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Public transit changes proposed for Orangeville

April 21, 2016   ·   0 Comments

A consultant’s report to Orangeville Council recommends some major changes in the town’s public transit service.

Presented to Council Monday night, the report by Dennis Kar of Dillon Consulting Limited focused on financially sustainable tactics that would optimize service, improve service quality, and meet the demands of a growing Orangeville population.

Mr. Kar outlined the many challenges that the transit system must deal with over the next five years. In 2020, the Orangeville population is expected to be 32,000. In addition, ridership of Orangeville Transit is projected to grow from 112,000 riders to 186,000. However, the Town’s investment in transit will need to increase from $232,000 annually to over $500,000.

The report addressed the need to provide reliable service. Specifically, the overall system resources must be properly allocated. This would mean reviewing weekday service when the transit system has high ridership and making adjustments to weekend services when it is not as busy.

The consultant’s report also addressed crowding on certain routes. For example, the “orange” route is affected by overcrowding during peak hours. High school ridership adds significant volumes during school start (prior to 9 a.m.) and end-of-day classes (3 p.m.). These pressure points must be reviewed if transit is to be considered a service that people trust and use.

Dillon Consulting recognized that there is an issue surrounding adherence to arrival times. Many instances of buses running late cause riders to lose faith in the service and inhibit growth.

Mr. Kar also spoke to the need to improve the current coverage model employed by the buses. Currently only 66 per cent of the town’s residents have easy access to bus stops. The desired range which encourages full use is actually 75 to 90%.

Since newly developed neighbourhoods need to be served, Orangeville’s current route structure must balance coverage and directness. In other words, transportation should be easily accessible and quick.

The report said increased transit hours on the weekend and later hours during the week could help solve this.

Lastly, the future Orangeville Transit system should include expansion beyond the town’s borders, perhaps into Shelburne and Mono.

The report said accessibility for persons with disabilities needs to continue to be addressed as the service expands. The town does operate a fully accessible service which includes the use of lift-equipped, high-floor buses with access to accessible stops. The town must offer equal access to all persons with disabilities. Dignified public transit services is a right protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code. All of this means that under current circumstances the town still runs the risk of having a human rights complaint issued against them.

Recommendations by Mr.Kar include:

• elocating the transit terminal to Westdale Mall (where the Beer Store is on Broadway). This would allow for shorter routes and diminished waiting times.

• ddressing the route structures. Specifically, extending the service to new neighbourhoods and key destinations such as high schools, Orangeville Mall, and Walmart.

• Purchasing larger buses to ease congestion and address the problem of aging buses. The model recommends ordering 30-foot buses.

• With the town’s contract up for negotiation as of December 31, a request for proposals should be issued in the short term.

• New bus stops, pads, and shelters where appropriate.

• A specialized transit service  for those with disabilities.

The report was received by council and the transit committee was instructed to work through the recommendations.

Transit Committee chair John Chamberlain said he was extremely excited to be leading the team making recommendations for Orangeville’s future. He was, however, somewhat surprised to see that Councillor Nick Garisto had asked council to increase the transit committee by one member. The  committee had voted in its last meeting not to increase its membership, and the issue would be addressed at the next Transit Committee meeting.


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