Sandra Kanck's Parliamentary Research trip to the USA & Canada 2000

Report on Parliamentary Research Trip to Canada & United States

August-September 2000

Sandra Kanck
Deputy Leader Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

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Report on Study Tour undertaken by Sandra Kanck MLC, to the United States and Canada: 27^th August to 23^rd September, 2000

The central purpose of the trip was to attend the three day World Conference on Assisted Dying in Boston, USA. Having made the decision to attend this conference, I extended the trip's purpose and length to encompass other issues of arts, transport, health, domestic violence, human rights and energy, all of which fall into my shadow portfolio responsibilities.

The SA Parliament's rules for the use of travel allowance require that a "diary" be kept indicating the people I met, the dates, times and places of such meetings and the date on which the entry was made. The details of the people, dates, times and addresses are included in the appendices to this report. As for the date of the entry, I took a notebook with me to all meetings and took details down in longhand at the time. Along with other written information provided at the meeting, and details gleaned from newspaper reports and other sources, those notes have formed the basis of this report.

While visiting Peace at Home in Boston, which provides domestic violence workshops for a limited number of public secondary schools, I was informed that the schools are funded via a property tax which is matched with State money.

Thus it is easy to see that those who live in well-to-do suburbs will gain a disproportionate amount of funding for their schools and vice-versa. This is evidenced by the example given of Roxbury High School where - in the year 2000, at the dawn of the new millenium, in the most affluent country in the world - three children share one maths textbook between them. The system is such that it entrenches the poverty that causes the low property values.

Throughout my time in the US I saw numerous examples of how not to do things and this method of education funding was one of them.

When I made my first trip to the US last year I observed that the US must have invented the slogan "Have a nice day" in order to cover for the fact that most employees do not understand the notion of service to customers. The experiences of this, my second trip, confirmed this view: they seem to think that saying "Have a nice day" or "You're welcome" is providing service.

While Arts had not been on my list of topics to investigate, the opportunity to experience it in the form of public art presented itself in most cities.

Metro Rail in Los Angeles allocates 0.5% of its rail construction costs for art to enhance the rail system. At my visit to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority I was provided with a brochure "Guide to Public Art on the Metro Blue Line" and 50 postcards depicting the art associated with the MTA and Metro Rail's Red, Green and Blue lines.

I spent only one working day in Los Angeles, and therefore was unable to see most of this work. Nevertheless, based on the brochure and the postcards, I imagine that South Australia's Minister for Transport and the Arts, Diana Laidlaw, would lust after the funds to provide public art on a similar scale within SA's passenger transport network.

The entry to the MTA at Gateway Plaza, stunned me with its impressive mosaic floor.

The nearby Union Station had almost been completely renovated to its former glory.

The postcards show that the art ranges from murals, to leadlight, to sculptures to mosaics that represent the history and culture of the region.

The artistry, in some cases, extends to the architecture, as in the case of the design of the Hollywood/Highland Station.

Had I known in advance that this public art existed I might have altered my schedule to spend another day in Los Angeles to experience this for myself.

After arriving at Toronto Airport we caught a taxi. Nothing unusual in that. But apart from viewing Lake Ontario on the right side of the car, the thing which impressed was the many colourful moose sculptures we saw once we entered the city limits. The "Moose in the City" project in Toronto captured my imagination to the extent that, after seeing the "Moose in the City!" booklet, I almost immediately began speculating on its feasibility as a public art project and charity fundraiser for Adelaide.

The idea for "Moose in the City" came from a similar public art project in Chicago with cows. I was told that similar events have taken place in Switzerland (with a cow as the symbol) and in New Zealand (with a sheep as the symbol).

Throughout the city of Toronto, 326 life-size (I think fibre-glass) painted moose were on display in what was referred to as an art "moose-eum". All were the same size, with or without antlers, head up or head down. Patrons had been sought to sponsor artists to paint them, and a booklet was produced giving details of the location, the Moose patron, the artist and the name of each beast. They had been placed on display in May, and in December they were scheduled to be auctioned to raise money for charity and Canada's Olympic athletes.

The "exhibition" displays humour, whimsy and, yes, even kitsch. A few made a play on the word "moose", hence we had "Driving Moose Daisy" and "Strawberry Moose with Whipped Cream". Some were able to combine the play on words and identify the sponsor, as in "Moose-Shall McLuhan".

Some were named according to their location, hence the Moose outside the Bata Shoe Museum was named "Moose-in-Boots" and Pizza Hut sponsored "Pizza Moose".

Some had named their moose so that it was in keeping with their name or their produce. Sotheby's sponsored "Wolfgang Amadeus Moozart", Skydome sponsored "SkyMoose", while the Royal York Hotel sponsored "HRM His Royal Moose"

Some went further and ensured their product was inextricably mixed with the name of the moose e.g. "Toronto's Moose-ic@Work" was sponsored by EZ Rock 97.3 FM and listeners, Bell sponsored "Global Commoosication" and "Frosted Chocolate Moose" was sponsored by the Bloor St Diner.

Their was an Elvis, with his blue suede shoes, and a golfing moose. Locals had embraced it, and tour guides were excited about it, to the extent that one company had set up a specific "Toronto Tours' Moose Tour" for groups of ten or more.

The program had been organised by the City of Toronto Special Events Division, website address: www.city.toronto.on.ca.

Following the Los Angeles example there is ample opportunity for public art to be part of our public transport system. Most art requires sponsorship, and I am certain that there would be artists and sponsors amiably disposed to such an opportunity.

As to "Moose in the City", I believe we could imitate and localise the project. I envisage the symbol being a kangaroo, perhaps with or without a joey in the pouch (or maybe a wombat?).

The North Adelaide football team might like to sponsor a ROOster, and I imagine, a place like Cleland Wildlife Reserve would definiteley want to be involved as a sponsor. Coopers Brewery could sponsor a "bRoo", some of the Adelaide Central Market traders could sponsor a "ROObarb", R.M. Williams would surely want to sponsor "tROO Blue" which would obviously wear moleskins, boots and an akubra hat. Rundle Street traders could have a "ROO Rundle" dressed in the manner of the French.

I intend to talk to various arts lobby groups in Adelaide to discuss the possibility of a similar project being undertaken here.

Because of gun laws in the US, the impact of domestic violence is much greater than in Australia, with far more deaths resulting. Despite some horrific statistics, the general community attitude and that of the media appears to be one of tolerance. The attitude of law enforcers and the courts is far less supportive than in Australia. As in South Australia, advocates have succeeded in having legislation passed to name domestic violence and stalking as crimes, but the theory and the practice remain poles apart.

In 1992 a young university student, Kristen Lardner, was stalked and murdered in Boston by a man with whom she had had a short term relationship. Her father, George Lardner, a journalist from the Washington Post wrote a book, "The Stalking of Kristen" about what happened. The book subsequently won a Pullitzer Prize. That murder resulted in political pressure causing the passage of stalking legislation in 1995.

Governor Wells declared a 'state of emergency' regarding the perpetration of domestic violence in Massachussets , and eight years later it is still in place. The result was the setting up of the Governor's Commission on Domestic Violence, with a number of committees and sub-committees and task forces. (Peace at Home questioned the effectiveness of these assorted groups in getting action.)

But despite that still-existing state of emergency, the Governor is now in the process of cutting funds for women's shelters. Now, for every one woman who gains entry to a shelter, five are turned away, and for every one woman with children who gains entry, eight such groupings are turned away.

"Communities for Corrections" is an alternative program to prison sentencing in Massachussets for the perpetrators of domestic violence, and is staged at four levels, the fourth highest of which is house arrest. In the program the perpetrators are taught an assortment of life skills, including parenting and hygiene.

The Massachussets Violence Against Women Act has criminalised domestic violence. All Police trainees receive one days training about domestic violence, but some are better than others at dealing with it. If a woman experiencing domestic violence contacts Peace at Home, they advise her to ask for the Domestic Violence unit when ringing the Police. When Police attend a callout they make duel arrests, but they are required to nominate one person in the couple as the 'primary aggressor'.

In Boston I met with the Directors of two different agencies working to reduce the incidence of domestic violence. Throughout the world domestic violence was largely publicised, politicised and criminalised through the efforts of feminists. South Australia, at the present time, is dealing with the matter in civil and criminal terms, with most of our initiatives, or the finance to pursue such initiatives, coming from our Attorney-General's Department.

Somewhat obviously, the Domestic Violence Program of the Boston Health Commission took the view that domestic violencce was a health issue while Peace At Home took the view that domestic violence is a human rights issue.

The Health Commission will shortly launch a school curriculum, while Peace at Home already delivers one.

The Health Commission's approach was an interlinking one. The Director, Carmen del Rosaria, is passionate about her cause, and because she is involved in a larger organisation she has been able to link her programs to other Health Commission activities such as the drugs, maternal care and infant care programs.

History: Boston City Hospital, which had been 100% public, merged with a private-for-profit entity from the university. Some of the functions of the Hospital were transferred to the Boston Health Commission, e.g. public health programs, the AIDS Bureau, the ambulances, maternal health, the Healthy Babies Program and some data collection services.

Direct services undertaken by the Health Commission include home visits. The state of Massachussets has a strict time limit on access to welfare services, and the home visiting, through the For Families program, is being particularly targetted at families who are being "transitioned" off welfare programs. (The Boston Health Commission is collecting data about the impact of the decision which they will forward to the Government.)

The home visitors are accepted into homes and are not seen by participants as domestic violence workers, but the home visitors are trained in recognising the signs of domestic violence and to ask the right questions.

