Uride Donating All of Thursday's Profits For Ukrainian Efforts

Rideshare company Uride is donating all profits to support the people of Ukraine from all of Thursday’s fares.

Photo courtesy of Uride.

“What is happening in Ukraine is devastating, and we want to support people that have been forcibly displaced from their homes, their lives, and their families in any way we can,” said Cody Ruberto, Uride’s CEO. “This Thursday, March 10th, we are donating all profits to support Canada Ukraine Foundation and their work in Ukraine. ”

Passengers can support the cause by using Uride’s services. The rideshare company encourages those who cannot ride to look for other ways to support Ukraine.

The Uride app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Donations can be made directly by clicking here.

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Express GO Bus Line to Richmond Hill Is Being Proposed For Peterborough

Getting to Toronto in three to four hours via public transit may be a thing of the past as MPP Dave Smith is proposing a new Express Go Bus line in Peterborough to the GO Bus station at Hwy 407 and Yonge Street in Richmond Hill.

File Photo.

The proposed line from Peterborough will arrive at the GO Bus station at Hwy 407 and Yonge St. in Richmond Hill with stops at Trent University, the Peterborough Bus Terminal and Fleming College.

A trip to Toronto/Peterborough would cut travel times with due to less traffic congestion on Highway 407 and would cost less roughly than $30 according to Smith.

The line will provide Peterborough with a direct route to Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) buses and subways, York Region Transit, GO buses, and access to the GO train and VIA Rail service. The service could reduce several hours in travel for a round-trip to Toronto and vice versa.

“Ontario is undergoing the largest transportation infrastructure expansion in the history of the province including a $28 billion transit expansion in the City of Toronto,” said Smith. “I want Peterborough to be included in that so that residents can easily work, make medical appointments, attend classes, and visit the entire region of Toronto.”

One benefit of the bus includes some relief from the housing crisis. There could be increased vacancies as a result of students making a commute to post-secondary schools in Peterborough.

“If I have 200 students that no longer move to Peterborough, that frees up 40-50 hours or apartments,” explained Smith. “If you have less demand, the market price doesn’t go up as fast. It should alleviate some of the pressures as rent goes up.”

Smith adds that tourism could see an increase as anyone from the GTA area has increased access to Peterborough.

“When you take a look at the leisure side of things, you could go see a Blue Jays game, the Raptors, the Leafs game,” said Smith. “Before, you could only have one tallboy and that’s it because you had to drive. Now you can enjoy a few extra adult beverages with the express bus.”

Smith held an open virtual town hall with Metrolinx on Tuesday night providing surveys to the general public regarding the need for the express bus.

Roughly 60 people were surveyed with approximately 96 per cent responding in favour of the bus line according to Smith.

If approved, the express bus could start in 18-24 months.

To take the online survey regarding the Express Go Bus, click here.

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Commercial Vehicles Temporarily Restricted To Half Loads On Certain City Streets

Commercial vehicles will be restricted to half loads on a number of streets in the City of Peterborough from March 1 to April 30.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

Streets that will be restricted include:

• Airport Road from Sir Sanford Fleming Drive to the south city limits

• Armour Road from Nassau Mills Road to Paddock Wood

• Ashburnham Drive from McFarlane Street to Maria Street

• Ashburnham Drive from Neal Drive to the south city limits

• Bensfort Road from River Road South to the south city limits

• Brealey Drive from Parkhill Road West to Lansdowne Street West

• Carnegie Avenue

• Crawford Drive from Sir Sanford Fleming Drive to 0.6 km east of The Parkway

• Cumberland Avenue from Ungava Avenue to Carnegie Avenue

• Dobbin Road

• Guthrie Drive

• Harper Road

• Hetherington Drive from Richard Road to Woodland Drive

• Johnston Drive

• MacFarlane Avenue - from Trentview Road to Television Road

• Maniece Avenue from Ashburnham Drive to the east city limits

• McNamara Road from Guthrie Drive to Driscoll Road

• Nassau Mills Road

• Old Norwood Road from Ashburnham Drive to the east city limits

• Otonabee Drive

• Parkhill Road West from Ravenwood Drive to west city limits

• Parkhill Road East from Armour Road to Trent Severn Waterway Swing Bridge

• Pioneer Road

• River Road South from Lansdowne Street to Bensfort Road

• Sherbrooke Street from Glenforest Boulevard to the west city limits

• Towerhill Road from Chemong Road to Fairbairn Street

• University Road

• Wallace Point Road from Bensfort Road to Driscoll Road

• Whittington Drive

• Woodland Drive

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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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