If Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White had his way, there would be Guelph buses serving his township on a regular basis.
Two weeks ago the mayor and clerk Janice Sheppard met with Guelph transit representatives to discuss that possibility, and on Monday night Guelph-Eramosa council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the idea.
“The objective is to get cars off the road,” White said. “I think it would be an extremely positive thing all around.”
The mayor explained he thinks Guelph-Eramosa residents would take advantage of the extended service, which would also benefit the city in the form of less outside vehicular traffic.
“It’s to Guelph’s advantage to keep our people off their roads,” White said.
Councillor Roger Knapp replied, “It’s to everyone’s advantage.”
On May 23, White and Sheppard met with Randall French, Guelph’s manager of transit services, and Rajan Phillips, transportation planning and development engineer, to specifically discuss extending bus service along Highway 7 to Rockwood, along County Road 124 west to Cambridge, and from Guelph to the Cross Creek/Blue Forest and St. Ignatius area.
But eventually, White sees the service possibly extending to other parts of the township, as well as into the county, including Puslinch Township and Fergus.
Knapp asked who would subsidize the extended transit service.
White replied that possible costs could be part of the city’s preliminary investigation to assess whether or not the service is warranted (the resolution passed by township council also supports that investigation).
“The idea is for each municipality to pay for its own usage,” White added.
Councillor John Scott wondered if adding Guelph buses would interfere with GO Transit routes.
White replied that GO buses are different. He said perhaps the township could lobby for a GO stop in Rockwood, but that is not a regular service like what he envisions with Guelph buses.
Knapp told White he thinks the idea is “great.” He expressed frustration with the current lack of transportation infrastructure in Canada, and said anything that helps get cars off the road is a good thing. Knapp also noted the service would likely be welcomed by youths in the township.
Councillor Doug Breen agreed, and also lamented the current state of transportation infrastructure. He noted that many decades ago there were 12 trains running daily to and from Toronto out of the Eden Mills station.