The Domestic Violence Program is part of the Child and Family Health Services. It began in 1992, following a survey in which the community was asked what supports they needed to deal with domestic violence. The result was that people wanted domestic violence recognised as a public health issue, instanced by the number of injuries and depression resulting from such behaviour. They indicated they wanted more support material and forums to share ideas and gain training in how to combat it.

The Domestic Violence Program is a free service which was able to take advantage of the already existing strong education and training unit within the Health Commission, and they have a good working relationship with the police.

There are 13 community health centres in Boston and 26 statewide: the Health Commission gives training to workers in identifying the signs of domestic violence.

A school curriculum is in the process of being developed and will be launched by Boston's Mayor in October. This curriculum will be available for delivery in public high schools for 14 year olds and over. A series of "train the trainer" sessions will be undertaken and the clinical nurse consultants and the social workers who are based in these schools will be trained to teach the course.

Even if children are not directly physically harmed in domestic violence there is a lot of mental trauma involved. Mental health counselling is available to children through the "Child Witness to Violence" program. Schools have clinics where information can be delivered through health education.

A monthly meeting of the various sections of the Health Commission is held to provide networks and information exchange, particularly where there are clear links such as that between substance abuse and domestic violence, poverty (refugees and immigrants) and domestic violence.

Equally passionate about her cause is Holly Mae Curtis, the Director of Peace at Home. This is a more poorly resourced program, with only three staff but very substantial and effective use of volunteers. While based in Boston, where a great deal of its work occurs, the program has a national outreach.

The program was set up by Stacey Kabat and was originally known as "Battered Women Fighting Back".

Stacey Kabat worked with Cambridge Documentary Films to make a documentary called "Defending Our Lives". It focussed on four U.S. women who had killed the partners who had been persistently battering them, with each of the women imprisoned as murderers. Despite winning an Oscar for best short documentary, even public television would not show it in Massachussets because it was viewed as "advocacy". Kabat toured the film around the US, and, ultimately, seven of the eight women were pardoned and set free.

The publicity she engendered was successful in her gaining a $(US)25,000 Reebok Award, which she used to set up Peace at Home in 1992.

The public awareness program is basically that. Pamphlets, brochures and posters are prepared and distributed to places such as hairdressing salons, and a website has been created. Additionally a handbook about domestic violence has been produced and this is given to all graduating Police Officers.

The women's program focusses on women who are in conflict with the law or at risk of being so. Peace at Home runs eighteen 'recovery' groups per week around the State. In selecting women to be involved they find there is a strong link with drug use.

In the youth program, trained volunteers go out into Boston public schools to deliver five workshops in a co-ed situation on the issue. The volunteers come from a program called City Year.

Each year, in early September, Peace at Home requests a team of volunteers from City Year. October and November are spent training the volunteers about the facts of domestic violence and how to deliver the content of their curriculum, including training in public speaking. Once trained, they are provided with a recognisable uniform to wear, and they go into school classrooms in teams of three to present the program. (Three was chosen because teams of two became problematic if one of the presenters is sick on the day). Peace at Home attempts to place a mix of gender and diversity in each group of three.

The schools involved are public schools, and, given that those delivering the program are volunteers, must be located on or very near to a public transit system.

The curriculum involves the performance of skits, the participation in role plays and the showing of the film "Defending Our Lives" in the third workshop. The experience is that once the series of five workshops has been presented the schools are asking for more.

After five such sessions students are given a confidential evaluation form to fill and return. The effectiveness of the program can probably be measured by the fact that, when a non-identifying feedback sheet is filled out at the end of the five sessions, more than 50% of the students identify themselves as being involved directly as victims or perpetrators, or as having grown up in an abusive home. Such self-identification in such a short space of time is profound; because it has occurred in such a short space of time, and the filling out of the form has been voluntary, it is assumed that the extent of the impact of domestic violence is even greater than the 50%.

The extent of the outreach into schools is dependent on the number of volunteers. Last year, with seven volunteers, the program was delivered to 700 adolescents.

For those involved it is a life-changing experience. Always, a majority of the volunteers find themselves confronting the impact of domestic violence in their own lives.

Peace at Home undertakes research where they see the mainstream not taking it up. Most recently, they have employed an epidemiological student to trace homicides via newspaper reports and court hearings, and to analyse them in terms of their domestic violence content. The analysis has shown that a substantial number of innocent people are killed through domestic violence - not just the wives and the children but neighbours and even a lawyer who have intervened, plus those who have nothing to do with the incident who get caught in the crossfire.

This has shown the need for death reviews beyond the child death reviews that already exist in Massachussets, and has also highlighted gaps in services. Three counties in California have already instituted death reviews, although in some cases the victim's family must request the review. Hospital records are not accessible but need to be to build effective databases.

This study has shown up discrepancies in homicides by locality, raising the question of whether the Police in Dorchester, for instance, are not responding appropriately to domestic violence.

Funding for Peace at Home is dependent on donations and bequests. The homicide analysis just referred to was funded in part by a $100,000 bequest.

There are other programs of which I was advised and from which other information might be sought if needed:

w City Hall has a Zero Tolerance Policy Task Force. The Mayor of Boston is investigating the possibility of a domestic violence program being instituted in the State's prisons.

w Boston City Hospital has a "Child Witness to Violence Project" (phone 617 414 4244).

Of the two organisations I visited, the Health Commission was clearly the more bureacratic, while Peace at Home had the more "in-your-face" approach. While the Health Commission made no mention of its existence I wondered if their development of a school curriculum was inspired by the example of the Peace at Home program. I wondered too, given the apparent effectiveness of that already working curriculum, whether the Health Commission's money on curriculum development and training might have been better directed into assisting Peace at Home to more widely deliver theirs.

In both cases the public school system - and therefore, by default, the poor, non-white and marginalised sections of the student community - are targetted. No mention was made of what is happening in the private (richer and whiter schools).

The significant differences between the US and Australia in the number of homicides resulting from domestic violence point to a very strong link with gun laws, and the US experience is a definite indicator to Australia that we should not weaken our tough stance on guns.

This section of the report deals with solar energy, wind energy, and observations about power infrastructure and energy usage.

I visited bp solar at Frederick, Maryland, on 28^th August and Toana, Virginia on 29^th August. bp solar was formerly known, until a recent company restructure, as BP Solarex, with the "bp" now standing for "beyond petroleum".

At the Toana plant, Williamsburg, I met with Philip Davison, Director of Operations.

Polycrystalline wafers are manufactured at the Frederick plant, and, manufactured into cells closer to the place of use - in Australia's case this is in the Solarex plant in Sydney. The Toana Plant manufactures amorphous silicon solar panels which require no further manufacturing process. Amorphous silicon panels are now being manufactured with a 5% optical transmission factor, which make them attractive to use as a verandah roof material.

In the US they have 1200 employees, including 30 in administration at Linthicum.

Solarex "practice what they preach" and one complete sloping wall of the Frederick plant is covered with solar cells, producing over 1MWh of energy for the plant every year.

As an example of the effectiveness of solar energy, an example was given of a farmer in India where the farmer had invested in diesel for water pumping. When he ran out of fuel the sustainability of the crop diminished and the consequence of that was not even enough cashflow to get to the market. By installing solar-powered pumps there was a 400% increase in productivity in the first year of use. The pumps operated every day, and sometimes were even switched off. The farmer sold two cows to buy the solar-powered pump, and the following year, with the return on his crop, he purchased two cows and more land.

In the US, traffic signs are being switched over to solar power. This presents savings to the government because of their lack of maintenance.

Photos of completed installations around the world were shown to me, including a prize-winning house in Japan which attractively uses solar cells over the entire roof of the house. I mentioned that, more than a decade ago, Professor Martin Green of the University of NSW, predicted that we would, in the future, have our garage or carport roofs covered with solar cells which would feed a battery during the day and charge up our electric cars during the night.

Just one day before my visit the company had shipped out from Frederick a new type solar cell modules to be installed at BP service stations, which are 68 cells in a module and the cell arrays can go up to a 120 watt power rating.

At the Williamsburg plant I observed the manufacture of new style of amorphous panels that are being installed at the Burnside Council complex here in Adelaide.

Section of wind farm at San Gorgonio Pass - The dark shape near the large turbines is a double length semi- trailer. photo A Kanck

In California, on 5^th September, I visited a windfarm at North Palm Springs near the San Gorgonio Pass. The tour was conducted by Windmill Tours. The describe the type of wind generators used from the late 70s (first generation) to the present (fourth generation).

This large tract of land was originally purchased as an investment by a company which envisaged using it for a manufacturing estate, but there were no takers. The oil crisis in the early-to-mid '70s and Federal Government tax incentives for investment, combined with the natural geographic suitability of the area, led to it being developed for wind energy.

Mt San Gorgonio, at a height of 11,400 feet, is the highest mountain in Southern California. The generation of electricity using wind is suitable in this area because of the "Venturi effect": winds crossing the coast at 6 miles per hour, for instance, are funnelled through the pass between two mountain ranges at a speed of 18 mph. The large turbines stop generating when the wind speed drops below 12 mph. Power is generated 300 days of the year, usually for at least eight hours.

Through a contractual arrangement with Southern California Edison, and following passage of the (Federal) Public Utilities Regulation Act, power is sold whenever it is being generated. The price is relatively poor however at 4c/kWh and additionally there are maintenance costs of 1.5c/kWh. By contrast, when power has to be purchased from SCE, the price is 14c/kWh. Nevertheless, the investors are reasonably comfortable with the rate of return. Because of commercial confidentiality the comparative purchase price of power from nuclear and coal sources is not known

There are at least 26 different models of wind turbines in the Pass, with price tags ranging from $200,000 to $1,000,000+. Six different companies operate the 5000+ wind turbines in 50 windfarms.

