While it’s still early days in regard to the Bow Valley Regional Transit Service Commission, it’s encouraging to see that citizens have embraced the new, expanded intermunicipal bus system.
Here at the Outlook, where we embrace the goings-on of all the Bow Valley and its communities, regional transit is a shining light on intermunicipal co-operation.
And for mountain communities that view themselves as being greener than others, and environmentally friendly, mass transit has an appeal all its own,
It’s all well and good for Banff and Canmore to be involved in LEEDs construction of buildings, embrace solar heating panels and offer up rebates on water saving devices, but likely nothing will do more to decrease the valley’s carbon footprint than keeping vehicles parked in favour of regional transit.
As an extension of Banff’s Roam system, which is evidence of that Town’s forward thinking, ridership is promising, with 200 citizens daily using the service on a couple of occasions. Whether current ridership will be able to keep the system afloat on a cost recovery basis remains to be seen, as will Parks Canada inclusion and infusion of dollars with the idea of expansion to Lake Louise.
While ridership numbers will need to be studied as to makeup, we suspect that what will be most popular will be the monthly pass for $80. While six bucks for a single ride is fairly easy on the wallet, for those working and living in one town and commuting to the other, the monthly rate will be hard to beat, especially in winter, when you won’t have to scrape windows and start up a cold engine to go to work.
For those without wheels, it’s a no-brainer, as being chauffeured by a professional driver will beat thumbing a ride, hands down. Then there’s the safety aspect of not having workers in Banff or Canmore heading to work in the other town, thumbing on the Trans-Canada Highway.
As well, future realignment of bus stops, and the addition of some shelters, will likely make the service more popular still.
In the end, nothing will guarantee success for Roam like continued and growing ridership.
Dollars for drivers
Still with things transportation-related, the idea that the Town, through its photo radar contractor Global Traffic, is now prepared to offer up $1,000 per month to drivers doing the speed limit seems a cheap way to take the sting out of an unpopular system.
Rather than lessen the idea that photo radar is a cash grab that has little effect on speeding or traffic safety, the idea that $1,000 each month can be tossed to drivers at $250 apiece would seem to solidify the idea.
Really, when dollars are up for grabs through collecting photo radar tickets, the Town itself might as well be operating the system. Rather than having tens of thousands of dollars flowing to the Leduc offices of Global Traffic Group Ltd. (other than the Town’s share for policing and traffic safety initiatives), those same dollars might as well be used to purchase and have staff man the equipment.
Let’s face it; photo radar will have no effect on slowing many drivers down, just like big fines don’t affect many speeders on the Trans-Canada Highway. Those fines might as well be viewed as a user fee for leadfoots.
By having the Town run its own program, those same leadfoots could help fund more Town initiatives – given priorities identified by the Town.
Until then, keep your speed down and smile for the camera and a $250 windfall.
