(The following story by Allena MacDonald appeared on the Chronicle-Herald website on August 6.)
HALIFAX, N.S. — Several decades ago there was plenty of public transportation in the Strait Area, with numerous daily train and bus routes connecting small communities throughout northeast Nova Scotia.
“You actually could live without a car,” said Dave Gunn, who lost his job as president of the U.S. transportation giant Amtrak in the fall of 2005. He is now working with a local volunteer board that is trying to set up low-cost, accessible public transit in the Strait Area.
“I was appointed as president of Amtrak by a board prior to the one the (George Bush administration) appointed,” Mr. Gunn said. “And the Bushies ended up firing me, and I’m proud of it.”
The firing, prompted by polarized views on transportation policy, resulted in heated and lengthy public and political debate south of the border. Mr. Gunn was asked to resign, but he refused. “I was not on board with destroying the company.”
After his dismissal, Mr. Gunn, who was born in Boston, retired to the family home in St. Georges Channel, Cape Breton, where he spent some of his childhood summers.
It was no surprise, given his long career in public transportation, when he hopped on board with the folks trying to establish a local transit system in his area.
“You never know everything, but I’ve been around,” he said.
Mr. Gunn’s experience included terms as the general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the New York City Transit Authority and the Washington, D.C., subway and bus system. He was also the chief general manager for the Toronto Transit Commission.
The committee he joined evolved into the Strait Area Transit Co-operative and is gearing up to start its bus runs in 2008. The plan includes the purchase of a 40-seat bus and two vans. While the proposed system is small in comparison to the transit systems of his past, the project is exciting and challenging, Mr. Gunn said.
“Sometimes running a small property is more difficult than running a big property,” he said. “When you’re running New York City, you’ve got a legal department, a purchasing department, a maintenance department — and if you need advice on something, you’ve got people there who are expert on whatever it is you want to know.”
The proposed operation will carry daily commuters between Richmond County, Mulgrave and Port Hawkesbury. With the aim of addressing the serious lack of available transportation for seniors, low-income earners, students and the disabled, the co-operative conducted surveys of sample groups and received a high response rate in favour of the project. Group members believe the public option will also appeal to people who want more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.
Almon Chisholm, a former Port Hawkesbury mayor and chairman of the co-operative’s board, said the group is working to obtain funding, hire a manager and purchase vehicles. Planning for the hiring and training of drivers and vehicle maintenance is also underway.
“I have never chaired a committee where the people were so confident that something was going to happen,” Mr. Chisholm said. “But we have a pretty good project to offer the people.”
The response from local government and various agencies has been positive, Mr. Chisholm said.
“Of all the places we’ve been, there hasn’t been a negative thought put forward since we formed our board,” he said. “The need is there — many people have no means of transportation.”
With that in mind, the group is already looking at a future expansion of the transportation system.
“The second phase of our project will be to look at transportation to Whycocomagh, up Route 19, possibly to Inverness, and then possibly into Antigonish,” Mr. Chisholm said.
Connecting and building on existing transportation systems is the primary goal, he added. “We don’t want to compete with anybody.”
Systems like the proposed one are not likely to compete with others, Mr. Gunn said, and they are in great demand because of the relative lack public transportation and the rapid growth of big-box stores. That pattern has resulted in centralized services, leaving many people, such as seniors and the disabled, unable to access needed services.
“It puts them totally at the mercy of being able to find somebody who will be able to drive them,” he said, adding that complete reliance on cars, especially in rural areas, is “very risky.”
“We’ve put all our eggs in one basket. All economic activity is built around cheap fuel and cheap transportation by auto, which is going to become less available and more expensive.”