The Jacobs Wind System, one of the earlier models, was able to be put into service quickly. Spring-loaded blades were part of the speed-limiting mechanism. It generates an AC voltage which is fed through a converter at the bottom so that synchronised AC voltage can be connected to the grid. (Because of computerisation the modern ones always produced their power in correct synchronisation). This is the only model that ever used an alternator. The efficiency of the Jacobs system varied between 5 and 40%.

In the second generation of wind-turbines, the Nordtech model, from Denmark, was able to increase lift as wind speed increased. They operated at wind speeds between 28 and 75 mph (75-1235 rpm).

The generator is driven through a fixed-ratio gearbox which allows the generator to produce electricity at lower wind speeds. At the time these were very expensive machines, and were constructed with engineering overkill. These were the first models with onboard computers, but the computers began to fail within five years of installation. This basic problem was able to be cured with a $500 US manufactured replacement component. These machines will eventually be replaced, but not taken out of service: they will ultimately be relocated to remote locations.

The third generation ESI (Earth Sciences Inc.) models were ultimately a failure because of a design fault: the fins at the ends of the blades were designed to act as speed-controllers. Flexing of the blades to slow them down at high wind speeds weakened the blades. The first break of a blade was its last because the machine was thrown dramatically out of balance and thus destroyed the tower. Only five of this model are now operating.

The blades of the new large models each weigh 2000 pounds and are 54 feet long. The older models' blades were timber and fibreglass, with the more recent models being made entirely of fibreglass.

The early machines were able to align themselves into the wind. Computers make these alignment adjustments with the new ones, which also can vary the pitch of the blades for speed control. The machines begin generating at a windspeed of 12 mph (48 rpm) and go into a self-operated shutdown at 75 mph, turning the blades 90° to 180° to the wind. Sixteen new machines have replaced 90 of the old ones, which have been dismantled and removed from the site. These sixteen produce more power than the 90 combined were ever able to.

A new and revolutionary experimental model has just been installed for trailing in the near future. The principle behind this model is that of deflecting and accelerating air flow through the cylindrical turbine blades, thus extracting more energy from the wind. This concept makes use of the fact that energy extraction increases at the cube power of the wind speed.

Vancouver Hydro has been running a public relations campaign to encourage residents to conserve power because conservation is a cheaper option for them than building more infrastructure.

Deregulation of the electricity industry in California has been an abysmal failure from the point of view of 1.2 million Californians who buy their power from San Diego Gas and Electric. San Diego residents have seen the cost of power triple and even quadruple in the space of a year, despite the fact that legislators told them that deregulation would bring them cheaper power.

As a consequence, while I was in California, a bill was passed by the Parliament to set a lower rate of 6.5c/kWh for the purchase of electricity from SDG&E, whereas SDG&E's wholesale price at that time was 21c. Even more surprisingly, the Bill was retrospective, requiring SDG&E to credit consumers for the amounts above this rate paid in June, July and August.

The "Los Angeles Times" reporting on the passage of the legislation, said that this rate will be in place until 2003, except that the Public Utilities Commission will be able to raise or lower the rate once every six months. "SDG&E must borrow to cover the difference between what it collects from customers protected by the rate cap and what it pays for wholesale electricity. Estimates of how much the utility will have to borrow by the end of 2003 range from $100 million to more than $800 million. Customers eventually will bear the cost of repaying that debt."

The Californian Parliament had passed legislation back in 1996 to protect consumers of electricity supplied by Southern California Edison and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company from high prices, and their consumers had not suffered the same problems of SDG&E's customers. But Southern California Edison and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, between them, had to absorb more than billion dollars in losses through the summer, and that rate freeze will continue through until March 2002.

The power companies exported power because they were able to get a better price for it elsewhere, and when there was a shortage power had to be imported at a high cost. On occasion wholesale electricity prices in the summer of 2000 rose by as much as ten times the average price experienced in the summer of 1999.

Similar to South Australia, successive governments have failed to adequately address the question of electricity demand and supply. No new major power plants have been built in more than a decade, and increased population growth has eaten into any reserve, with an increased demand of 12% between 1996 and 1999, with computer-based growth being blamed for much of the increase.

The President of Enron Corporation also blamed transmission constraints for the power prices. The "Los Angeles Times" (7/9/00) claimed that the owners of transmission lines outside California "are trying to preserve monopolies by hindering national electricity sellers such as Houston-base Enron ... from moving power into the state".

Another Bill passed by the Californian legislature while we were there attempts to address some of these problems. The normal review process for construction of a new power plant takes a year, but the new Act allows fast-tracking in a six month time-frame. That same Act also encourages a small amount of energy conservation: it provides a fund which will be able to be used to paint roofs with heat-reflective paint and provide internet links for businesses so that they can reduce their power demands when the price of electricity escalates. But, although such measures could provide a few hundred more kilowatts of energy to California by Summer of 2001, the shortfall on hot days is several thousand megawatts.

The US Energy Department had just advised that home oil heating costs for the coming winter could increase by anywhere between 20 and 40%, while those using natural gas could find themselves facing increases of up to 25%. These cost increases were a reflection the market, with crude oil prices having hit their highest level in 10 years and wholesale natural gas prices having doubled in price in the previous year. At the time I was there, natural gas futures in New York "surged above $5 per million BTUs for the first time ever".

Those purchasing electricity from utilities which use natural gas to generate their electricity have experienced a dramatic increase in the wholesale price of this commodity.

The examples of solar and wind technology that I saw were the exceptions that proved the rule. Elsewhere, I saw no attempt at energy conservation. For instance, in the hotel we stayed at in Boston an air-conditioner was running in the room when we arrived, and we found it was designed/installed so that we were unable to turn it off. The only way this could be done was to call the hotel mechanic who turned it off using a spanner.

A taxi driver in Toronto expressed to us his strong and unswerving belief that there would be no limit to fossil fuels, that God would provide!

It seemed most peculiar that, at a time when California is desperately seeking more electricity, a decent price was not being offered for the wind energy being produced at Palm Springs. A better buyback price would no doubt encourage the installation of more wind turbines in that and other suitable areas.

The recently passed Californian bill to encourage limited conservation appeared, on the basis of newspaper coverage, to be very limited in its application. Like successive South Australian Governments there seems to be a lack of knowledge or political will to really encourage the greater uptake of ecologically sustainable energy. I did note with approval the legal requirement for the wind power to be used first whenever it was being produced.

The deregulation of the electricity industry in California appears to need some regulatory controls, if, indeed the accusation is correct that transmission companies are acting to constrain the market.

My notes in the section on transport in this report show how profligately transport fuels are being used. The political stand of the United States on greenhouse gas emissions can surely not be morally justified when energy is used in the way it is.

Medicaid is a safety net, but it has an income and asset qualification. The Government has separated welfare from Medicaid, and some families can get Medicaid but not necessarily be on welfare. Medicaid does not cover the cost of pharmaceuticals except for those over the age of 65.

The worst off in this system are the working poor. For a family of four, health insurance will cost approximately $6000 p.a.

A few years ago the Federal Government determined to give better health coverage to children who qualify under Medicaid. President Clinton has a bill before Congress at the present time to provide this extra coverage to the parents of these children, but with elections occurring in November 2000 it is unlikely to be considered before that time.

Up to 40% of US citizens do not have private health insurance (this figure can only be an estimate because the Government does not collect data on this). Australia is making a mistake with the recent pressures on people to take up private health insurance. The solution is to put more funding into public health and make it work better. Australia should learn from the US mistakes and we should certainly avoid managed care.

If we in Australia continue to go down the paths that the Australian Government is currently setting it is important to have good data collection so that the system can be monitored.

Basically there is no primary care in the US because of the lack of a universal health care funding system. If you are poor and you get sick then you get sick.

Throughout the trip, assorted people raised with me the issue of managed care, either because they were health professionals, health academics, health administrators or because they found out I was from Australia. Every one of them gave strong warnings to me that Australia should not follow the US in this regard. Amongst those who warned against it was a woman I met on a tour, who had worked on the public relations side of one of these businesses, and who described them as "corporate vultures".

Control of health has been taken away from doctors and given to the managed care funds. Some doctors' incomes have dropped by up to 50% and, in turn, some of them are deciding on career changes out of medicine, which could have bigger impacts on the health system in the longer term.

Managed Care was supposed to reduce health costs, which it did initially, but in the last year premiums have risen 10-20%.

On Rhode Island three of the five private health insurers went broke or left the state. The remaining two then increased their premiums by up to 60%. Employers then transferred their employees on to Medicaid.

Health insurance companies in the State of Oregon are allowed to use age-rating in setting their premiums. For a 20 year old the premium will be $80-90 per month, whereas a 50 year old will pay $300 per month. (New York, for instance, does not allow an age rating). Oregon provides assistance to people who have been rejected by the private health insurance companies: called the Oregon Medical Insurance Program (OMIP) it costs the state $300 to $500 per month to support these people.

Being already an admirer of the plan and having heard that it was under some sort of threat, on 10^th September I met with the Administrator of the Office for Oregon Health Plan Policy and Research - Dr John Santa - to discuss the current status of the plan.

The State of Oregon is famed for its prioritisation of health procedures which follow from the passage by their parliament of the Oregon Basic Health Services Act in July 1989. That Act required their Health Services Commission to devise a list of medical services such that some would be deemed as non-essential and therefore not available on the 'free' list.

