[BACKGROUNDER BELOW]
DELTA, BC (August 9, 2010) Lack of transit is one major reason manufacturers are battling a growing challenge in recruiting and retaining younger, less skilled workers, not to mention more highly skilled workers, according to some manufacturing companies in the Tilbury industrial park of Delta, BC.
Productivity and competitiveness of the private sector is at the core of this conflict with the planning and delivery of transit services in the public sector.
The Delta Chamber of Commerce met recently with a number of manufacturers to identify related issues in more detail.
Co-sponsored by Canadian Autoparts Toyota (CAPTIN), Diaset Products Ltd. and the Delta Chamber, the key points about transit covered at the meeting were impact on employees at the manufacturing plants, impact on the companies and what might be done to improve the situation.
Among the challenges for employees at the current level of transit service, as identified at the meeting, were commute times, inflexibility of bus schedules, minimal service throughout the day and safety in terms of women and men walking blocks to distant bus stops and lack of shelters when they get there, often in the dark.
“To put the problem in perspective,” according to Delta Chamber of Commerce Chair, John Appleby, “there have been cases of workers coming off shift, walking to the bus stop many blocks away only to just miss the bus, wait a full hour without any shelter, only to miss that next bus because it was already full. Add to this scenario, women as well as men having to wait, often on their own, in some deserted area in the dark of night, perhaps in pouring rain, and the challenge of recruiting and retaining people under these circumstances becomes even more difficult.”
The impact on manufacturers and other businesses in finding and keeping younger, less skilled workers, as well as those with more experience is a problem that is often hard to overcome. Younger people with lower incomes are most in need of finding a link between affordable housing and places of employment. Companies need those people to maintain production and remain competitive. For companies wanting to expand production the challenge becomes even greater.
Appleby says: “Some of our members in the Tilbury industrial park have moved away in recent years or are considering doing so now. Delta loses economically when that happens, especially when other companies think twice about moving to take the place of those departed.
“Tilbury industrial park, and its neighbour, Annacis Island industrial park, are situated near Deltaport, which is expanding to meet Canada’s rapidly growing trade in the Pacific region. These parks are also adjacent to major Lower Mainland highways, roads and railroads. Yet companies which could compete more effectively for global trade and contribute to regional economic development are being hindered because the people they need to hire to do the work cannot afford to get in and out of the places where they need to work. Or, if they manage to commute through car pooling, they suffer a long time in congested traffic every day to which they are contributing in a car when transit service falls well below what is needed in this case.”
Appleby added that the Delta Chamber of Commerce, as the voice of business, will continue to work with Tilbury and Annacis Island companies to improve transit service .
“We will be working on behalf of those companies and the thousands of other companies throughout the Lower Mainland on this issue through our network of chambers of commerce and boards of trade. Virtually all communities in the Lower Mainland share the problems of inadequate transit service to places where the jobs are. We need Tranlink to be the solution, not the problem.”
Among the recommendations for improved service include smaller, more frequent shuttle buses in the industrial park to connect people to main transit routes, more frequent service at peak half hour periods around shift changes, better lighting and pedestrian accommodation on industrial roads and more bus stops and bus shelters.
The Delta Chamber of Commerce is a 500-member non-profit corporation of member companies and organizations in Delta providing business networking, discounted services, learning opportunities to its members and, above all, acting as the voice of business locally, provincially and nationally.
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CONTACT:
John Appleby, Chair
Delta Chamber of Commerce
604-710-2836
jsapple@portsidegroup.ca
Backgrounder on Transit Practices Serving Business and Business Parks
Access to employment
The 2001 Canadian Census found that about 10 percent of Canadians—over 1.4 million people—take transit to work. In our largest cities, this figure rises to about 22 percent. Increasingly, employers are making the connection between transit accessibility and the basic viability of their operations. Manufacturing facilities, call centres and recreational businesses, in particular, depend on transit to deliver their workers safely, economically
Transit Means Business: The Economic Case for Public Transit in Canada
The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA)
http://tinyurl.com/2aa2zn9
Easy and Effective Strategies for Improving Business
Businesses around the country are adopting innovative approaches to support the implementation of shuttles and extended bus routes. Here’s what you can do to advance this trend:
1. Partner with transit agencies to improve access to regional bus or rail service — By sharing data on employee transit needs, such as where workers travel from and the different shifts they work, you can encourage local transit agencies to adapt services to meet those needs. Providing such information can help increase ridership and make existing services more efficient.
2. Partner with transit agencies to provide transit service to a business hub —Employers in Louisville partnered with TARC to develop an express route and local circulator to transport workers to an industrial park. Establishing the bus route simplified the commute for industrial park employees, eliminating the need to make bus transfers. When commuting patterns began to change, and workers needed better alternatives to reach the industrial park, employers again partnered with TARC, to expand options for commuters traveling midday, late at night, and during weekend hours.
3. Small Businesses
Smaller businesses without the resources to implement their own shuttle program may consider partnering with neighboring employers to implement one. This type of arrangement works well if your business is located in a mall or industrial center and/or if employees traveling to work live in close proximity and work similar shifts. If considering this option, services must be coordinated.
around the work shifts and travel needs of all partners.
“Transportation Toolkit for the Business Community” U.S. Department of Labor,
http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/articlefiles/jlfactsheet15.pdf
Connecting Jobs to Public Transit
A high-quality public transit system creates a variety of benefits for a metropolitan area. According to the Surface Transportation Policy Project, such systems enhance the local economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment.
More specifically, transit:
• Increases worker satisfaction and productivity by lessening commuting time;
• Cushions the effect of high gasoline costs on working families;
• Reduces traffic and thereby lessens air pollution;
• Lowers highway maintenance costs by reducing road wear and tear;
• Encourages people to do more walking and thus reduces obesity;
• Expands job opportunities for workers who cannot afford a car.
Good Jobs First National Policy Resource Center, New York
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm44.htm
Translink website sole reference to industrial parks (posted October 2001)
• The #640 service will be improved to meet the demand for peak period service to the River Road and Tilbury Industrial employment destinations.