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TRANSPORTATION TABLE ADDRESS #2 The Toronto Hoof and Cycle Courier Coalition is an association of past and present concerned bicycle and foot messengers in the city of Toronto. We, like similar bike messenger associations from all over the world, are working to improve the quality of our workspace. We are affiliated with the International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations which reaches from the North America to Europe, Australia and Japan. Earlier this year we studied the political, economic and social consequences of smog and the findings are available in our report entitled "Choking us to death". As noted in the Options Paper, green house gas emissions and smog are inter-related. And that's why our study of smog led us to a study of green house gas emissions. Our members spend more time in direct exposure to greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources than any other sector in society. Over the last twenty years our members have gained unique and important expertise not only on emissions but also on roads, traffic and congestion in urban spaces. This expertise has led us to some similar recommendations as the Options Paper. It has also led us to the solutions. Foot and bicycle messengers have already solved some of the problems from GHG emissions. We exist despite subsidies for automobiles. We exist despite the misinformation about our industry and sustainable transportation in general. We exist because we provide the fastest and most efficient service in urban areas. We do it faster than cars and trucks and with virtually no GHG emissions. The success of enviro-friendly couriers must be encouraged to expand to other sectors of urban transportation. The only way that can happen is to remove "unintended" subsidies and tax biases. The most promising and cost effective measures in the Passenger transport package point to "early actions that would increase public awareness and send signals to change travel behaviour, primarily in urban areas." They not only account for 7% of Canada's Kyoto target in transportation but they actually produce financial savings of about $100 per tonne. Most of those savings come from the leveling of the playing field on the tax treatment of employer provided transit and parking benefits. In other words according to this report, the best path from Canada to take is to remove "unintended" car biased legislation and policies. The report also highlights the importance of awareness since many promising and most promising measures are voluntary. We must “level the playing field” on all transportation tax treatments. A similar bias that must be removed has already been confirmed by the courts of Canada. The Income Tax Act must be amended to reflect the Courts' decision that the additional portion of food consumed by bicycle and foot couriers be permitted as a deduction from income. In addition a further incentive should be enacted to encourage the use of sustainable transportation and to allow us to continue to contribute to the reduction of GHG's without punishment from the tax system. Many resources are being wasted by human powered employees to fight Revenue Canada on a tax deduction that has been justified by the courts. The Passenger Transport package stresses that “enhanced driver education” is a means to reduce GHG. This should go further by discouraging “driver miseducation.” Education of drivers will not only decrease GHG’s but will have beneficial effects on many social and financial aspects of life in Canada. We must combat the miseducation of divers through the advertising practices of the automobile industry. Car usage should be portrayed honestly without legal loopholes that allow microscopic print in advertisements to shield advertisers from liability. We must educate drivers on the full cost of their driving habits. Many special interest groups point the fact that not all the money collected from fuel and road taxes goes to build roads. As a result misinformed drivers pressure governments to build more roads which prove to be an increasing pressure on GHG emissions. Drivers must be educated as to the true costs paid by society in order to keep them driving. Drivers must be made aware that they pay only 25% of the full cost of their driving. What we always hear is the province of Ontario collects $2.7 billion a year in fuel taxes. It will spend about $930 million on highway construction this year. What we never hear is that according to a 1995 study, the associated costs of the car for which all Ontario's residents must pay is at least $8.3 billion dollars. (Beyond the Car, Essays on the Auto Culture, Sue Zielinski and Gordon Laird (eds.), Steel Rail Press, 1995) That means that cars and highways are subsidized by general tax dollars in the amount of $4.7 billion. And that's why this Options Paper clearly shows that the entire transportation portion of Canada's Kyoto target could be achieved by removing a small portion of the automobile subsidy through an increase in fuel taxes. In addition an analysis of the most recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute revealed that even though road building has outpaced population growth congestion and gridlock has also increased. The study confirms the growing body of data that building new roads increases car usage, gridlock and thereby increases GHG emissions. What we must avoid is a reliance on technology to solve our GHG emissions. While making vehicles more fuel efficient is important, history has shown that it is the volume of vehicle usage that is the major contributor to GHG emissions. Measures such as Intelligent Traffic Systems aren’t as effective and their benefits have likely been overestimated. If ITS measures are successful they will temporarily reduce congestion and increase traffic flow. As a result intelligent transportation systems will not only increase vehicle usage but will also provide further subsidies to car usage and will discourage more economical and sustainable means of transportation. However there is existing technology to allow for cleaner fuel. Ontario's gas is the dirtiest in the industrialized world. If Oil companies can provide cleaner gas to other regions they should be legislated to provide the same quality to Ontario. In conclusion we believe that the most
promising measures to reduce GHG emissions in Canada are those that level
the playing filed for subsidies and biases in the transportation sector.
And those measures are specifically ones that reduce car usage across the
country but most heavily in urban areas.
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