A great deal of research information and reportage is available about the Oregon system is available but, in summary the Health Services Commission - following the requirements of the Act, consulted with the elderly, people with disabilities, mental health consumers and advocates, those on low incomes, and health care providers. Additionally twelve public hearings were held around the State by the HSC and a voluntary citizens' group, called Oregon Health Decisions conducted another 45 meetings on the HSC's behalf.

Overall, there was strong support for the introduction of a prioritised list of health services and greater access to health services for the poor.

At that time, on a list of more than 700 procedures, treatments such as that for pneumonia or the removal of the appendix of a patient suffering acute appendicitis were regarded as the most justified and medically effective intervention,s while those that were regarded as non-essential included treatment for the common cold or nappy-rash, life-sustaining treatment for babies born without brains and aggressive treatment for cancer or AIDS at the end of life.

Nearly half a million Oregonians have gained greater access to medical treatment as a consequence of the scheme. These included people - frequently titled "the working poor" - whose incomes are less than the official poverty level, but who are not poor enough to qualify for the social security's system of Medicaid.

The average Medicaid patient costs Oregon $300 per month, whereas, under the Federal plan they would have only $250 allocated to them. The Oregon system provides hospice care, pharmaceuticals and dental treatment, which are not provided under the Federal system.

Adjustments are made to the list from time to time as technology advances, research findings are made, treatments thought to be effective become ineffective or vice versa, treatments become cheaper and so on. The approach is always evidence-based. Those who have private health insurance are still able to access those services and procedures. As an example, one of the procedures more recently excluded has been circumcision, but parents can pay for this themselves at a cost of $70-80.

Recently an 18 year old woman was knocked back on an application to have a double-lung and liver transplant because of cystic fibrosis. Under the Oregon plan she could have had the lung transplant without any problem, but the issue was the combination with a liver transplant. She is sueing the state, and this has resulted in much media publicity, and while the State's newspaper has been critical of the decision there has been strong support from many quarters for the principle of the decision. However, a conservative industrialist, who believes in lower taxes and the private health system, has undertaken to pay for the cost of the operation, so she will have it performed privately.

Women have mobilised and been successful in making pap screens and mammograms readily available. They are now targetting birth control (for which private health insurance companies are not required to provide coverage).

Under the Medicaid system the States must comply 100% with the rules of the Federal Government's HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration)to get their funding or else seek a waiver. In order to begin implementing the prioritised system Oregon sought a waiver. The waiver, which was subsequently granted, allows Oregon to deviate from the Federal health program, with the proviso that the Federal body can veto any of the changes.

The HCFA okayed all of the first list of changes, then okayed most of the second list of changes. But there has been stalemate over the third list for 1½ years. That list contained 10 procedures which would not qualify for free treatment within Oregon. Three in particular are of concern to the Federal authorities:

The State has not pushed for a decision in that 1.5 years because of a belief that it would likely result in the whole list being rejected. The 1999 list can be viewed at their website: www.omap.hr.state.or.us.

As to the future, it is clear to those administering the plan that the able-bodied and those with disabilities do not require the same health plans, and future variations to the scheme might take this perspective into account.

From a political perspective, John Santa informed me that Oregon's Governor would be making a major speech on the subject of the Health Plan three days after our meeting (which John undertook to e-mail to me.) The Governor has been a committed exponent of the Oregon plan, and he has only two years of his second term left, which means he cannot run again.

The forthcoming elections might alter the situation because a Gore presidency could make things even tougher for Oregon. Gore has a "bleeding heart" approach (my words) whereby he believes, from a social justice perspective, that the poor should be able to access every procedure the rich can buy. Combined with this the waiver will expire soon.

The Oregon Medical Association is a lukewarm supporter of the Plan. The churches are supportive. Before the scheme was implemented the missions of the churches were making nightly visits to a particular area in Portland to provide support for homeless people. Twelve months after implementation of the scheme, the churches discontinued the program because it was no longer necessary.

While not seeking to specifically investigate human rights issues in the United States (although the "Peace at Home" program in Boston treated domestic violence as a human rights issue) one could not fail to recognise that a problem exists as observed in the number of beggars and the number of homeless people, particularly on the streets of Los Angeles.

Whilst in Portland a group of Christian bigots arrived in town and protested - amongst a number of sites, diagonally opposite the hotel where I was staying - against homosexual people carrying banners and signs which read "God Hates Fags".

Canada appears to be ahead of Australia in a number of ways on human rights issues, although, like Australia it is not adequately preparing for disability issues associated with an ageing population.

During my time in Vancouver I met with the Commissioner and Deputy Commission of Human Rights for the Province of British Columbia in Canada, and also an Australian man, Matthew Carroll, from Victoria's Equal Opportunity Commission, who was on an exchange placement. I also spoke by phone with a disability activist, Brian Salisbury.

The Province of British Columbia has a Human Rights Minister. Legislation passed three years ago gives the HRC (Human Rights Commission) the mandate to educate and the right to hold public meetings on an issue.

The HRC has offices in the cities of Vancouver and Victoria, and 1-800 numbers. People in geographically-isolated areas are not accessing the services of the HRC to the same extent as those in the metropolitan areas, and plans are afoot to further promote the service.

The Act does not define discrimination, instead it is effectively defined by case law, and using this methodology the HRC has succeeded in removing a number of examples of direct and indirect discrimination.

The HRC has a Chief Commissioner, a Commissioner of Investigation and Mediation and a Deputy Chief Commissioner. All funding comes from the provincial government: the Commission is free from ministerial intervention, although they submit an annual report.

The Deputy Chief-Commissioner has the power to intervene when a complaint is lodged by an individual if he deems that the discrimination is systemic - the complaint become the "property" of the HRC.

The individual who lodged the complaint may pull out or settle with the group or person alleged to have discriminated but the HRC can keep the investigation going in the HRC's name. The Deputy Chief Commissioner can even initiate a complaint and action can be taken all the way up to the Supreme Court.

For instance, in a current complaint of a boy being harrassed by his schoolmates because of allegations about his sexuality, the boy might reach some agreement with his school board. But, should that happen, because the HRC believes there are standards and expectations of behaviour that should apply to all schools about the tolerance towards such behaviour, the Commission would pursue it.

The HRC took up issue of barriers to participating in elections for disabled people: as a consequence polling booths had to be made more accessible, ballot papers and campaign literature must now be available in larger print and signing must be provided at public meetings.

Case law has already determined that land agents and similar cannot discriminate against someone on the basis of the source of their income! Case law has also determined that those people with physical disabilities must be accommodated in the workplace to the point of undue hardship.

When a local government entity refused to allow a gay and lesbian festival to use the term "pride" the HRC regarded this as a breach of human rights and accordingly intervened. The Commission can also take up non-legal advocacy and they now have a presence at most "pride" days in the province.

While we use the term "vilification" in regard to race and sexuality, the British Columbia Human Rights Commission is more upfront about this practice and calls it what it is "hatred".

The Commission took up - and won- the case of a man who had been refused a Class 4 drivers licence because he had less than 180 degrees vision.

Polling undertaken by the HRC has shown that Canadians see poverty as a human rights issue, and that, of all the issues of discrimination, they have the most tolerance to issues of ageing and the least tolerance to those related to sexuality.

Most discrimination occurs in the workplace, so the HRC has set up an Employers Advisory Group which has been meeting for a year. A manual "Preventing Workplace Harrassment" has been prepared and can be found on the HRC's website at bchumanrights.org.

Related Government portfolios include Aboriginal Affairs, Multicultural Affairs. In the Health portfolio the position of Mental Health Advocate has only just been created, and the role is still being explored; however, the person holding this position is pursuing a co-operative arrangement with the HRC.

To better understand this report one should have some knowledge of the terminology associated with mass transit systems, because terminology varied throughout various parts of the US and Canada. Light rail (LRT) is what we in Adelaide call trams, heavy rail is what we call trains. In Toronto the older trams were referred to as street-cars whilst the modern ones are referred to as LRTs.

In looking at trains I investigated only passenger transit systems and not freight systems, and concentrated on city-based ones, rather than those moving passengers between regions.

The positions held by the people I met, and the particular interests and expertise those people have in their transport system has tended to dictate the emphasis of my reporting on that particular authority.

The currency referred to is the local currency, i.e. US dollars if referring to a US transport agency or budget, Canadian dollars if referring to a Canadian transport agency or budget.

Prior to my undertaking this study tour, the Australasian Rail Association was of great assistance in providing me with information about mass transit systems in North America. This information, including contact details of various authorities, helped in making decisions about destinations to visit.

Although not a seasoned traveller, my previous trips to all Australian capital cities, two trips to Vietnam and one previous trip to the United States have given me something of a perspective on airports. I am surprised to find myself observing that the most comfortable and relaxing airport in which I have sat around has been in the United States, that at Norfolk, Virginia. I generally travel economy class, where there is no access to lounges, just as do the great majority of travellers. Most of us wait in the seating areas at the gates, having passed through an area where food, drinks, and other goods can be purchased.

The designers of the new Adelaide Airport Terminal could well learn from the Norfolk Airport. The shopping/eating area had been set up as a discrete unit within the airport, on the first floor, separate from the check-in counters, and not part of the passageway leading to the gates. This shopping area was quiet, with no announcements about impending departures (these are made only in the waiting area near the gates) This obviously requires the passenger in the shopping/eating area to take responsibility for their own time-keeping. With lots of seating, both within eating and drinking establishments on the edge of the square, and in the middle area where specialty shops were located, the whole place had more of an air of a comfortable hotel lobby than an airport.

