Canadian Rural Partnership
Research and Analysis

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This is the first in a series of reports on research undertaken on rural transportation in Ontario, 1998 - 2001.

The first report is based on an examination of the rural experience of the Community Transportation Action Program (CTAP), a provincial initiative to stimulate greater coordination of local transportation services. Although short-lived, the CTAP was very effective and it provides us with many insights into how communities can develop their own style of program. A report specifically on detailed community approaches to local transportation services will conclude this series

Report number two concerns rural youth and a survey of their transportation issues. Report number three is a first look at rural roads and their future given the changes in municipal restructuring, and the "export" nature of the rural economy. Report number four is based on an examination of elderly and individuals with disabilities living in rural areas and their mobility problems. Information is drawn from the literature and from comparative studies.

At the small community level, rural transportation is almost entirely dependent upon the automobile. Apart from inter-city buses, there is no public transportation in small town Canada. We may assume that those with access to an automobile are able to get around. In this research, those without regular access to transportation are considered potentially to be "transportation disadvantaged." This includes the elderly, rural youth, and the mobility challenged.

Getting around in rural areas is essential for most people's needs. Mobility governs access to jobs and services as well as to social and recreational activities. To a large extent, the economy, as well as civil society, is dependent upon transportation of one kind or another. Therefore, the provision and maintenance of transportation infrastructure is of prime importance in rural areas and this includes roads, bridges and soft infrastructure such as regulation (insurance and policing). Transportation thus involves a complex set of interconnected parts and requires a good deal of planning and servicing to remain effective and efficient.

It is surprising therefore, that very little research attention has been paid to rural transportation issues in the 20 years preceding the end of the 20th century, at least in Ontario. This research series is designed as a scan of transportation conditions in rural areas of the province and is intended to provide information on some of the key issues and servicing problems facing governments, organizations and rural citizens.

This research on the Community Transportation Action Program (CTAP) was undertaken through the Sustainable Rural Communities (SRC) research program at the University of Guelph with funds from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The SRC is one of the research programs under the Enhanced Partnership between OMAFRA and the University of Guelph.

The bulk of the work was undertaken by Marni Herold, a graduate student in the School of Rural Planning and Development, with help from Kathleen Kay and Todd Gordon, all graduates of the Master's of Science program in the School of Rural Planning and Development at Guelph. Marni Herold completed a master's thesis on this topic.

Funding support and help in kind was received from The Ontario Rural Council (TORC). The Ontario Ministry of Transportation was extremely helpful in making available documents and staff to assist the review.

To all concerned in those communities that collaborated on the field research a special gesture of thanks. We hope that the report will in some way acknowledge the effort and dedication of all those trying to improve the transportation situation in small-town and rural Ontario.

Tony Fuller and Marni Herold
Guelph
December 2000

In almost all discussions of issues in rural Ontario, the problematic nature of community transportation is repeatedly interwoven, no matter what the topic. Transportation has been recognized as a pressing issue related to municipal restructuring, family violence, school closures, and health-care restructuring, to name but a few. Because of the ubiquitous nature of rural transport as a rural issue, it was decided that exploratory research was necessary to determine what policy, and community planning, actions might be taken to improve community transportation services in rural areas.

This report is focussed on the first two years of research and is limited to an assessment of the Community Transportation Access Program (CTAP), a multi-sectoral initiative of the Government of Ontario, 1996 to 1999. It is focused on community involvement in CTAP.

The objectives of the study were as follows:

1. To assess the rural transportation problem in Ontario by means of a comparative literature review;
2. To determine, by means of evaluation techniques, the effectiveness of government programs in promoting rural transportation in Ontario;
3. To examine cases of locally based transportation systems in rural Ontario for lessons learned and useful ideas; and,
4. To describe a set of models of community-based transportation systems for potential use in rural Ontario. A triangulation approach to research was used in order to fulfill the objectives of the first two years of the project.

The methodology used is divided into three parts:

1. A synthesis of information from previous research relating to automobile access, social service coordination, and rural transportation policy;
2. A review of policies and programs that encourage the development of community based transportation projects and
3. A case study review for detailed community analysis.

The literature is not devoid of evidence suggesting that rural transportation is a serious issue for many rural residents especially elderly and young people, and individuals with physical disabilities. Rural transportation may be new in regards to rural youth, but is it has long been established as an issue for rural people in general.

The provision of transportation services on the other hand is much more fragmented and uneven. According to the literature, in the absence of public transportation and the prohibitive cost of taxis in many rural areas, the need for more services and the coordination of existing services is needed.

The Community Transportation Action Program (CTAP) in rural Ontario (1996-1999) was used as an example of a government-funded program encouraging the development of community based transportation projects. CTAP was devised and supported by the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, the Ministry of Community and Social Services, and the Ministry of Health in Ontario.

From the review of 14 rural communities funded by CTAP, three forms of transportation coordination in rural areas became evident. The categories that have been developed are flexible and general in nature reflecting the uniqueness of each rural community and available transportation resource base. The three 'types' of transportation projects include:

1. Urban centralized - high resource
2. Rural centralized- low resource
3. Rural dispersed

Case studies provided examples of models of coordination at each of the three levels and outlined self-prescribed improvements and successful steps.

The three 'types' of models identified can be useful to communities and organizations wishing to explore methods of coordinating transportation systems, or creating a project that suits the needs and resource base of their area. Useful information has been gathered in terms of what approaches could lead to an improvement to lives of the transportation disadvantaged people living in rural areas.

Several recommendations were made relating to information sharing, policy development, and future programming for rural transportation initiatives.

The full report is available in PDF format or by contacting:

Rural Research and Analysis Unit
Rural Secretariat, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
1341 Baseline Road, Tower 7, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C5
Tel.: 1-888-781-2222
Fax: 1-800-884-9899
E-mail: rs@agr.gc.ca

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