Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Transit Implements Google Transit
/Planning your trip on Peterborough Transit? Now, you can just Google it as they have joined Google’s Transit Partner Program with its routes and schedules integrated into Google Maps.
“This is a great step for Peterborough Transit and for the residents of Peterborough,” says Councillor Kemi Akapo, co-chair of City Council’s Transportation portfolio. “Thanks to all the Transit, technology services and mapping staff who worked tirelessly to make using transit more accessible.”
“I’m happy to hear that Peterborough Transit will now be able to offer its riders Google Transit,” adds Councillor Don Vassiliadis, Transportation portfolio co-chair. “This will help the City create a more convenient and reliable transit system.”
To use Google Maps to plan your route and times for Peterborough Transit services, click google.ca/maps, enter in your starting point and your destination, select the transit icon, then hit Enter.
Google Maps will show you the location of the nearest bus stop, what bus to catch to get to your destination, the route it will take, and any recommended transfers. To plan ahead of time for a later departure, simply change the Leave Now setting to either Depart At or Arrive By to customize your schedule.
“Our customers have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Google trip planner, and this is the first exciting step on our way to real time bus tracking,” says Laurie Stratton, Manager, Transit.
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Provincial Funding To Keep Municipal Transit Safe In City And County Of Peterborough
/Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha, has announced that the province is keeping transit riders and operators safe by providing the City and County of Peterborough with funding to cover additional cleaning costs of municipal transit systems due to COVID-19.
This funding is part of $15 million in provincial support for 110 municipalities across the province towards enhanced transit cleaning as the province gradually reopens. The City of Peterborough will receive $77,481 and the County of Peterborough will receive $29,964.
Photo by Peterborough Transit
Enhanced municipal transit cleaning funding builds upon the recommendations in the recently released safety guidance for public transit agencies and supports safe and reliable transit public transit that will get people moving, reduce congestion, and drive economic growth.
“Municipalities such as the City of Peterborough have had to make changes to how their transit systems operate to reduce crowding and ensure the safety of staff and passengers,” says MPP Dave Smith. “Working in partnership with municipalities is critical if we are to keep our communities clean, safe and healthy. This funding is another necessary step in that direction.”
“Peterborough Transit is adapting to continue to provide public transit service during the pandemic in a way that helps protect the health and wellbeing of customers, employees, and the community,” Mayor Therrien says. “Additional funding from the Province to assist with enhanced cleaning measures will support providing this key service for our community during this time."
“We are very pleased with the investment in Peterborough County through our Community Care specialized transit bus,” adds J. Murray Jones, Warden, Peterborough County. “The investment will support the enhanced cleaning needs in our Caremobiles to ensure rider safety.”
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Peterborough Transit Drivers Kept More Than 3,000 Customers Safe On Roads On New Year’s Eve
/Peterborough Transit drivers kept over 3,000 customers safe on the road this New Year’s Eve, as free transit was provided for a fifth consecutive year thanks to the sponsorship of Wolfe Lawyers.
"Peterborough Transit is a safe, reliable way to get to where you’re going and then back home, which is why it’s such a great service on New Year’s Eve,” says Councillor Don Vassiliadis, Co-chair of Transportation. “I would like to thank the transit drivers, staff and transit riders for helping to make the transit service so successful.”
File photo
“It’s exciting to see people out enjoying the city on New Year’s Eve, knowing that they don’t have to worry about arranging for a ride thanks to the free transit service,” adds Councillor Kemi Akapo, Co-chair of Transportation. “We appreciate the ongoing sponsorship from Wolfe Lawyers to make it possible.”
Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area and its member businesses partnered with the City this year to help promote the service, increasing awareness of the transit option for residents on New Year’s Eve.
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Free New Year's Eve Transit Is Being Offered For 5th Consecutive Year
/Free transit service on New Year’s Eve is being provided for a 5th consecutive year thanks to a partnership between Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers and the City of Peterborough.
Ride the bus free of charge on all 12 regular routes between 7:20 p.m. on December 31st and 3:20 a.m. on January 1st The last bus will leave Peterborough’s downtown terminal at 2:40 a.m. Route maps are available here.
Accessible service will also run during the same hours. Accessible trip requests will be accepted until 12:20 a.m. and service will continue until 3:20 a.m. Bookings are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Riders wishing to travel during peak times are encouraged to reserve their trips in advance.
Wolfe Lawyers is also sponsoring a free New Year's Eve Family Skate at the Evinrude Centre (911 Monaghan Rd.). Both ice pads will be open December 31st for a free family fun:
-> Freedom Mobile Pad from 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
-> Leon's Peterborough Pad from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
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New, Convenient Gateway To Kawarthas: 407 Extension Just Opened Off Highway 115
/There is a new convenient gateway to the Kawarthas, with the opening of the final stretch of Highway 407 and Highway 418.
Starting on Monday, December 9th, the final phase of this project will be open to drivers, connecting Highway 407 from the new Highway 418 to Highway 35/115. Highway 418 will provide another north/south connection from Highway 407 to Highway 401.
Photo from new 407 extension ribbon cutting courtesy Sandra Dueck, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
The extension will add 14.2 kilometres to Highway 407, and the new Highway 418 (10 kilometres). This will add more options for commuters and families to travel across the region faster.
”It is an important connector of people and goods to and from Ontario’s largest economy,” says Sandra Dueck, Policy Analyst, The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.