From time to time some South Australians make negative comments about the fact that passengers at Adelaide Airport have to walk out onto the tarmac to catch planes, and how backward this apparently is, and how we won't be taken seriously until we get airbridges. For the record, the following is a list of airports where we walked out onto the tarmac:

If these big airports are able to function in this manner and still have thousands of people using them every day, it seems hardly likely that visitors would be put off from visiting Adelaide because of the absence of airbridges. For my part I have never rung an airline to find out what the method of entry to and exit from a plane might be, and I would be surprised to hear of any people that do. On the basis of my travel I conclude that it would not seem justified to spend money on what is largely of cosmetic value. Nevertheless, I note that the new plans for Adelaide airport incorporate airbridges.

Baltimore was little more than a stopover on our way from Newark to get ourselves to Frederick in Maryland and to allow us to get over any jet lag. Nevertheless there were some interesting observations to be made about transport.

The motel we stayed at was located close to a light rail shuttle which operated between the airport and the city.

A forward step, no doubt, yet the contrast with this efficiency shows in this photo with a total lack of footpaths. One assumes that passengers must have someone to drive them to the station.

This same lack of support for pedestrians is shown in the above photo, where three main roads came together with no place for a pedestrian to cross, and the "island" between the three roads being uneven and covered with weeds.

It is an undoubted fact that the USA has a car-dominated economy and society. The picture of flyovers and cloverleafs in the design of roads which we see from time to time in photos, news items and films may appear hackneyed, but it is an accurate symbol of the true state of transport in that country.

Photo of a freeway interchange taken from the plane as we flew into Los Angeles, (photo; A Kanck)

For me this car dependence was epitomised by what is known as "the big dig" in Boston, a project which demonstrates all of the disadvantages of reliance on the private car.

It looks like any sort of roadwork in any city, but it is in fact just a minute part of the impossibly expensive "Big Dig" in Boston

Begun in 1993 and originally planned to be finished in 2000, this 7.5 mile tunnel, designed to provide more room for cars, was estimated to cost $2bn.

Whereas I think the project is a travesty, the official description of the project, obtained from Boston’s "Yellow Pages", reads as follows: "Boston’s Central Artery/Tunnel Project is the largest, most complex highway project ever undertaken in the core of a major American (sic) city. ... It will replace a decaying six-lane elevated highway (I-93) through the heart of the city with a modern, eight-to-ten lane underground expressway built beneath the old road. The project includes the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world ..., the world’s largest highway tunnel ventilation system, and the world’s most advanced electronic traffic monitoring and incident response system.

Seven years after the start of construction it is way behind schedule and the projected cost has escalated to $14bn, or to put it neatly, the cost is now approaching $2 billion per mile! The political fallout is such that I was told the Governor of Massachusetts could lose his seat in the forthcoming elections as a consequence.

a) the promise of the land on which the current elevated Artery stand being rejuvenated as open space, and

b) an extra $3 billion of Commonwealth money to expand the mass transit system in eastern Massachusetts in order to encourage some of the current car drivers off the Central Artery (see more information in the section on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority).

We travelled from Los Angeles to Palm Springs by Greyhound bus, which did not strike us as being particularly remarkable. A plane fare would have cost us six times as much. The trip took three and a half hours, and was an interesting way to see some of the countryside (albeit without a tour guide to tell us what it was we were seeing).

With my husband, who works in the renewable energy sector, I had booked myself in to the WinTec Tour at Palm Springs as an ordinary tourist, but the number of technical and political questions we asked caused the proprietor to ask about the extent of our interest, at which point I revealed that I was a Member of Parliament from South Australia.

In answer to a question about where we were staying, we told him that we were not staying at Palm Springs, but catching the bus back to Los Angeles. This provoked a shocked reaction because we were apparently using a service that is used only by those who are the dregs of society. We were certainly surprised by the reaction. On the journeys both to and from Palm Springs there was certainly a high proportion of passengers who were of Afro-American or Hispanic origin, but I had not seen that as anything outstanding. When we asked for clarification we were told that only those people who could not afford to fly or did not own a car, people who were on drugs or the mentally ill used Greyhound Buses.

The size of Los Angeles itself needs to be comprehended in order to begin to understand the logistical problems of providing any form of public transport in that city. The Los Angeles County is the most populated county of California, containing 88 cities (which I think means local government areas) with approximately 9.8 million inhabitants and a population density of 2,450 people per square mile.

From a roads perspective this has resulted in the construction of 535 miles of freeways, 4315 miles of arterial and collector roads, and 10,000 street signals with an annual operating expenditure of $800 million.

From the public transport perspective this accounts for two million daily boardings, of which 30,000 are commuter rail. The service area covers 1400 square miles which includes 350 bus routes (of which 200 are operated by the MTA) and eight rail routes.

The financing of the system comes from a local sales tax, which makes up 72% of their funding, 15% from the Federal Government, and 13% from the State Government. Of the current budget of $2.5 billion, 44% is being spent on bus operations and municipal operators, 22% on rail, 21% on highway and related programs, and 13% on debt service.

As with most public transport systems, it does not run at a profit, and funding from both State and Federal sources subsidises 60% of the running costs. Passengers can purchase monthly, bi-weekly and weekly passes. A single one-way ticket costs $1.35 (45c for pensioners and the disabled), with a transfer fee of 25c (10c for seniors and the disabled), which is viable for one hour after purchase, to other modes of transport. A weekly pass costs $11, and a bi-weekly pass costs $21. Monthly passes can be purchased at a cost of $42, while for the elderly and the disabled a monthly pass costs $12.00, for school students it is $20, and college students $30.

Bus commuters must proffer the exact fare to bus drivers as no change is carried, and rail commuters can purchase tickets at vending machines at the stations. Regular commuters can make cost savings by purchasing tokens, which are sold in bags of ten for $9 at Metro Customers Centers or assorted food outlets.

There are no conductors to collect tickets or gates to pass through, but police who board the trains are entitled to check that passengers have tickets.

The light rail system is only ten years old and is exceeding expectations. There are three Metro Rail lines known as the Blue Line, the Green Line, and the Red Line which together account for 59.4 miles of track and 50 stations. The MTA carries 200,000 passengers per day while Metro Rail accounts for 32,000 passengers each day and is "way ahead" of predicted usage. Figures from 1998 to 1999 show an increase of 3.08% in patronage. Plans are afoot to extend the Red Line, which currently runs from downtown LA to North Hollywood.

Metro Rail operates daily from 5.00 a.m. to midnight. The frequency of service is 5-7 minutes during peak hours and 10-20 minutes in non-peak hours and weekends. Bus services provide links at every one of the 50 stations.

According to printed publicity materials issued by Metro Rail, the construction of the system "ranks as one of the largest public works projects ever undertaken in the United States. It has already generated more than 141,000 direct jobs and 200,000 indirect jobs ... New development valued at more than $1 billion has been built, is under construction or is planned around Metro Rail stations".

The newest bus service is the Metro Rapid Bus and is based on one in Courtiba in southern Brazil. Using a loop-detector system, it is able to hold the green light at traffic light controlled intersections. Double-articulated, low-floor buses are used, with less frequent stops (spaced at half-mile to one mile intervals compared to once every quarter-mile on the local routes). This has allowed speeds to be increased by 25% - a bus trip which previously took one-and-a-half hours now takes 45 minutes - with a resultant increase in patronage. The response from commuters has been so good that the Authority believes they are making inroads into the discretionary market. The route is 27 miles long with good interfaces with other systems.

The MTA is currently investigating the feasibility of extending the Rapid Transit system to a right-of-way. It would have a transit way with two lanes in the middle of the road for the buses and two lanes either side for the cars. The planning powers of the cities through which it would travel could, however, thwart this as each of the cities through which the route passes will need to give their approval.

No more diesel-fuelled buses are being purchased. However, of the new CNG buses, two have caught fire!

All buses are accessible for people with disabilities, whether through use of low-floor buses, wheelchair lifts, or the use of ramps. The cars operating on the Red Line are wheelchair accessible (but I was provided with no information about the Green and Blue lines). The rail system is ADA-compliant for passengers with hearing, mobility and visual impairments.

Those whose level of disability requires assistance from a Personal Care Attendant are eligible to use the ASI Para Transit system which replicates the fixed route services available to mainstream commuters. Access Services, which runs the system, is a separate company from the Transportation Authority but is subsidised by the MTA. The total budget for ASI is $65m. per annum, of which the MTA provides a $45m. subsidy. ASI acts as a broker, contracting out the service to private operators.

Their transit police section was phased out four years ago, and there is an agreement with the Los Angeles Police Department to patrol both bus and rail systems. In regard to personal safety, the public perception is that rail is safer than buses.

Los Angeles was a city designed for cars, and there is tremendous resistance to fuel taxes. The car dependency is encouraged by the expectation that most employers will subsidise car parking for their employees.

The freeways have 210 miles of commuter lanes, which were initially established in 1973. These HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes are policed by photo enforcement, with a fee for transgressing of $271. There are plans to add another 85 miles of HOV lanes in the next 15 years.

The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest in the US, and increased movement of goods from Asia is resulting in greater use of the roads in and out of the port by trucks.

While we were in Los Angeles there was talk of a transport union strike which triggered an article in the "Los Angeles Times" on 7th September, 2000 about the potential impact of such a strike.

