The City of Cold Lake is being praised for the public transit system implemented in 2015.
Not only did they receive an award for the initiative, but the city was recently granted provincial and federal funding to improve the service.
On Monday, March 13, city representatives travelled to Red Deer for the Minister's Awards for Transportation Innovation, where they accepted an award for Excellence in Transit Innovation.
“These awards celebrated transportation innovations, large and small, that are paving the way toward more efficient, sustainable, and safer transportation systems in our province,” said Minister of Transportation Brian Mason in a statement.
Cold Lake stood out amongst the rest because of their creative thinking when initiating the transit system. Using previously owned buses from Calgary, the city tested the waters to see if a transit system was even warranted in the community. Council also agreed to offer free transit for all riders.
“It's free, so it keeps money in people's pockets. It allows families to move around the city for free, and it makes Cold Lake an affordable community,” said Mayor of Cold Lake Craig Copeland.
CAO Kevin Nagoya noted the city implemented a transit system “in a small community where we have challenges with connectivity.” Using second-hand buses and offering the service for no-charge could be one of the reasons Cold Lake was award for their unique transit system.
Busing system gets a boost
In December of last year, the city applied for funding through the Green Transit Incentives Program (GreenTRIP), to the tune of $666,700. The grant application was to help fund the replacement of two buses.
Council also applied for close to $200,000 to enhance bus stops, build sidewalks, and implement GPS scheduling through the Public Transportation Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), a grant offered by the federal government.
City council allocated about $160,000 of the close to $850,000 in total funding towards the $1 million Cold Lake Transit Core Fleet Replacement Project.
The upgrades will include a GPS tracking system that will allow users to download an app on their phones to track the location of the bus, and it's approximate arrival time.
The two new buses to be purchased through the grant will ensure everyone in the city can take advantage of the free transportation.
“These new buses will be accessible, so they will have kneeling floors, that will allow for people with mobility issues to take the bus,” said Azam Khan, general manager of infrastructure services.
The current buses will be put on standby, and will be used when the newer models are out for maintenance or repairs.
Cameras will also be installed into the newer buses, as a way of protecting drivers and passengers.
“It's a mixture of what the community wanted to see in the system, and also what are the technologies out there,” said Nagoya.
In order to receive the funding, the city is required to submit documentation showing the improvements made with the grant money have cut back on their carbon emissions.
“The agreements require quite a considerable amount of post-grant time of ongoing reporting on carbon reduction activities… The amount of data involved in their requirements is significant. The government wants to see how much of an environmental footprint has been reduced because of their grant applications,” Nagoya explained.
As part of the application process, council was required to demonstrate the benefits of the project, show a clear commitment to continue the project's operation once it is in place, contribute a minimum of one-third of the capital cost, and identify how the project will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Using the Public Transit Project Greenhouse Gas Quantification Guide offered through GreenTRIP, the city was able to determine the impact city transit has had in the reduction of CO2 emissions, and how they will continue to do so. The study showed that the transit system has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 142.1 tonnes of CO2 each year. The replacement project is expected to continue on that trend with a further reduction of approximately 76.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
“It's reducing our carbon footprint. The government is giving a little community a lot of money here, which is great because a lot of transit money goes to the big cities,” said Copeland. “They have recognized that what we're doing in Cold Lake is pretty unique. They've seen the program, it's successful, and they want to be invested in Cold Lake.”
