Deputy mayor steers proposed bus pass pilot project through council
A picture is worth a thousand words, and maybe a couple votes on council.
Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis sent colleagues a series of photographs taken of London Transit’s #7 bus travelling towards Clarke Road Secondary School on Tuesday morning.
He supplied them as evidence that there’s enough unused capacity to fit more high school students on board.
Last week, the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee recommended city staff develop a draft agreement with the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and London Transit Commission (LTC) for a pilot project at Clarke Road Secondary School with Grade 9 students receiving free bus passes this September, and Grade 9 and Grade 10 students next September.
“I wanted you to see with your own eyes, there are capacity opportunities on these buses, there are seats available right now,” he said during Tuesday’s council meeting.
However, Coun. David Ferreira responded with ridership data from London Transit’s #35 bus route that also serves the area around the school, “6 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the morning it’s at 134 per cent capacity, at peak time in the afternoon from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. it’s at 150 per cent capacity.”
Lewis asserts that 200 per cent capacity is the maximum passenger load, when all the seats are full plus an equal number of passengers are standing.
He believes nine different bus routes that stop at Argyle Mall could potentially serve students.
Ferreira sought to defeat Lewis’ motion and table a competing proposal to consult with London Transit before choosing a school, funding source, and methodology for the pilot project.
“We’re not the experts. As a former commissioner of the LTC, I would like to hear [from] LTC,” said Coun. Anna Hopkins.
Coun. Jerry Pribil, who currently sits on the LTC with Ferreira decided to support Lewis’ motion.
“I’ll support this motion because that’s the only thing that potentially gives us a chance to start this September,” Pribil explained.
After a lengthy debate, council voted 8-6 (McAlister absent) to direct staff to develop a draft agreement with TVDSB and LTC.
A final decision will be made by council this summer.
Following the meeting, Lewis flatly rejected suggestions that Clarke Road Secondary School was chosen for the pilot project because it’s in his ward.
“There’s zero merit to the idea that this was picked by myself or by Coun. [Peter] Cuddy,” he replied. “The Thames Valley District School Board picked the school. They passed a motion back in February identifying the school.”
The London Transit Commission will get a verbal report about the proposed pilot project at its meeting April 24.
The deputy mayor offered this message to commissions who do not want to support taking the next step towards an agreement.
“If the commission doesn’t choose to do this, then they will have to respond to the public inquiries as to why,” he added. “And they may end up facing a council direction that they’re going to do it regardless, because ultimately the commission exists because council created a commission.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.