Nipissing-Temiskaming MP Anthony Rota has announced $1.2 million dollars in funding from the federal government will go towards 12 new transit projects in North Bay. That money is only 50 per cent of the overall costs for these projects, so the city will provide matching funding for a total of $2.4-million. The funding is part of the first phase of “Investing in Canada”, the government’s plan to support public infrastructure across the country. The 12 projects include the installation of electronic fare systems, installation of sidewalks on McKeown Avenue, security cameras on all transit fleet vehicles, installation of 10 new bus shelters and enhancing the accessibility at 30 bus stops.
Rota says the big thing is being able to modernize the city’s transit system. He says the big project is the new payment system where riders will be able to use either their phone or a debit or credit card to pay. He says another big thing is the ten new shelters being put up because on a cold day like today it’s hard for people taking transit. Rota finished by saying one of the highlights for him is they are moving closer to reducing their carbon footprint by having more people using transit, and being able to do so in comfort.
Mayor Al McDonald says like most northern cities, they struggle to deal with the climate and this funding will go a long way to being able to deal with those challenges. He says the whole idea behind this funding is to make our transit system more efficient and also approve ride-ability for our clients and customers and this is going to go a long way to modernize our entire fleet.
A troublesome bus stop from this winter will also be addressed. McDonald says the stop on McKeown Avenue is just on the grass, so they need to put cement pads there so they can remove the snow safely. He says right now when they bring the backhoe in it digs it up and gets all muddy which creates unsafe conditions for their riders. He says this is going to go a long way to dealing with some of those challenges on the few bus stops they heard about this winter.