The article revealed that 49% of those who ride the MTA do not have any form of motorised transport in their household, 69% of the users had an annual income of less than $15,000 and only 12.6% of the total users were white people. Obviously, people in lower socio-economic groups were the principal users of the system, and the impact of a strike would be felt hardest by them. The article detailed the potential impact of a strike on these users, with income and even job losses a possibility.

But, ignoring such social cost, one paragraph struck an ominous note when it said "Those with cars may have the biggest impact on the rest of Los Angeles, because they will once again be hitting the freeways". Based on the statistics provided in the article, one can deduce that a strike would unleash another 200,000 cars onto the freeways, which hardly bears thinking about, given the traffic intensity I experienced travelling in a taxi to the city, albeit in a HOV lane at 6 in the morning, and having then observed it completely gridlocked between 7 and 9 a.m. whilst travelling in a bus in the opposite direction.

The reason for the proposed strike were the plans of the MTA to introduce a four day x 10 hours work schedule. Of particular concern was the issue of having to be available for duty for 12 hours whilst being paid only for 10 hours. Passengers, while fearful of income loss, were sympathetic to the drivers, concerned that such long hours could result in greater risk to them as passengers due to drivers being over-tired.

The Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA) is known to the locals as "the T". Initially we found it difficult to locate underground stations because they were identified on the outside with nothing more than a very large "T", and it was assumed that everyone would know this.

I met with Sean McNally, Superintendent of Operations, at the Control Center of the (MBTA) Operations Center in Boston.

Boston has both light and heavy rail transit systems with three different gauges, and these are known as the Red, Orange, Blue and Green Lines. The Green Line is light rail, while the other three are heavy rail. It is, generally speaking, an old system, but it efficiently carries over one million people per day.

The Green Line, the oldest of the lines, is 101 years old and is a light-rail system. The Government appears to regard the MBTA as a necessary evil, and in turn the MBTA appears to regard the light rail system in the same way. The green line operates partly underground through a subway in the centre of the city and partly on the surface.

I was told that, where it traverses roads, anything that can stop auto traffic can stop LRTs. There have been problems with people parking their cars in the middle of the road and therefore blocking the trams, and leaves falling from trees thus depositing sap on the line with consequent slippage. The resulting maintenance costs led to the MBTA stopping services in the (non-white) suburb of Jamaica Plain, proposing the removal of the line and replacing it with buses, causing a huge public outcry.

A somewhat desolate looking station on the Green Line, which possibly illustrates the MBTA's lack of commitment to its light rail system.

According to Sean McNally, the MBTA prefers heavy rail to light rail because transponders can be used with heavy rail, the position of the trains can therefore always be located and the Operations Centre is specifically set up to monitor them. But this is not possible with light rail, and the possibility exists of one tram on the green line accidentally catching up with another. Ninety-nine percent of the rear-end collisions recorded on the MBTA's rail system have been on the Green Line.

Despite being extended twice in the last 25 years, the red line is at maximum capacity during peak times. It now extends to Cape Cod, but it was argued against by Cape Cod residents when originally mooted: people in suburban areas do not welcome such line extensions because, they argue, it attracts more people to the area and therefore more crime.

The MBTA proposes to increase the number of trains running, but this will require a new computerised system to control it. Tenders for a new system were out at the time of my visit.

The MBTA had purchased 80 new low floor cars to comply with their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, mechanical difficulties have arisen - problems which were not perceived in the procurement process - and the cars have been out of circulation since February.

Despite the allocation of $3 billion of Commonwealth funding to encourage commuters onto public transport to reduce gridlock on Boston’s road network, an article in "The Boston Globe" on 2/9/00 revealed that the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction had been trying to "weasel" its way out of fulfilling the commitments required of them. "Last January the office had asked the Federal Government to substitute, eliminate or delay several mitigation commitments that officials said were onerous, expensive and unnecessary".

That article went on to say that the Conservation Law Foundation had filed a lawsuit against the transportation office, and, just the previous week, the Arborway Committee had filed preliminary papers in the Federal Court in Boston "to sue the T for reneging on its commitments to bring back light rail. On 1st September the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs agreed to a consent order in the Sufulf Superior Court.

It appears that many of these commitments were negotiated as far back as 1991. The MBTA’s response to the consent order was to say that they have already fulfilled half of them. Activist groups were generally pleased with the consent order, but expressed concern that the improvements were not necessarily guaranteed for the non-white urban areas which need them most.

It was encouraging to see the use of cycles by a select group of Police officers in Boston, and I stopped to converse with one such friendly officer who loves his job, particularly because he is able to cycle as part of it.

The mass transit system of Portland, Oregon, was historically in private hands, run by the "Streetlight and Railway Company", which, by 1890, had installed 110 miles of rail track (compared to just 33 miles of track at the present time).

Following the collapse in 1969 of "Rose City Transit", the Governor appointed a committee of businessmen to form the first Board of Tri-Met. Tri-Met is a statutory corporation which operates the 33 miles of the MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) light rail service, 102 bus routes, and a transport service for people with disabilities.

Built between 1982 and 1986, MAX has been an outstanding success. This 15 mile stretch of track, completed on time and under budget, immediately attracted passengers at a level beyond predictions, resulting in the American Public Transit Association naming Tri-Met as "America's Best Large Transit Agency". The fact that a number of current documents given to me by Tri-Met contain the slogan "How we get there matters" demonstrates the attitude of the operators and is probably proof of the deserved nature of that award.

Westside MAX, which opened on time and on budget in 1998 added a further 18 miles of track to the system. The predictions had been that the opening of Westside MAX would result in an average ridership of 50,000 per week of the 33 mile combined track. Ridership in fact exceeded that figure by 22% in the first weeks of operation of Westside MAX.

The popularity of the system is causing its expansion, and the locals are extremely proud of it and its associated urban planning. Further extensions are being funded by a property tax which has been supported in a plebiscite.

A 5.5 mile extension to the airport with four new stations will be opened in Autumn 2001 with a planned frequency of service every 15 minutes for 20 hours of the day. Cascade Station West and Cascade Station East will be based around commercial developments which will include retail outlets, restaurants, entertainment facilities, hotels and office space.

Construction is about to begin on a 5.8 mile Interstate MAX (it is being built on Interstate Avenue, hence the name), with ten stations, opening in Autumn 2004. Weekly ridership is predicted to be more than 18,000 by 2020. One of the reasons for this extension of the MAX is the continued unreliability (i.e. lateness) of buses along this route.

From 1990 to 1996, patronage of the transit system increased at a 20% faster rate than vehicle miles travelled. Two-thirds of the patrons have a car, but choose to use the transit system.

These things did not happen accidentally: Tri-Met has worked hand in hand with local government (which had to be paid to come to the discussion table) to bring about the changes over more than a quarter of a century. This began by ensuring that all developments within a half-mile distance of a station were transit-friendly.

Local government co-operated by banning certain automobile use, setting minimum commercial and residential densities, creating maximum parking limits near the stations (the closer a business is to MAX the less parking spaces that business is allowed to provide for its employees) and ensuring pedestrian accessibility.

Within the first 12 years of MAX beginning operations, $1.9 billion worth of development occurred immediately adjacent to the first 15 miles of track. This has resulted in a property value increase of 134% around the Lloyd Station, 112% at 162nd Street Station, and 491% around 181st Street Station.

With its front doors facing the station, the new Convention Center was built to cater for convention attendees arriving by MAX. The nearby "Rose Garden" (a 20,000 seat entertainment centre opened in 1995) was located by choice between two MAX stations, with provision of (only!) 3,446 off-street parking spaces.

As far back as 1984, a study calculated that at that point in time, without the transit system, another six 42-storey carparks would have had to be built in Portland.

Despite the existence of an excellent mass transit system, the general US dependence on cars filters through to Oregon, and traffic jams at peak hours are the rule. But, as part of the overall planning and discouragement of car use, there is strict enforcement about where cars can park.

For those who do bring their cars into the city, car-pooling is encouraged with free parking for participants at specified times of the day.

There are strong disincentives to those who wilfully park in prized private parking areas.

Of particular interest at the Rose Garden was provision for bicycle parking and signs to indicate its availability.

Cyclists in Adelaide would be delighted to see the provision of bus transport for bicycles as in Portland

As well as the accessibility of low-floor cars on the MAX, parking for people with disabilities is actively provided, with the fines for illegal use of these spaces clearly spelled out on very visible signage.

Funding for transport in Oregon comes from a variety of sources involving the varying levels of Government and arrangements with neighbouring State governments. Tri-Met itself uses money from payroll tax. Of the 18c Federal gasoline tax 2.6 cents is marked for public transport. The Metro Council decides how it will be spent, but this further requires the consent of the relevant local government entities.

Residents from Vancouver in the neighbouring state of Washington commute to Portland and vice-versa, via a Federally-funded interstate freeway, so tickets on Clark County Transport are transferable. Vancouver has seats on Portland Council and vice-versa and both are on an Inter-Governmental Resource Council so Portland does not make all its decisions independently.

After experiencing the Portland and Vancouver systems, Toronto was a disappointment.

"Translink" officials in Vancouver warned that this would be the case. Toronto had been the jewel in the crown of the North American public transport in the past. In the 70s it was described as "New York run by the Swiss", but it has been neglected in comparison to the burgeoning Portland and Vancouver systems.

As best as I could judge, this is because of the subservient relationship of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to provincial and local Governments. Vancouver people told me that the Ontario Government has been persistently cutting subsidies to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) thus creating a "race to the bottom".

