By Jérôme Savary, La Voix de l’Est
August 29, 2024 at 4:25 am
Updated August 29, 2024 at 8:58 am
A new app should make it easier for Granby residents to use public transit. (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
The City of Granby wants to implement an intelligent, on-demand transit system within its territory. “Our goal is to facilitate public transit use,” says Julie Bourdon, Mayor of Granby.
The reality of public transit in Granby is buses that run every half hour to various stops and taxi buses whose “reservation platform hasn’t been updated in several years,” says Frédérik Giroux, public transit coordinator for the City of Granby.
“The new intelligent transportation system will be a computer platform, accessible online or via a mobile app that will automate, for example, reservations and payment methods.”
— Julie Bourdon, Mayor of Granby
This system will allow public transit users to optimize their journey.
Active Mobility Technology Solution
“Users just want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible,” explains Mr. Giroux. “To get to their destination, they want as few intermediaries and barriers as possible.”
Frédérik Giroux, Public Transit Coordinator for the City of Granby (Frédérik Giroux)
Frédérik Giroux emphasizes that if we want to encourage public transit use, the service must be competitive “compared to the automobile, which is very easy to use.”
“That’s more or less what a technological solution like an intelligent on-demand transit system aims to achieve,” he says. “We want to give users a one-stop shop for their transportation services.”
“This system must be geared toward the user experience, as they seek optimal travel in terms of convenience, travel time and cost,” the city explains.
Review of Granby’s Public Transit Offer
This technological solution will be the subject of a call for tenders, which should be launched “as soon as possible, ideally in the fall,” according to Mr. Giroux.
The selected supplier will have to meet strict criteria, because the City of Granby has high ambitions. The budget for this project has not been specified yet.
Civilia has evaluated Granby’s entire public transit offering; its recommendations will be made public at a later date. (Stéphane Champagne/Archives La Voix de l’Est)
In parallel with this call for tenders, an in-depth review of the public transit offering is underway.
Civilia, a transportation planning firm, is leading this review, following a public consultation on urban transportation scheduled for fall 2023.
“[Civilia] has made suggestions to us, specifically where we should go to improve our transit lines,” says Julie Bourdon, but it’s still too early to share them, because the firm’s mandate has not yet been completed. It should be completed by the end of the year.
Drawing Inspiration from Successes Elsewhere
In addition to Montréal and Québec City, other mid-sized cities have already paved the way for these applications that combine various public transit solutions.
According to Mr. Giroux, Victoriaville and Rimouski recently launched on-demand transit applications that can eventually accommodate the addition of new transportation modes, such as bike sharing.
Granby wants to follow suit.
The service offering is expected to grow, particularly with regard to bus routes.
“The offer won’t decrease, that’s for sure.”
— Frédérik Giroux, Public Transit Coordinator for the City of Granby
“There’s a smart transportation module we want to implement, and the next step will be improving the [bus] routes,” confirms the mayor.
The pilot project that allowed young people aged 12-17 to use public transit for free in July and August will be extended for another month in September, “in order to collect more data,” she says.
The industrial park area is also in the city’s sights, with Granby hoping to implement a public transit pilot project there. To be continued.
MORE THAN $1.3 MILLION TO PROMOTE ACTIVE MOBILITY IN DUNHAM, WATERLOO AND BROME LAKE
The towns of Dunham, Brome Lake and Waterloo are receiving a total of $1,349,490 in financial assistance to encourage their residents to opt for active transit, Isabelle Charest, MNA for Brome-Missisquoi and Minister responsible for Sports, Recreation, and Outdoor Activities, emphasized on behalf of the government in a press release on Wednesday.
This assistance is distributed equally among the three municipalities.
In Dunham, the development of bicycle and pedestrian paths will receive $434,564 in funding.
In Waterloo, the development of a multi-use trail on chemin de l’Horizon, between Western and Nadeau, will connect the industrial park bordering Highway 10, the Réserve naturelle, and residential neighbourhoods to the existing multi-use trail network. Funding of $465,744.
In Brome Lake, the development of pedestrian walkways on rue Victoria, from rue March to Route 104 (chemin Knowlton), and the development of one-way bike lanes (along the entire length of rue Victoria) will promote active mobility to parc des Lions, the Centre Lac-Brome, the medical clinic, the CLSC, daycares, schools and businesses on rue Knowlton. Funding of $449,182.
These projects are funded through a provincial program aimed at encouraging Quebecers to choose alternatives to driving alone by choosing active transportation, such as cycling and walking, the press release states.
Jérôme Savary, La Voix de l’Est
A journalist at La Voix de l’Est since 2014, Jérôme Savary covers municipal news in Granby. He previously worked for ten years at L’Itinéraire magazine in Montréal.
