Barrie is pulling out all the stops as it looks to improve on the city's transit system.
City councillors were updated this week on Barrie Transit's Vision project and the public consultation around it.
Barrie Transit implemented a network redesign in 2013. Over the past six years, the city "has grown and changed and transit has seen a substantial increase in their ridership," transit operations manager Michael McConnell says in a memo to council.
Vision Transit is a system review implemented by Barrie Transit staff in response to the Allandale Mobility Hub study, two-way all day GO train service, the Barrie Transportation Master Plan update, changes in development charges legislation and the projected growth in secondary land in the city's south end.
"Each of these items provide our transit system with opportunities for improved transit in the City of Barrie," McConnell said. "This review will allow Barrie Transit to have a future-oriented system plan in place for efficient service delivery and infrastructure decisions moving forward over the next 20-plus years. "
This plan will not be implemented all at once, but through a phased-in approach responding to the city’s growth and changing travel patterns, McConnell said.
"This pre-emptive phasing allows the transit demand to match the provided transit resources while minimizing the disruption to Barrie Transit’s riders," he added.
Preliminary research has been done to identify an overall transit service plan and objectives of the Vision Transit Plan. City staff are working with a consultant on the 2018 Multi-Modal Active Transportation Master Plan toward a "preliminary transit service plan concept," McConnell said.
In mid-January, workshops were held, with information to be posted online at BuildingBarrie.ca. A survey will be available until Feb. 21 to help determine the priorities of city residents.
