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Transit needs improvement, but how to fund it?

Mayoral candidate John Rodriguez — who's currently polling in second place in the race, trailing behind Brian Bigger — said more taxpayers' money should be spent to enhance transit services.
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Half of Sudburians polled last month think more taxpayer money should be spent to improve public transit. File photo.
Mayoral candidate John Rodriguez — who's currently polling in second place in the race, trailing behind Brian Bigger — said more taxpayers' money should be spent to enhance transit services.

He said he'd go down to Queen's Park to fight for the provincial money it will take. “I think the larger cities take advantage of it, like Toronto for the subways,” he said.

The idea of increasing taxpayer money to improve public transit has mixed support among Sudburians.

In an Oraclepoll survey conducted for Northern Life at the end of September, 50 per cent of those polled said more taxpayer money should be spent on transit, while 42 per cent said they disagreed. Eight per cent said they didn't know.

Among Rodriguez's ideas to improve the city's transit system is to institute a “park and ride” system where those travelling from outlying areas into the city's core to work could catch a express bus to their destination.

He said he's also like to make the bus transfer system more flexible, so that people can use transfers anywhere in the city.

Rodriguez also has big plans for a bus system app, where people can find out on their phones if their bus is on time, as well as for bringing in bus shelter inspections to make sure they're clean and in good repair.

Dan Melanson — who's polling in a close third in the mayoral race behind Rodriguez — said transit could definitely use improvement, but he's not willing to dip further into public coffers to finances these enhancements.

“I think there's efficiencies that could be found within the current tax revenue base that would allow us to enhance certain aspects of services that we currently provide to the residents of the city,” he said.

Melanson has cast his eye south to the City of Barrie for a model of what Sudbury's bus system could look like.

Barrie's transit system has multiple hubs, as opposed to Sudbury, which only has one hub — the downtown.

“If you're coming from Levack and you want to go to Capreol, you have to go through downtown Sudbury, which is kind of ridiculous because it's a four-hour ordeal,” Melanson.

In bus system with multiple smaller hubs, someone who wants to get from Levack to Capreol could potentially just travel to Chelmsford, where they could catch a bus out to Capreol, he said.

If you have a more functional transit system, there's the potential to increase the ridership and create more revenue, Melanson said. “As far as I know, nobody's actually taken the time to take a look at this,” he said.

Mayoral candidate Brian Bigger, who's currently winning the race to become Sudbury's next mayor, at least according to the latest polls, was not available for an interview on the subject.

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Heidi Ulrichsen

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