By Doug Draper
Niagara’s regional council has approved putting aside $3.1 million in start-up funding in the event it moves forward this coming year with launching an inter-municipal transit system.
The council made the decision to hold the funding in reserve during its last full session of 2009 (held this past Thursday, Dec. 17) as part of a $132.5-million capital budget package it passed for roads, wastewater, waste management and other infrastructure. The decision brings Niagara another step closer to possibly realizing a 40-year vision of providing residents access to public transit, as an alternative to driving a car, from one end of the region to another.
See a related story in Niagara At Large by sreturning to the home page of this site and scrolling down through our stories to the headline; ‘Critical Decision On Region-Wide Transit System Is Looming’. That story offers more details on what is at stake for Niagara on this issue and at the end provides a list of contact information for your mayor and d directly elected members of regional council to let them know where you stand of expanding public transit before they make a final decision.
A special meeting of council has been tentatively scheduled for this coming Jan. 28 to debate the details of how such a transit system could be launched and whether it should be operated at the regional level or by a coalition of local municipalities.
Stay in touch with Niagara At Large and we will bring you further details on the region’s transit plans and how you can get involved as the Jan. 28 meeting approaches.
Good to see the council seriously looking at public transit. Speaking from someone who lives in a growing municipality and experiencing some growing pains with transit, I hope they look at how convenient the routes will be.
Outside of the morning rush hours, Milton buses run mostly empty during the day. The routes arent convenient for a lot of potential riders to get around town.
Nothing can be perfect at the start and its a learning process for everyone involved. From the staff who work on the routes and getting things started to the residents who should give it a try.
Good post.