City To Host Meeting To Highlight Transportation Needs On East Side Of Peterborough

Planning for how people travel around the City and planning for transportation needs on the east side of the City will be the subject of public information meetings being held at noon and 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 3.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

The meetings are being held as part of the development of the new city-wide Transportation Master Plan and the separate Eastside Transportation Study for the area east of the Otonabee River and north of Lansdowne Street East. The meetings will include a presentation about future transportation projects that could be recommended in the two studies as well as a question-and-answer period.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public information meeting is being held online. People who cannot participate online can join by phone. To register, visit www.connectptbo.ca/moveptbo or call 705-742-7777 x 1749.

The presentation materials will be available for review and comment on the study websites at www.connectptbo.ca starting Jan. 28.

The new Transportation Master Plan will include recommendations for all modes of travel to accommodate population and employment growth to the year 2051.

The City Council-approved vision of the Transportation Master Plan is: As the City grows, Peterborough’s transportation network will be enhanced to create a low emissions, responsive system where people of all ages and abilities can move safely, sustainably and efficiently, no matter how they choose to travel, today and in the future.

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Ontario Provides Additional Funding For Public Transit to Peterborough and County

The Ontario Government is providing $1,913,675 to the City of Peterborough and $41,648 to the County of Peterborough to support the expansion and improvement of public transit services announced Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of City of Peterborough.

The funding is part of the province’s Gas Tax program which will allocate $375.6 million this year to 107 municipalities that deliver public transit.

“Affordable and reliable public transit in our community is important for seniors, people with disabilities and workers. This funding will support the city and county of Peterborough’s transit systems by ensuring investments in maintenance and fleet expansion can continue,” said MPP Dave Smith.

Funding for the Gas Tax program is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year. Municipalities that support public transit services in their community receive two cents per litre of provincial Gas Tax revenue which can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure.

To make up for reduced gas sales due to COVID-19, this year’s Gas Tax funding includes one-time additional funding of $120.4 million to ensure municipalities can support their transit systems.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how critical public transit is for frontline workers and for Ontarians who depend on these services to get to medical appointments, the grocery store and other important locations,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “Gas Tax funding remains a vital source of long-term transit funding that municipalities can rely on to help operate and expand existing public transit services – ensuring people have access to safe and reliable transportation when they need it.”

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Changes To Transit Services During The New Year Holiday

Peterborough Transit holiday service changes will be in place until Jan. 7, 2022.

All routes:

• All late evening trips that depart after 11:30 p.m. are cancelled between the period until Jan. 7, 2022

• On Friday all routes end early with the last trip departing no later than 7:15 p.m. Extended New Year’s Eve service will not be offered this year.

• On Saturday there will be no service.

Additional changes:

• All weekday Route 11/11A Water trips will be cancelled until Friday, January 7, 2022.

• Friday the Route 2 Chemong trip departing from Rowberry at 7:15 p.m. will end at the Peterborough Terminal.

Transit Customer Service

The Customer Service desk at the Simcoe Street Terminal will operate with adjusted hours for the holiday period.

• Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Saturday: closed

Regular hours resume at the Simcoe Street Bus Terminal on Jan. 2, 2022.

For questions about Transit service, call Transit Operations at 705-745-0525 or by email at transitoperations@peterborough.ca.

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Kids Under 12 to Ride Free Under Peterborough Transit's Pilot Program

Peterborough Transit will offer free transit for kids aged 12 and under as part of their Pilot Program starting on Jan. 2 announced on Friday.

Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Transit.

The pilot program will run through 2022. Eligible children will not require a transit pass to ride the bus and will not be required to provide proof of age.

“This program can have significant long-term benefits by creating more lifetime transit riders,” said Councillor Kemi Akapo. “Children will not only learn to navigate the city and see public transit as their chosen travel option, they will also appreciate and contribute to the benefit of public transit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Free transit for eligible children will include all City of Peterborough regular transit routes and registered users of specialized van service.

The Link bus service operating between the City of Peterborough and Selwyn Township is not included in the pilot program. Customers accessing that service will be required to show proof of applicable Link fare.

When boarding, the child or the adult they are travelling with must let the bus driver know that they are 12 years old or under. Free child passes are available upon request. Contact Customer Service at 705-745-0525 for more information.

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Changes To Transit Services During The Holidays

Peterborough Transit holiday service changes will be in place from Dec. 23, until Jan. 7, 2022.

All routes:

• All late evening trips that depart after 11:30 p.m. are cancelled between the period from Thursday December 23, 2021 to Friday January 7, 2022

• On Friday December 24, all routes end early with the last trip departing no later than 7:30 p.m.