MAP courtesy 407 ETR
"The completion of the Highway 407 East project will connect communities and greatly improve our transportation network in this region," adds Vijay Thanigasalam, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation.
Photo from new 407 extension ribbon cutting courtesy Sandra Dueck, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
"Connecting Highway 407 to Highway 35/115 will create a vital link between Peterborough and the Greater Toronto Area," says Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha. "The extension of this highway will help attract jobs and economic growth to this region."
In total, the extended Highway 407 and new Highway 418 will add over 24 km of new highways, benefiting communities across Durham and Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
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Watch: Great Back To School Road Safety Tips From Peterborough Police's Traffic Sergeant
/It's that time of year again, as student and school bus safety becomes paramount.
Peterborough Police want you to have a safe and happy school year ahead, and that includes being extra diligent in school safety zones.
Traffic Sergeant Ryan Wilson
Peterborough Police Traffic Sergeant Ryan Wilson provides great back-to-school tips for motorists with you in this video he filmed with us.
Watch it (and share) on Facebook here…
Or Twitter here…
Lock & Paddle Has A Neat New Twist This Year: Light Up The Night At Peterborough Lift Lock
/The 4th Annual “Lock & Paddle” event this Saturday, August 24th, has a new twist this year with its “Light Up the Night” theme. Hosted by Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada in co-operation with The Canadian Canoe Museum, it will be a colourful lighted paddlecraft parade taking place over multiple lockages.
This year, they are opening up the site to encourage a “festival feel” by welcoming local vendors and entertainment as they host hundreds of paddlers and spectators. On-site camping is also being offered for the first time ever at the Historic Site to the first 150 registrants. The format will change to make the event more inclusive, giving everyone the chance to lock-through.
Photo courtesy Parks Canada
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
To participate in this year’s Lock & Paddle, paddlers are encouraged to register on-line in advanced of the event. (Last minute registration will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 1 p.m. on the day of the event.) Registrants will receive a glow-in-the-dark wristband and a vessel marker which will provide them access to the event.
Paddlers are also encouraged to decorate their vessels with glow sticks, lights, reflectors or anything that can light up the night (but no open flamses are allowed).
At 6 p.m., the lighted paddle parade will begin, where paddlecraft will pass by judges for a chance to win some great prizes. Following the paddle parade comes the lighted night-time lockage where they will lift paddlers almost 20 metres into the night sky in the world’s highest hydraulic Lift Lock.
To register, click here.
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An Awesome 15 Passenger Party Bike Called PedalBoro Has Come To Town
/Peterborough’s very first 15-passenger party bike, PedalBoro, will soon be launching in the city. This will be a great idea for office functions, family and friend parties, tourists, and more—and it’s environmentally friendly.
PedalBoro is a multi-passenger bike tour company that will provide an innovative, eco-friendly transportation alternative for exploring downtown Peterborough's vibrant food and beverage scene.
Photo courtesy PedalBoro
With the launch of PedalBoro, Peterborough will become the 5th city in Canada to host this new form of cycle tourism, a sector that is booming right now.
Once launched, PedalBoro tours has the opportunity to be a powerful economic driver as part of the city’s high value cycle tourism industry; connecting residents and tourists alike to Peterborough’s culinary creators and beverage makers.
Photo courtesy PedalBoro
The Next Phase Of Via Rail’s High Frequency Rail Project Through Peterborough Is Moving Forward
/“This train has yet to leave the station, but this is the furthest we have ever come on the idea of a passenger train,” says MP Maryam Monsef of an announcement made on Tuesday (June 25th) that she says “marks a significant milestone moving forward.”
Monsef announced that the Government of Canada and Canada Infrastructure Bank are committing a total of $71.1 million in new funding to complete additional planning activities over the next two years to advance VIA Rail’s proposal for High Frequency Rail in the busy Quebec City-Toronto Corridor, which runs through Peterborough.
Historical photo of Via Rail train in 1981 at what is now Peterborough Chamber courtesy Peterborough Chamber
“This project would bring significant economic growth to our community and the affected regions along the corridor,” says Monsef. “It also requires a significant investment. That’s why we have taken each step forward in a measured, thoughtful way. We are not interested in creating buzz that leads to no results.”
“We began by working with Via Rail to determine their business case, which we have determined would be good for the middle class and those working hard to join it. The next step is making sure we move forward in the correct way. That requires meaningful indigenous consultations and environmental assessment.”
Historical photo of Via Rail station courtesy Peterborough Chamber
The new funding will be used to establish a Joint Project Team and fund work to preserve the option of interoperability with regional transit providers in Montreal and Toronto.
The Joint Project Team, between Canada Infrastructure Bank and VIA Rail, will be established using the $55 million in funding from Canada Infrastructure Bank. This Joint Project Team will coordinate the next steps required in developing this project, focusing on the following activities throughout 2019 to 2020:
· finalizing legal and regulatory work related to safety and environmental assessments;
· consulting with stakeholders and Indigenous communities;
· examining required land and track acquisition; and
· completing the technical, financial and commercial analysis required for a final investment decision on High Frequency Rail in the Corridor.
Photo from announcement of funding at Peterborough Chamber courtesy Maryam Monsef
The balance of the funding, $16.1 million, is for Transport Canada and VIA Rail to support VIA Rail’s contributions to the Joint Project Team. It will also fund technical work to ensure the interoperability and integration of High Frequency Rail with operating tracks used by local and regional transit providers in Montreal and Toronto.
Photo courtesy Maryam Monsef
