Mastering the Transportation Plan

In this edition of On the Move, we cover the proposed Transportation Master Plan, the problems some passengers are having with On-Demand, and the impact of Greyhound pulling out of Canada

Welcome to this edition of On the Move, a twice-a-month newsletter sharing transit news and views from Guelph and beyond presented by the Transit Action Alliance of Guelph. It arrives directly in your inbox on the 1st and 15th of each month.

Have your say on May 26th when City Council will discuss the future of Guelph’s transportation network through the presentation of a preferred transportation solution for the Guelph’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP). The preferred solution focuses on sustainability and resilience, and ensures Guelph is ready to navigate the future including building a “Quality Transit Network”.

Connected to the TMP, the City is seeking proposals from qualified engineering firms to provide a report on implementing Transit Signal Priority Measures along a section of Gordon Street between Waterloo Avenue and Poppy Drive.

The city recently awarded a contract to install concrete bus pads at 12 stops including creating a new stop on Paisley Road at Ryde Road.

Guelph council signals support for $228M operations campus that will include a new transit storage facility.

City must act on climate change targets now, says coalition of environmental groups.

Detour in place for Route 13 Victoria Road Recreation Centre has been extended until end of service on May 18.

Proposed Cambridge-to-Toronto GO Transit line could be routed through Guelph.

The new On-Demand Service rolled out by Guelph Transit on May 2nd has been giving grief to some riders along the former Route 16 Southgate route:

Jake Sperry @sperry_jake

@guelphtransit Multiple people, myself included are late every day taking this new service. I cannot take an earlier bus because one is not offered. This is a giant oversight and is NOT working. -1 / 5 stars.

Justin Stratton @JustinStratton7

@guelphtransit A coworker of mine gets off from Southgate after 5pm and is now forced to Uber everyday due to no outbound service and outbound ending before it.

The Guelph Chamber of Commerce, which TAAG is a member, also chimed in:

Shakiba Shayani @shakiba_s

@TAAGuelph Flagging colleagues @cityofguelph @guelphtransit - in addition to tracking challenges, hopefully more employers can be engaged to ensure their employees know how best to use the new bus.

Quick action by City staff to keep Guelph Central Station accessible:

Transit Action Alliance of Guelph (TAAG) @TAAGuelph

Thank you @cityofguelph for the quick response. Moving the pots over keeps #Guelph Central Station accessible for all types of users. @guelphtransit

Transit Action Alliance of Guelph (TAAG) @TAAGuelph

These trees and pots are in awkward locations at GCS. We just saw someone on a mobility device try to get around them - it wasn't easy. Maybe a reconsideration of where these have been plopped down @cityofguelph #Guelph #GuelphTransit #accessibility https://t.co/hSLeeMqx2Q

Federal government to spend $12B on Toronto, Hamilton transit

Greyhound Canada announced that it's cancelling its services permanently. This includes the Kitchener-Guelph-Toronto express buses.

ATU launched an e-mail campaign asking the Federal Government to create a National Inter-City Public Transit Service.

Megabus says they will expand service in Ontario, while Ontario Northland says the Greyhound cuts will have no impact on their service. An Ottawa Citizen Editorial suggests Greyhound's departure clears the road for others.

Sean Marshall looks at how Greyhound Canada’s inevitable decline leaves a few gaps to fill as well as the various new transit connections throughout Ontario.

Canadian bus companies say they have plans to fill the gap left by Greyhound while GO Transit is currently reviewing its options:

Metrolinx @Metrolinx

@TAAGuelph @guelphtransit @GOtransit @GuelphChamber Hi, we are always looking at the entirety of the transportation and transit landscape in the GTHA. In the coming weeks we will work with our partners at MTO to determine if there is a role for Metrolinx and GO Transit in filling the gap in service. ^fs

This newsletter is open for anyone to subscribe, so if you know a friend or associate that might like to receive this newsletter, send it to them, and get them to click on the button below:

Needed: A Federal Program to Boost Transit Service

U.S. extends transit face mask requirements through Sept. 13

Paris experiments with driverless shuttle service

AVTA passes new electric milestone with five million miles of zero-emission bus operations

Six Global Lessons in Transit Recovery for any size city

In a Pandemic, We're All 'Transit Dependent'

eMERGE and others will make the case that 2050 is too late to complete the move to net zero in a virtual event on Wednesday May 19th at 7 pm.

The Transit Advisory Committee meets virtually on Thursday May 20th at 5:30 pm.

TAAG will host a “Transit Spaces” conversation on Twitter in the coming days. Note: Twitter Spaces is only available on mobile devices (iOS and Android)

Miss our webinar on Transit Scheduling? Watch it here!

Throwback to July 2011 when the old Greyhound Terminal was being torn down to make way for the new Guelph Central Station.

Please share this newsletter with whomever you think would like to know more about transit.

Join TAAG today by becoming a member! Go to taaguelph.com/join to sign up and help support our efforts to make transit in Guelph and area frequent, affordable, and accessible for all.

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