• On Friday December 31, all routes end early with the last trip departing no later than 7:15 p.m. Extended New Year’s Eve service will not be offered this year.

• On Saturday December 25 and Saturday January 1 there will be no service.

Additional changes:

• All weekday Route 11/11A Water trips will be cancelled for the period of Thursday, December 23 to Friday, January 7, 2022.

• On Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31, the Route 2 Chemong trip departing from Rowberry at 7:15 p.m. will end at the Peterborough Terminal.

Transit Customer Service

The Customer Service desk at the Simcoe Street Terminal will operate with adjusted hours for the holiday period.

• Friday, December 24: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Saturday, December 25: closed

• Sunday, December 26: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Monday, December 27 to Thursday, December 30: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Friday, December 31: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Saturday, January 1: closed

Regular hours resume at the Simcoe Street Bus Terminal on Jan. 2, 2022.

For questions about Transit service, call Transit Operations at 705-745-0525 or by email at transitoperations@peterborough.ca.

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The City of Peterborough Approaches the Finalization of the Transportation Master Plan

The City of Peterborough’s Transportation Master Plan update is entering its final stages and City Council is considering giving direction on targets for encouraging people to reduce the use of personal automobiles and taking a more strategic approach to investments in roads.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The report, which is available at peterborough.ca, will be presented at City Council’s General Committee meeting on Monday, November 8, 2021.

Over the next 30 years, the goal would be to increase walking and cycling to 25% of all trips in the City, to increase transit use to 10% of all trips, and to reduce auto travel to 65% of all trips.

The 2012 Transportation Master Plan established a target for 2031 that included 8% of all trips being made by walking and cycling. By 2018, with investments in new infrastructure and services, over 10% of all trips are currently being made on foot or by bike.

Encouraging a significant shift in the way residents travel around the City forms a major part of the recommended new Transportation Strategy – as this is critical to achieving the community’s vision for transportation in 2051, and in supporting the City’s Climate Change goals.

To achieve this shift, the proposed strategy for the new Transportation Plan will include supporting policies and aggressive investments in the cycling, sidewalk and trail networks in order to encourage approximately one in four trips in the City to be made on foot or by bike by 2051.

Policy measures such as higher costs for all-day paid parking, expanding paid parking to new areas of the City, and reducing transit fares for youth to encourage early adoption of transit, would be combined with improved frequency of transit service to encourage approximately one in ten travelers to choose transit for their trip making.

Even with the aggressive goals for shifts to non-auto travel, there will be a need to consider road improvements; however, the recommended strategy adopts a more strategic approach to determining the priorities for road network investment.

Road and intersection improvements that improve traffic flow, enhance safety, and support efficient transit will be prioritized over adding new capacity.

A Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is strategic planning document that establishes the overall direction for transportation planning, transportation policy development, and identifies investments in infrastructure and services that are recommended to accommodate growth, often over a 20- to 30-year horizon.

TMP’s are intended to be reviewed and updated every five to 10 years to account for changes to the planning context in a community, including changes to growth forecasts, changes to the way people travel, implications of external initiatives (such as Via Rail), evolving community priorities, and the resulting changes to policy and infrastructure needs that may arise.

For more information click here.

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Feedback on Phase 3 of the Citywide Transportation Master Plan due Friday

The due date to provide feedback as part of Phase 3 of the citywide Transportation Master Plan update process is Friday at 11:55 p.m.

PHoto courtesy of the city of peterborough.

Phase 3 of the project entails the development and assessment of hybrid strategies for the future of the City of Peterborough’s transportation network – the system of public transit, sidewalks, trails, cycling lanes, and roads that people use to move throughout the community.

Details on the Transportation Master Plan update, including recordings of the public meetings are posted online at www.connectptbo.ca/moveptbo for people to review and provide feedback.

Anyone who is unable to access the online feedback form can contact the City at 705-742-7777 ext. 1749 or by email at moveptbo@peterborough.ca for assistance or to arrange for a paper copy of the feedback form.

Phase 4 of the Transportation Master Plan update process will take place this fall, focusing on infrastructure improvement needs and key decision points.

Comments and feedback received through the consultation, along with data that is collected, input from the City, and recommendations from the consultants will help inform the Transportation Master Plan Update.

At the end of the Transportation Master Plan update process, a draft plan will be presented to City Council for its consideration and approval.

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Temporary Changes to Late Service on Some Peterborough Transit Routes During Armour Road Construction

The City of Peterborough announced on Tuesday that overnight road work at the intersection of Parkhill Road East and Armour Road will affect some Peterborough Transit routes from Wednesday to Friday.

