Mayor of St. Thomas drives home the message that a new transit link could benefit both the Railway City and the Forest City
The mayor of St. Thomas says his community needs a new transit link with London and he’s prepared to make the case to provincial politicians next week.
Mayor Joe Preston says the new transit service would benefit both cities, commuters and large local employers.
It's a revival of a transit strategy Preston put forward three years ago; providing hourly bus runs at a reasonable fare.
"We've got the two largest municipalities in Southern Ontario not able to reach each other. So that's what this is about,” says Preston.
The initial proposal came at a time when the province was fully funding regional transit pilot projects. While some launched, The St. Thomas/London strategy was put on the backburner.
Now, Preston will attend the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) meeting next week, prepared to lobby Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney for a three-year pilot. It would require an estimated $1 million up-front cost, and an annual operating cost of around $400,000.
Preston believes the minister will see value in the plan, saying, "How do we leverage great growth in Southern Ontario in a smart way?"
Preston says the Amazon plant, which is near completion on Sunset Drive between London and St. Thomas, and the addition of a number of large-scale businesses in south London adds further justification for the plan.
He points to the Maple Leaf Foods plant as another large employer that could benefit.
Preston originally proposed hourly trips along a single roadway. He now thinks a loop past Amazon, stopping at White Oaks Mall in London, and then heading over to the industrial park near Highbury, where Maple Leaf is located, would help those businesses.
He believes they may even consider subsidizing the service, to ensure they maintain a stable workforce.
"Not everybody can have a car, or maybe two cars, because of where we are; because of inflation or, maybe, housing costs,” Preston says. “Let's provide transit wherever we can.”
Preston says he's had encouraging discussions with London mayor Josh Morgan, pointing to Morgan’s State of the City address on Jan. 17. In that address, Morgan again emphasized the need for regional cooperation.
"Collaborating with neighbouring communities to develop infrastructure, workforce capacity, and a business climate needed to attract even more investments,” he says.
Preston believes the transit plan can be that kind of economic driver.
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