The City of Winnipeg says it’s encouraging more feedback on its transit overhaul, which launched a month ago Tuesday.
Coun. Janice Lukes, city hall’s public works chair, told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg the comments she’s received so far have been a mixed bag, with a lot of them coming from frustrated bus riders, but said the feedback is necessary to help the city make tweaks to the system.
“People send me a lot of feedback. I know (Winnipeg) Transit has received a lot of feedback through 311 … and transit’s analyzing all this data,” Lukes said.
“We’ve always said, all along, there’s going to be some humps and bumps in the transition, and sometimes the only way you find out what those humps and bumps are is to make the transition and then deal with it.
“It’s been a bit of a rough ride, I’d say. Change is not always rapidly embraced. Change for some is positive, and change for others … not so positive.”
Lukes said the city will likely refine aspects of the system, like bus stop locations and transit hours, but one key element of the new spine-and-feeder model that won’t change is the emphasis on transfers.
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“The backbone, the foundation of this model, is it’s based on transfers, and I know a lot of people are worked up about that,” she said.
“I’m hearing that they come out of their residential neighbourhoods, and then they transfer to get on a main line, to get on the spine. This is something that won’t change … we’re going to be making some adjustments, but the essence of transfers won’t change.”
Lukes said members of council will meet on Wednesday with transit officials to discuss the feedback they’ve received and start working toward improvements, noting that any changes will happen throughout the year as the city’s bus usage tends to be seasonal, with fewer riders in the summer and the heaviest usage beginning in the fall, when students return to school.
“Come fall, it’s a completely different game. I expect people will be seeing changes throughout the year. To what degree? I don’t have any answers for that yet.
“But please, please send in the feedback. It’s one thing to complain, it’s another to be doing constructive complaints and send it in.”
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