In keeping with local municipal government efforts to reduce traffic and congestion in valley towns, Canmore council unanimously decided to ante up $17,400 to take part in a summer transit pilot project.
As part of a Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) project to connect the region with buses, connecting the Calgary to the Bow Valley, an On-It bus service will run from June 17 to Sept. 3.
With On-It, the region will be connected via transit as never before, allowing even Okotoks residents and visitors to bus all the way to Lake Louise and back via Calgary. The service will run from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. with tickets $10 one way for adults and kids under five free. The service will also connect with local Roam transit for a comprehensive service.
The pilot project is pegged at $200,000, with Parks Canada and the Town of Banff springing for 46 per cent of the cost each, and the Town of Canmore, nine per cent.
The single Canmore stop will be at Benchlands Trail and Bow Valley Trail, with two trips in the morning and three return trips in the evening leaving town.
On-It currently operates a pilot project service linking Turner Valley, Black Diamond, Okotoks and Calgary. With a Bow Valley connection, the route will serve Okotoks, Calgary, Cochrane, Canmore and Banff with 55-seat coaches. Further free Roam connections are also planned for summer, including to Lake Louise.
The majority of the service will be between Crowfoot LRT station in Calgary and Banff. Tickets may be purchased online, or with debit and credit cards.
The $17,400 maximum Canmore has pledged would be if nobody used the service, otherwise, the Town would be billed for nine per cent of direct operation costs. Should the 55-seat coaches carry an average of 15 riders per trip, the cost would drop to $8,500 and should the buses carry 30 riders, there would be no cost to the Town at the end of summer.
The On-It pilot project, said Jacob Johnson with engineering services, is another piece in the puzzle of solving traffic, congestion and affordability issues, “and it will give insight to future possibilities.”
In all, said Johnson, there will be 10 buses into the Bow Valley and 13 out. “How do buses drop out of the sky? It’s a miracle of engineering,” he told council.
Actually, an extra three buses will be driven out each day to ensure nobody is stranded at end of day.
For the most, council supported the pilot project, although Councillor Ed Russell was concerned with the speed with which the project appeared in Canmore’s sights. He was also concerned that Canmore appeared to be a secondary thought in a system designed for Calgary and Banff.
“It’s good to save Banff and Lake Louise,” said Russell, “but I’m hopeful some stop off here. In future, I’d like to be active partner.”
Mayor John Borrowman, on the other hand, said “I don’t feel slighted at all. This is good for Canmore. And my guess is that people from the city will know Banff is congested and think, ‘Let’s go to Canmore.’ ”
Coun. Vi Sandford said she saw great potential in the project, in that someone from as far as Okotoks could visit the Bow Valley for several days through the use of Roam transit.
“People are tired of traffic and congestion,” said Coun. Rob Seeley, “this could go very well.”
Coun. Sean Krausert called the project a “no brainer. At very little cost we’re going to get extra data and cars off the road, with increased ridership for Roam.”
