Council blasts London Transit for slow rollout of bus service to industrial parks
Municipal politicians are losing patience waiting for the London Transit Commission (LTC) to launch service to some of the industrial parks around the city’s periphery.
“I know it’s been talked about for a number of years and I hope it’s on the front burner,” Coun. Skylar Franke told colleagues on the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee after she proposed a timeline for the rollout.
“We’ve been promised this for a while,” agreed Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis. “I’m tired of waiting.”
Last fall, there were 21,630 vacant jobs in London, a 121 per cent increase since early 2021.
Reliable transportation can be a major hurdle for Londoners seeking jobs in industrial parks.
Mayor Josh Morgan vented, “I share the frustration of a number of councillors.”
The mayor recounted a recent visit to the Maple Leaf Foods facility on Wilton Grove Road.
He was told the chicken processing plant has 1,000 employees and plans to hire an additional 600 by the end of this year.
There is still no bus service to the massive plant.
“They built their facility with the ability to have a bus loop right in there, so their employees could be dropped off there. Instead, they are dropped off over a kilometre away and then they walk,” the mayor said.
London Transit intends to launch its first industrial service pilot project this fall with limited point to point service.
Council members are requesting a presentation from LTC leadership shortly after the first three months of the pilot project are completed.
“We want the data from that pilot, and we want to move beyond the pilot as soon as we possibly can,” Morgan told CTV News after the meeting.
In 2017, the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) sounded the alarm after a survey of more than 200 industries found 42 percent lacked a bus route to get their employees to work.
“We need it, the community needs it, and we’re talking about thousands of jobs and that’s thousands of cars when we’re trying to deal with our climate emergency,” explained Franke following the committee meeting.
Morgan explained that a by-law prevents council from demanding operational changes from London Transit.
But the mayor says industrial service must be a priority.
“After all of the studies and engagement, to still not have it in place in a way that is to council’s satisfaction is very frustrating,” he added.
Chair of the London Transit Commission, Sheryl Rooth has yet to respond to a request for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.