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What does the future of Windsor Essex transit look like? · Kvetch & Release

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  Last week there was a public consult letting people come in and take a look
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  at the proposed East End transit terminal. The City of Windsor held that open
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  house. We know that plans are in the works to move the transit hub
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  out of Tecumpsey Mall to a nearby place according to the city. We wanted
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  to check in with Ward seven Councilor Angelo Marinjani about that, about the state
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  of transit and where we're all collectively driving to where it comes to transit in
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  Windsor, Essex. How are you doing today, Counselor. I'm doing well,
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  John and yourself doing very well. Thanks so much for joining me here.
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  This could be big moves here by moving the East End transit terminal.
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  Yes, yes it is. I mean it's part of the master plan that's
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  been going on for a while and it allows us to expand the services that
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  we have here in the East End and so that proposed one right now would
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  be located at Tecumpsey Road East and Lowson Park. Is that a good place
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  for it? Yeah, I mean there are some concerns with it that were
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  brought up. And thank you to everyone who came to the public information session.
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  That we had. We got some really great input from that. One
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  of it was the concerns with the intersection and how we can improve safety so
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  that people can go to the transit station with safely across the streets, as
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  well as maybe the need for public washrooms and other features in that actual terminal.
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  You know, I'm looking at the proposed rendering of it and a few
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  things are actually standing out for me that I don't you know, typically I
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  don't know if I would bring this stuff up in a conversation like this,
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  but looking at proposed bike lockers, decorative fencing, acoustic walls, it really
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  looks like this is not just being designed for you know, buses just to
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  drive through that. A lot of forethought into this, Yeah, it was
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  part of the master plan. I mean, we couldn't do the expansion at
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  the current location at the Compsy model. We could have done it, but
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  we would have been paying a significant amount of money to a developer in Toronto
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  to do so. So we decided as a council to have it moved to
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  the other side where we do own the land and develop that and prepare it
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  for the future needs that we'll have here in the East End. So yeah,
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  I mean it's one of those decisions that we make in the long run
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  that I think is really prudent on the city's behalf. And it looks like
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  it's budgeted been approved at around five million dollars. That doesn't seem like it's
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  all that expensive for what you're getting here. Yeah, I mean, if
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  it improves the service, it's part of that one component that in the equation
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  of better public transit, transit and active transportation. It's part of that equation.
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  So we have to invest in our future and this is part of that
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  investment. I know some residents had some concerns about having to cross all those
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  lanes of traffic there to get across. Is that something that as being like,
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  consider just how that is actually gonna work in terms of getting across loads
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  on Parkway? Yeah, and you know, thank you to all the residents
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  who came out and pointed that out, and we are now currently looking at
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  what we can do with the lighting at that intersection, also adding maybe countdown
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  timers so that people have a better or are more confident when they cross.
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  Okay, I have this much time, I'll wait or in comparison to now,
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  you don't know how much time you have left, and just better enforcement
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  in that area. So there's a few things that came out of that public
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  consultation that I think are really going to improve the final product of this transit
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  terminal. Very cool stuff. Well, let's change gears a little bit and
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  shift our focus. Transit Windsor is continuing it's Amasburg service after that contract was
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  extended for five years. This is a good news story. I know that
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  people are really liking it. Yes, yes, I mean it's really good
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  as far as just that connect activity. What really makes a city thrive is
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  how people get around and if you have a better transit system. I mean,
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  I've living in Tokyo. I was sort of spoiled with the JAR,
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  which is the Japanese rail and you can get anywhere in a short period of
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  time, and it's just such a luxury to have to be able to not
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  have to drive and just go from destination to destination with reliable transits. So
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  this is for the people of Amersburg. I think, you know, maybe
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  we can expand there are talks of possibly expanding to DECUMPCI and one day we
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  will have that regional transit authority. It'd be really great to see that regional
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  transit. I know, though it would cost a lot of money. Building
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  it out incrementally and piecemeal seems to be the best route to be going.
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  But how far off do you think we are from seeing you know, continued
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  expansions to our services. You know, it's east Wind East Riverside is touching
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  to come see so we're pretty much, you know, we've we've merged at
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  at that point. So it's kind of it would be almost the next step
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  where les Bron's Road would now become a collector or a route and then expand
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  from there further, eventually hitting you know, Manning Road. But that it's
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  it's a ways, a way, it's cooperation between municipalities, it's it's a
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  whole number of things. But I think there is that appetite to have that
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  that regional connectivity, and hopefully all municipalities agree with it and contribute to it
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  and eventually we have it. That'd be great to see. And I'm just
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  looking at this Amisburg, the six oh five route, this new renewal of
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  it. It's adding a fourth trip just to keep up with demand. Obviously
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  people want to have more access. Oh and in that access, you know,
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  those terminals become so very important because they then become the hub where people
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  go to. So there we want to promote, you know, cycling,
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  So you ride your bike from your house to the station and then once you're
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  at the station, you can then take the transit. And that is the
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  ultimate urban sort of transportation scheme that we should all be looking at because it
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  is it's good for the environment, it's good for yourself. Actively you get
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  out, you ride your bike, you sit, you relax in a bus.
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  You know, you have Wi Fi, you kind of take that moment
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  a pause before you have to do what you have to do. And I
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  think it's something that would benefit a lot of people and hopefully one day we
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  can all work towards it and have it all the multi modal methods of transportation.
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  Absolutely last question for you. Fireworks just happened and the city of course
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  has the very very successful bike can bus transit program where people can bike down
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  to them or they can drive out to Devonshire Mall and get onto a transit
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  windsor bus really well received again this year. Does that demonstrate to you that
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  there is just an interest and an appetite for people to hop on the bus.
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  It just makes so much sense because everyone knows that if you go downtown
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  during firework night, parking is going to be an issue. And thank you
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  to Saires, the key sponsor for this, for providing all those rides.
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  And yeah, what happens as our city grows, You're going to have more
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  people and those issues of parking become more significant because there's only a finite number
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  of parking spaces. So that frustration is going to cause people to re assess
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  how they're going to get around in the city. And if transportation by bus,
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  by bike, by active transportation is an option, then people will choose
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  that. So we're kind of working in that direction. I'm really happy to
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  see everyone have that vision that we work with, so it's good to see
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  that we're kind of going in that direction at this point in time. Angelo
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  Marinani is the counselor for Ward seven and I hope that next time I see
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  you it'll be on a bus. That'd be great. Yeah, of course,
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  that would be fun. Nice bus, we'll sit in the back,
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  we'll chat about old times. That'd be great. I'd look forward to that.
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  Sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you for your time today.
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  Sir, thank you anytime, John, and keep up the great work.
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  Thank you so much. Cheers,