MD OF BIGHORN – While it may not be Roam, the MD of Bighorn has not given up on the possibility of having regional transit for its residents.
“I received an invitation from Mayor [Sean] Krausert to meet with Roam a couple months ago,” said Reeve Lisa Rosvold. "It was just an informal conversation over lunch where we talked about different options that might be available for the municipality.”
Before any buses start moving, the first step is a feasibility study for the MD.
“We will be seeing that presented to council as part of our 2023 budget,” Rosvold said.
In 2020, an MD of Bighorn transportation study was stalled after a provincial grant dedicated to fund half the project was cancelled.
The study was meant to fund the initial step of a cost-analysis and a needs assessment to move toward establishing a new transit route or stops in the hamlets of the MD. The study would have also researched the benefits of adding regional Roam transit stops in the MD. Currently, Roam has local transit in Banff and Canmore, as well as regional routes between the two communities.
In 2020, each partner paid $150,000 in administrative costs, plus each community pays the commission for the cost of operating local routes including the cost to purchase buses.
In 2021, MD council was told that providing public transit throughout the Bow Valley would be too expensive for the MD. If the MD of Bighorn were to join Roam, the costs would be applied to municipal property taxes. On a per household basis, that would equate to an increase of $700 to $1,000 in municipal property taxes for each residential property.
The feasibility study would allow the MD to look at different opportunities for grants to cut down on costs. The study will also identify what options would be available to meet the needs of residents.
“It may not be tied to Roam. We are going to look to see if there is a need, what the ridership would be like and what the opportunities would be like,” Rosvold said. “Roam could be one of those opportunities, but there could be other opportunities if there is a need.”
Public transit in the MD would give many residents more mobility to reach the larger centres in the Bow Valley, while also helping the local environment.
“I have heard from people that have younger children, teenagers, who would love to see it just for hockey practices and those types of recreational opportunities,” Rosvold said. “Of course, it would allow for more cars to get off the road.”
