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Transit may be on streets of Pincher Creek by fall

Jan 17, 2017 | 8:51 AM

PINCHER CREEK – A transit system isn’t something you normally see in a community of 3,600.

But Pincher Creek, approximately 100 km west of Lethbridge, hopes to have a bus running a regular route around the community as soon as this fall. The town is accessing just over $300,000 in government funding, to cover two-thirds of the start-up costs for a transportation system.

“Our retail area in town has basically moved now from the downtown core to the north hill,” Mayor Don Anderberg said, “which puts a lot of pressure on people that don’t have adequate transportation, and seniors, to get their basic needs such as groceries.” He said another need involves transportation for medical appointments in Lethbridge.

Anderberg explained transit was one of the proposals to come out of a regional study in 2010. The town is also trying to address a need for school busing within the community.

“Because of the layout of our community, and where our schools are located, in-town school busing has been an issue for many, many years, that we’ve heard about from our citizens,” Anderberg said in an interview.

The town undertook a transportation study, allowing it to apply for Green Trip funding. At this point, that plan is all that exists, but Anderberg says they’ve begun the work of implementing it, starting with a bus on a route. It isn’t clear yet whether that bus can also be used for school transportation.

The plan identified a smaller version of a typical urban transit bus, seating 34-36, to be used for the service, and Anderberg wasn’t sure if that would still be the case. The town expects the service to be self-sustaining, with a combination of fares and partnerships.