be dollars and cents for the transit commission. There will also be a higher level of envisioning the future of transit of Ottawa."

More information about how Ottawans can get involved with the transit commission is expected to be released early in 2011.