File Photo.

Routes 6C, 7A, and 9 will be on detour after 9 p.m. between Parkhill and Trent University.

The Armour Road bus stops at Parkhill Road, at Dunlop Street, and Vinette Steet will be temporarily out of service. Customers should proceed to the corner of Armour Road at Spencleys Lane for service.

Route 6C and Route 9 trips will not be able to access Armour Road. These trips will continue to serve Trent University at Gzowski.

Route 6C Sherbrooke

Late night Route 6C Sherbrooke trips will not be able to access Armour Road. Eastbound Route 6C trips will travel on Water Street from McDonnel Street to Nassau Mills Road, turn right and travel over the bridge to resume the regular route to the Gzowski loop bus stop before heading back to Trent at Bata.

For Route 6C trips, a shuttle will be available from the transit stop on Water Street opposite Tim Horton’s south of Nassau Mills Road for customers to access Armour Road.

Route 7A Lansdowne

Eastbound Route 7A Lansdowne trips will travel north on Armour Road to Swanston Avenue, turn right to Snelgrove Road, turn left to Parkhill Road, turn right to Leahy’s Lane, turn left to Spencelys Lane, turn left to Armour Road and then turn right to resume the regular route. Westbound trips will follow the same routing in the reverse direction.

Route 9 Parkhill

Route 9 Parkhill trips will not be able to access Armour Road. Eastbound trips will travel east on Parkhill Road to Water Street to Nassau Mills Road, then turn right and head over the bridge to resume the regular route to the Gzowski loop bus stop.

Westbound trips will leave Trent at Gzowski following the normal route out to Armour Road and continue over the bridge at Nassau Mills Road to travel south on Water Street. Continuing south on George Street, trips will proceed through the Parkhill Road intersection and then turn left at Antrim Street to Water Street, turn left to Parkhill Road, and then turn left to resume service at the westbound bus stop on Parkhill Road before George Street.

Customers with questions about these changes can contact Peterborough Transit directly by phone at 705-745-0525 or by email at transitoperations@peterborough.ca.

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Changes for Peterborough Transit Routes Taking Effect in September

Peterborough Transit is making adjustments to some route schedules to reflect a return to more regular ridership and traffic conditions announced Friday.

Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Transit.

The changes will take effect starting Sept. 5.

Schedules and maps with the adjustments are posted at peterborough.ca/transit. Customers are encouraged to check timetables. The Google Maps trip planner is also available.

Most regular routes will operate on at least a 30-minute frequency on weekdays. Late-night service on routes 5 and 6 resume. A new route, Route 11 – Water, has been included to provide direct service between the downtown terminal and Trent University.

New Route: Route 11 – Water

This is a frequent weekday-only service with two variants, primarily operating on Water and George Streets. Both routes will serve all designated bus stops on route.

Route 11 will provide direct service between Trent University and the Peterborough Terminal.

Route 11A will provide direct service between Trent University and Traill College.

Route 2 – Chemong

This route has been changed and will no longer operate across the top of the city to Trent University. This route will focus on the shopping corridor and now terminate in the new Broadway Boulevard subdivision in the north end. Please refer to Route 6 for service on Hilliard St and Cumberland Avenue.

This service has been improved to operate at a 20-minute frequency from 12:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., seven days a week. It will continue to operate at a 30-minute frequency at other times of the day.

Route 4 – Weller

This route is adjusted in the west end to extend service to the Chandler Crescent area replacing the Trans-Cab connection. From Weller Street, the adjusted route will operate in a counter-clockwise direction using Fair Avenue, Ravenwood Drive, Parkhill Road, Brealey Drive, Glenforest Boulevard and Fair Avenue and back to Weller Street. These trips will no longer operate on Ireland Drive Some bus stop locations will change on Fair Avenue and Glenforest Boulevard to the other side of the road.

Route 5 – The Parkway

Route 5 The Parkway will resume 30-minute frequency on midday trips.

Late night Route 5A service resumes.

Route 6 – Sherbrooke

This route is adjusted in the north end, with trips operating on Hilliard Street and Cumberland Avenue to replace the Route 2 Chemong change. These trips will continue to serve Trent University. These trips will no longer operate on Marina Boulevard.

Late night route 6 and 6C service resumes.

Route 7 – Lansdowne

Southbound trips will operate approximately five minutes earlier to improve reliability at key transfer locations. Some early morning eastbound trips were also adjusted to operate five minutes earlier.

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