Full Text of the Challenge
What's this all about?
On November 19, 2007, TRUE challenged Edmonton City Council to give up their private vehicles and rely entirely on ETS for one week.
What's the goal?
TRUE believes that to serve the needs of Edmonton's transit riders, one must understand what it means to be transit dependent in Edmonton. TRUE understands the jobs of councillor and mayor require mobility, punctuality, and efficiency, but these needs are shared by transit riders. The ability to make cross-city, late-night, and short-notice trips are all important to viable transit.
Most members of city council were elected and re-elected on pro-transit platforms, and accepting this challenge demonstrated commitment on the part of these four councillors. The challenge also coincided with budget deliberations which afforded an opportunity to increase the transit budget and reconsider the proposed fare increase.
Councillors gained an appreciation for the strengths and weaknesses of Edmonton's transit system, and will be able to base their future decisions on first-hand experience. The experience served as a positive model for other Edmontonians to follow and helped open a dialogue between the city and transit riders. Together we can build an effective and appealing transit system designed to serve all Edmontonians.
So what happened?
Councillors Don Iveson, Amarjeet Sohi, Ben Henderson, and Dave Thiele accepted the challenge on the steps of City Hall, in front of assembled TRUE members and strong media presence. CBC, CTV, CityTV, Global, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, 630 CHED, CJSR 88.5, and Jam Union were all present. Selected print media coverage is available below; video is coming soon.
TRUE Member and Councillor Don Iveson discovered the bus could get him to work five minutes faster than driving.
Councillor Amarjeet Sohi spent two hours getting home, and called service "mediocre at best."
TRUE Member and Councillor Ben Henderson was stranded on Whyte Avenue late at night and had to walk home to Rossdale.
Councillor Dave Thiele enjoyed talking to drivers and passengers, but found it hard to make quick appointments.
How can I help?
Congratulate your councillor for participating or ask your councillor (and the mayor) why they declined to participate and encourage them to pick another week.
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