I met with Gary Webster, General Manager, Operations Branch of the TTC. He presented me with a book "Not a One-Horse Town: 125 years of Toronto and its Streetcars". Although he never stated it, I had a sense that he recognised that the TTC had lost its bloom and was attempting to explain why. Clearly, the message from the TTC's political masters was not to step out any more, and the TTC was being forced to take catch-up actions rather than a more visionary approach which they may have wanted to take.

The TTC got a lot of money in a short period of time in the 70s - hence the highly-regarded status of Toronto's' public transport system - but the City is now saying that it can't afford to continue offering the 20% subsidy to fares which it currently provides. In the last ten years the government subsidies have been progressively lowered and, as a consequence, services have been cut and fares raised. It is estimated that, as a consequence, in that ten year period, the TTC has lost 100 million passenger fares.

Because the system is service-driven by government, the TTC is not in control of its own destiny. Gary Webster made the comment to me that "The City Council has not yet made the choice to make Toronto a transit city", and clearly the TTC will not be able to take a more pro-active approach until (if at all) the Council takes such a stance. However, the politicians on the City Council are timid, fearing a backlash. As things stand, just to meet their current obligation to the TTC, the Council will have to find another $5m. in next year's budget.

City Councillors wanted to be seen to be doing something, so they supported the construction of the Shepherd's Subway, which is just 5 stations long and is costing just under $1bn for 6.4km of track. When it opens in two years time the predictions are that it will not break even.

As we spoke, Gary Webster made comparisons of the TTC with some US cities to show that Toronto was still ahead, including the fact that the TTC has excellent count data, and that Boston uses the TTC standards. The revenue to costs ratio of the TTC is 82%, while Boston's is nearing just 50%.

Overall, each year the TTC needs $300m. for capital replacement alone, and they are competing with the road system for funding.

The subway system is a heavy rail one, and Gary Webster described the subway as the backbone of Toronto's public transport system. The subways operate on a 2.5-5 minute frequency 24 hours per day!

The subway is designed as a grid system, rather than radial, which of necessity forces people to transfer. Nevertheless, my experience of the system was such that, with that level of service, there was little inconvenience in the transfer process.

By comparison, New York is a less flexible system because it does not allow for transfers.

The Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) appears to be another add-on in a system that is not cohesive. It was opened in 1985 and was almost immediately deemed to be too small for the demand and the Provincial government agreed to provide extra funding to bring it up to intermediate capacity. It has 28 cars of 40' length.

The TTC operates 196 streetcars (which carry up to 76 passengers) and 52 articulated LRTs (effectively a streetcar with its own protected right of way. The "streetcar project" began in the 1980s, A letter dated 26 May 1986 from the General Manager, Planning, states that "with today's traffic congestion the operation of streetcars has been slowed to the point where new lines cannot be economically justified unless traffic interference is eliminated. This new approach seems only reasonable when one considers that a streetcar line, on its own right-of-way, will carry over 5,000 passengers per hour, while a lane dedicated to auto traffic carries only about one-fifth that number."

At that time the TTC proposed the construction of a small kerb between the streetcar track and the road but this was opposed by the Council. But, more recently, 120 accidents in a three year period on "mixed routes" between streetcars and cars has seen barriers erected.

There are 130 bus routes on which a fleet of 1700 buses runs, operating at a frequency of once every 90 seconds in some areas at peak time. With maintenance programs the TTC has an 18 year life plan for buses as a way of trying to reduce costs.

125 of the buses operate on CNG, but the infrastructure costs for CNG are higher than diesel while operating costs have not gone down.

Services with poor financial performance might be stopped altogether, frequency of service reduced or restricted to particular times of the day. Urban densities in some suburbs are too low to justify a continuing service. European countries are better at building their suburbs around their public transport routes. At one point twenty mini-buses were tried on some routes, but they were not viable.

The City buys and maintains the bus shelters, with advertising meeting the costs of their construction.

"Wheel Trans" operates a door to door service with a fleet of 127 vehicles. It is a very expensive operation, moving 2-3 people per hour, with only 5% cost recovery and therefore has strict eligibility criteria. The criteria is not necessarily medical, but is based on assessment of a person's mobility in, around and outside the home.

Generally speaking, a wheelchair-bound person will fit the criteria but someone using a walking frame will not. Neither will a blind or partially sighted person: as justification the TTC says that the Canadian National Institute of the Blind believes that, with appropriate training, people with sight problems will be able to use the public transport system.

People with a mental or intellectual disability will not qualify. This is viewed as a social issue and not a transport issue, and the carers must make their own arrangements.

Every new bus purchased for general routes now has to be disability accessible, but there is an associated business cost of a loss of 10-15 passenger spaces and the need to offer more services to make up for those lost spaces.

The fare is $1.70 per journey (inclusive of transfers) on any mode of transport, although a cheaper option is "Metropass" which was being advertised widely on the trains and station platforms.

The Metropass costs $81.00 allowing up to 70 trips per month, and 120 of these are being sold each month. Some of the holders of a Metropass are able to get free parking at "Park-and-Ride" stations. Gary Webster stated that the TTC could not afford to have these passes used as a loss leader, so it was a little unclear to me as to why the promotion was continuing.

For the subways, tickets are placed in a turnstile for entry on to the platform, but despite there being no turnstiles (or security guards) on the way out, fare evasion is only 1%. On explaining to Gary Webster what is happening at Adelaide Railway station he wanted to know what the business case for doing this is. In the TTC's experience the financial outlay does not justify such a system of policing.

I did not make contact with the operators of "GO Transit" which operates a heavy rail commuter service between rural areas and Toronto, but I understand it is a reasonably successful system, the existence of which has removed the need to build six six-lane highways.

In Vancouver, Province of British Columbia, Canada, I met with Clive Rock, the Manager of Strategic Planning of Translink, and Ken Hardie, the Manager of Communication and Media Relations at Translink.

Formerly operating as BC Transit, one of a number of entities that formed Vancouver Roads and Transport, Translink came into being as a separate entity in April 1999 following passage of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Act.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District, which is made up of 21 municipalities, had a human population of approximately 2 million in 1999. It is the sixth most rapidly growing area in North America with a projected population increase of 1 million by 2021. With such facts in mind a public consultation process called "Creating Our Future" began in the early 1990s.

In that process a majority of people agreed that development and expansion of mass transit systems ought to be the transport priority. The document which arose out of that process describes a vision that South Australia could and should adopt: "Greater Vancouver can become the first urban region in the world to combine in one place the things to which humanity aspires on a global basis: a place where human activities enhance rather than degrade the natural environment, where the quality of the built environment approaches that of the natural setting, where the diversity of origins and religions is a source of social strength rather than strife, where people control the destiny of their community, and where the basics of food, clothing, shelter, security and useful activity are accessible to all."

With "Creating Our Future" formulating the vision, the "Livable Region Strategic Plan" describes the strategy to enact that vision and Part 25 of the Municipal Act provides the legal framework for the development and implementation of the strategic plan.

The "Livable Region Strategic Plan" (LRSP) demonstrates the understanding by the authorities of the vital links between transport and human settlement: "How people travel is another key element of growth which has implications for the patterns of settlement, public costs to provide transportation infrastructure, and the environment".

The transport strategy acknowledges the historical "love affair" with the private car, but recognises that, "as the region's population continues to grow, our dependence on the private automobile needs to be reduced if we are to have any chance of addressing the issues of air pollution, congestion and the spiralling public costs associated with them". As proof of this need, over the past decade, whilst average work travel distances has remained static, the average time taken to travel the same distance has increased from 19.5 minutes to 26.5 minutes.

Based on projections, Vancouver needs to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2010 to meet Kyoto Protocol targets, and the transport strategy is consistent with some of these responsibilities. But even if all of the current measures identified by Translink in a 1999 discussion paper were to be implemented less than half the target will be met.

First adopted in 1996, the LRSP is required to be continually reviewed and is mandated for an update every five years.

The strategy to reduce car dependence is based on development of better mass transit systems, car-pooling, priority for higher occupancy vehicles on the roads, and the enhancement and retrofitting of local streets to encourage cycling and walking. Demand management, which the Democrats in South Australia have long advocated for our energy planning, is an integral part of Vancouver's transport planning. The concept is so strongly entrenched that it even has its own acronym - TDM (Transport Demand Management).

Based on both carrot and stick approaches, TDM when adopted in 1996 assumed a number of actions, including Employer Trip Reduction Programs (van and car pooling), parking management (both supply and pricing), financial incentives (such as distance-based insurance) and road pricing/tolling. But compared to the 1996 LRSP the demand is not being managed to the extent hoped. In 1999 Translink identified "slippage in transport initiatives" with a comment that "transit expansion is significantly short of what is needed and efforts to manage transportation demand are well behind schedule".

With a mandated update of the plan required in 2001, Translink issued a discussion paper in September 1999 which offered three alternative transport visions:

At the end of the consultation process the people of Vancouver had opted for a path somewhere between the 'current path' and 'to boldly go'. This path was titled 'Enhanced Livability through Managed Mobility'.

Throughout the transit system a series of posters were on display with a "hidden" message contained in the colour print, a rather clever device to make passengers read each sign twice, and to look for each variation.

The fully electrified, automated (and therefore driverless) elevated tramway known as "SkyTrain" takes pride of place in Vancouver's mass transit system. It began operating as a 21.4 km line with 15 stations in January 1986, with two subsequent extensions opening in 1989 and 1994 bringing it to a total length of 28.9 kms with 20 stations and 150 cars.

Operating always in pairs, each car is 12.7m long and can carry up to 75 passengers, travelling at up to 80 km/hour. During peak hours the frequency of service is 2'30", extending to 5' in non-peak periods. When the frequency was increased by 10% patrons immediately took up any slack.

