A year after the contract for a city bus study was inked, an interim study will be presented at the Public Services committee meeting at City Hall tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m.
The 21 presentation slides and a 61-page report are on the City’s website in the meeting agenda package here.
Persons who travel to the meeting by city bus should make other arrangements for their transportation home as Tuesday's bus service ends before the meeting is expected to adjourn.
The study is a step toward improving public transit in Elliot Lake, improvements some of the citizens have been pleading for during the months following council’s decision to contract the study, July 10, 2023.
The previous council received an “over $900,000” Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) funding, which according to the presentation materials, is still available for improvements to Elliot Lake’s public transportation.
As a small city with a population under 12,000, Elliot Lake is fortunate to have a bus service, and many senior Elliot Lakers retired here because of the availability of public transportation.
Difficulty with the height of the step up onto the bus; difficulty with getting onto the bus with a walker or “bundle buggy” of groceries; the rough ride and the noise from the rarely used accessibility ramp on the regular city busses, have been mentioned often to council and staff.
The length of time required in advance to book the more accessible Handilift service is also cited as difficult to manage.
A local resident who recently applied for the Handilift service provided a copy of their acceptance letter to ElliotLakeToday. The letter informs that booking is required two weeks in advance.
A letter from a doctor was required to apply for the service. The resident informed ElliotLakeToday that because they do not have a local doctor, they received a letter from a Toronto practitioner. They reported that a trip to Toronto was required.
These issues were also mentioned in an independent study released earlier this year by researcher, Rachel Barber.
Barber’s study was delivered with advance notice to the public by Zoom webcast early this year.
“For older adults who are unable to drive, barrier-free public transportation to healthcare facilities is crucial in ensuring they have the ability to access healthcare appointments,” Barber told the online participants.
When public transportation came up at a recent council meeting, Councillor Helen Lefebvre suggested to the other council members that they take a bus trip themselves, to see what Elliot Lakers are talking about.
ElliotLakeToday took a first trip on the bus and has subsequently travelled most of the routes.
The video with this story was taken on one of those trips. The ride appears much smoother than it was because of the anti-vibration technology in the camera. Readers should observe the bouncing seat back at the side of the video, for a more accurate visual of a rider’s experience.
The audio captures the noise from the accessibility ramp, that users have described to city officials.
Citizens who wish to speak to this matter during the Public Input session at Tuesday's 5:30 p.m. meeting, are required to register before noon of the meeting day, using a website form on the City’s website here, for an up-to 2-minute time slot.
Previous stories
Elliot Lake bus service: New study finds good and not-so-good
Public transportation on public services committee agenda today
Resident: ‘A lot of people just can’t get on the bus’
City transit: ‘Extremely hard to get up and down with my walker’