Ticket to ride - the future of transit
Published March 21, 2008
One of the issues that I and the other urban Councillors have heard loud and clear over the past years is issues surrounding our Transit Service. Many times, I have had residents express their frustration about service within Sherwood Park. The most common concern I hear is the length of time and the amount of transfers it takes to get to various places within Sherwood Park, namely the Sherwood Park Mall and Millennium Place.
Historically, our Transit Service was designed to provide support to the commuter service. Our commuter buses do an excellent job of whisking people to such places as the U of A., Grant Mc Ewen and downtown, but seem to be lacking when it comes to internal community service.
Our Transit Manger is acutely aware of the problems and also the need to ratchet up our service, so to speak, within Sherwood Park. During the budget deliberations, he outlined to Council, a plan he had to make Transit a true bus service within Sherwood Park and also plans to capture rural areas. His plan was accepted, as Council was acutely aware of the needs of residents and the demands of the community in regards to public transit. Not public transit simply for the sake of public transit, but a legitimate need to address our growing dependency on fossil fuels. In return, provide greater options for residents to leave their vehicles behind.
Our Transit Manger and his staff are in the throes of finalizing details to confirm and implement the plan. Council is not aware of the routes or the intimate details of the plan at this time. It is envisioned though, with the new plan in service, it will provide more direct routes within and throughout the community. In addition, it will tie in to our commuter service. It is hoped that with the new service, you will simply be able to get on a bus near your residence and take that bus to the point of commuter service and leave your car behind.
Will the new service be perfect and address everything, probably not. What it will do, is enhance our service to the point where residents will have many more options in their travel and commutes. I know that if it was within the financial reach of Council, we would implement a mass transit system and try to get all cars off the road. As you can understand though, that is not possible and we have to take many little steps.
We have a committed and dedicated Transit Department who have a great vision for the future. Council will work with them and Administration to do our best to provide our residents the best transit service possible. It will all take time and I ask for your patience and understanding as we take this first step towards a comprehensive transit service. Though it will not be end all and be all, I remain confident it will go a long way to addressing some of the transit issues that riders face. Changes should occur sometime in August.
Peter Wlodarczak
Councillor, Ward 4
780-464-8146
wlodarczak@strathcona.ab.ca
Last updated: Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Page ID: 1943