As well as being driverless Skytrain is guardless, although much attention is given to security. Roving attendants patrol the system randomly inspecting tickets, assisting passengers and responding to problems.Advice about security is prominently displayed in the cars.

At the stations, signage gives a clear indication of the safest areas to stand so that patrons can ensure they are under the watchful eye of a security camera. Graffiti-proof (and jump-proof/push-proof) fencing is used at the stations, which might deter some undesirable elements from hanging around at the stations.

Park-and-Ride facilities are available at many of the stations. Most are free, although at one there is a small charge of $1 per day. There is a problem of availability of space to meet the demand, and Translink is investigating co-operative arrangements with shopping centres. There has been a problem of theft at some of the carparks.

The cable-stayed bridge across the Fraser River built exclusively for the use of Skytrain, photo; A Kanck

The shift in thinking about transport which has occurred in Vancouver in the past 20 years is demonstrated by the existence of a bridge built solely for "Skytrain". I have to confess to being surprised as we crossed it, but then thought "Why not?". We have bridges built solely for motor vehicles, and in the 21st Century a bridge built for the sole use of public transport ought to be part of our way of thinking.

Skytrain has proved to be immensely popular with an 80% increase in patronage experienced from its beginning in 1986 to mid 1996. As a consequence the average operating cost per passenger dropped in the same time-period by 25%.

Twenty new cars are to be added to service the existing line as part of and agreed expansion of the system. This will allow an increase of peak hour capacity by up to 25%.

The service is being extended with a new line opening in 2001 from New Westminster linking in to the existing line at Broadway, a service which will include the University.

In the longer term a further 33 km is proposed to be added to the system with an extension of the line to Coquitlam projected for 2005, and a line between Lougheed and New Westminster for 2008. In the much longer term of a 25 year plan a 16 km line between the city and Richmond is proposed.

These are behind the original targets of BC Transit, which had planned for the Coquitlam line to be in place by 2003, and the Lougheed-New Westminster line to be in place by 2005. Translink identifies the completion of these two lines as being 'critically important' to achieving the goals of the LRSP.

Although not applicable to the South Australian transport situation, the Seabus is a ferry, which, like the rest of Vancouver's mass transit system, operates extremely efficiently, offloading 3-400 passengers within about one minute after a very fast and smooth trip across the Burrard Inlet.

The signage in this photo demonstrates the physical proximity of the different modes of mass transit - Seabus, Buses and SkyTrain. Not shown, but also extremely close by, was the regional heavy rail system, the West Coast Express.

Although I did not ride the buses, one of the first things I noticed about the service - at least in the Downtown area I was staying - was the large number of buses on the roads, and how well used they were. Even at 9.00 p.m. buses going by were still full with people standing in the aisles on some services.

There are two main bus services, City Bus and B-Line. City Bus is a local service with frequent stops. The current fleet of 1015 vehicles will be increased by another 318 vehicles by 2005. The frequency of service will be increased to 15-20 minutes, down to 10-15 minutes during peak times.

The B-Line is a frequent-boarding, limited-stop service using articulated buses, operating along just one route i.e. past the University of British Columbia. It has proved extremely popular, with ridership increasing from 8000 per day, following its introduction in 1996, to over 12000 per day. The five year plan envisages an expansion of the number of routes, 165 buses to be in operation by 2005, and the installation of a priority system to avoid traffic congestion.

Seventy-six "express buses", which Translink describes as "the bus equivalent to commuter rail" come onstream in 2001 increasing to a total of one hundred by 2005. These will provide a service between regional town centres.

The problem of car usage in Vancouver is demonstrated by a simple statistic: every hour, three extra new cars begin using the road system - the same rate as births!

Funding arrangements are always interesting to compare with our own and, in Vancouver's case, Translink funds the municipalities to maintain the roads and therefore does not have to buy or maintain any road plant itself.

To qualify as an HOV the car must be carrying at least three people, but there are pressures on Translink - which they are resisting - to reduce it to two.

Van-pooling and vehicle co-operatives are also being encouraged as alternatives. The Jack Bell Foundation purchased 50 passenger vans and made them available for hire for groups of up to eight people for a small fee. Translink ultimately took over the service and, with the support of the Canada Trust, purchased more vans: Canada Trust is able to advertise on the sides of these vans at no cost.

Under the 2000-2005 plan the number of vans for van pooling is aimed to be increased from the current 96 to 500.

From 2000-2005 the transport budget devotes $333 million to roads as compared with $1055 million to mass transit. A Translink broadsheet states "The higher cost of driving will make the new options even more attractive for many. Others, particularly those who must rely on driving, will benefit every time new choices take another single occupant vehicle off the road".

Not surprisingly, with this as the philosophy, the Gateway Council, which represents commercial transport interests, is strongly behind the strategy as they see more cars on the roads as competition for them, and therefore detrimental to the economy. As Translink's September 1999 Transportation Discussion Plan says "If this region cannot move goods ... in a manner that is as good or better than our competitors ... it will be at an economic disadvantage".

As noted earlier, the "Plan" commits to enhancing/retrofitting local streets to encourage cycling and walking. At the time of my visit $5 million had been budgetted to build more bicycle lock-ups, extend the availability of bike racks on buses (the 99-B route has this service available on all its buses), and improvements to the cycling network (which is the responsibility of the municipalities).

Translink's "Strategic Transportation Plan 2000-2005" notes that "a third of all work trips are less than 5 kilometres" and therefore potentially suitable for bicycles, and in the longer term it is planned for cyclists to be able to bring their bikes onto Skytrain.

There is a bicycle advocacy group, Better Environmentally Sustainable Transport (BEST).

Each year Translink surveys 1500 households regarding their transport patterns. Every trip that every member of the household makes outside of the house is recorded, including walking.

The 1999 survey revealed that between 29 and 50 percent of elementary school children were being delivered to school by car, mostly because parents were concerned about the safety of their children if they walked on their own. A program has been developed, called "The Walking School Bus" in which an adult volunteer walks a set route with a set timetable carrying a yellow rope, and children can step out from their homes and walk along to school, holding the rope, reversing the process in the afternoon.

The Province of British Columbia has not directly provided transport for people with disabilities since 1982 as they made the decision that such a service was not public transport. At that time they decided to contract the services out to the disability sector. With Government assistance, the Pacific Transport Co-operative was formed as the operating company, with all members of its Board being people with disabilities. Translink owns the 227 mini-buses, and the PTC has had the tender for the service for the past 20 years: the PTC is responsible for running the service including hiring the drivers.

British Columbia Transit made a commitment in 1995 for their services to become fully disability-accessible. The trolley-buses are not accessible, and will need to be phased out at a cost of $250 million. Other buses are either low floor or have lifts, but the observation was made to me that a drawback of the low floor buses is that the passenger is not able to talk to the driver. Additionally, the reduction in the number of seats means that more vehicles must be purchased. Skytrain is accessible at all stations but one.

The ticket machines used for SkyTrain came from Australia, where Victorian transport unions in the early 80s would not allow them to be introduced. Concerns are being expressed in Vancouver about fare evasion, and this is currently being investigated.

Secondary students can ride at concession rates provided they show their photo ID "Go-Card", which school photographers produce for free for all students.

Tertiary education students access concession fares, with a monthly concession pass, provided they show their "Fast Tracks" ID card. This scheme is administered and policed by student societies: Translink decided it would be easier for the students themselves to be the judges of their peers and make the decisions about abuse of the system and consequent restrictions of access.

The most recent public consultation process revealed concerns about 'significant' numbers of people not paying their fares on Skytrain, and a study is underway to assess the costs and benefits of instituting a barrier system at the stations. The updated transportation plan which resulted from that consultation includes an undertaking for the fare structure to result in 50% cost recovery, and this had led to a fare price increase shortly before we arrived in Canada.

Fares had recently been increased by 25c per fare, and Translink's public relations team had erected posters such as these around the transit system.

"In order to limit social and environmental costs, the proposals ... are costly in financial terms" is the honest observation made by Translink in its 2000-2005 Transportation Plan.

Translink's funding comes from a variety of sources - fares, gasoline taxes, parking sales tax (7%, to be tripled by 2005), a $1.90 per month levy on BC Hydro's residential electricity accounts, property taxes, but Translink has chosen to not activate this as yet.

The Province collects a 15c/litre gasoline tax of which Translink gets 8c, which will rise to 10c. The Federal gasoline tax, which collects $350 million p.a. from the Greater Vancouver region, does not return any money to the Province to support the local transportation network.

At the time of my visit, Translink had just completed a public consultation process (what Clive Rock and Ken Hardie described to me as "ritual floggings") about the need for increased funding and the sources of that funding.

The levy is the favoured course with three versions offered for discussion: a flat rate and two variations of a variable rate. The flat rate was proposed at $75 per private vehicle and $190 per commercial vehicle, one variable rate one was to be based on the amount of usage of the vehicle and the other based on vehicle weight on the basis of a relationship to pollution. Of the variable rates, each version suggested three differing levels which residents were asked to preference on a survey sheet.

Vehicle class	Version 1 Levy	Version 2 Levy	Version 3 Levy
Pleasure use only*	60	45	30
Commute to work/school	80	80	80
Business use	100	135	175
Taxis	100	135	175
Commercial and Buses	185	195	195

Vehicle weight	Version 1 Levy	Version 2 Levy	Version 3 Levy
Private pass 1150kg*	55	40	25
1150 - 1650 kg**	80	40	75
1650 kg ***	90