“Ridership on buses and LRT continues to grow as the City works to enhance its public transit system,” said Transportation Services General Manager Bob Boutilier. “Our strategy is paying off as more Edmontonians are choosing public transit as their preferred method of moving throughout the city.”

Overall ETS ridership increased 5.2 percent from 76.3 million trips in 2010 to 80.3 million trips in 2011. Weekday LRT ridership increased from 92,000 to 95,300 daily passenger boardings in 2011. Weekday bus ridership increased from 297,000 to 302,000 daily passengers boardings in 2011.

“A five percent bump in ridership is a major increase,” added Boutilier. “Outstanding planning and service delivery, a full year of South LRT operation and programs such as UPass and ETS@Work are contributing to overall success.”

Please see the City’s online photo gallery for pictures. Graphs plotting estimated daily ETS ridership from 2002-2011 are available on Transforming Edmonton. Visit www.takeets.com for more information about marketing initiatives that contribute to ETS success.

“This agreement helps improve taxi service availability, reduces deadheading and reduces impact to our environment,” says Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel. “We have an agreement that balances and meets the needs of the City of Edmonton, Edmonton International Airport, our taxi industry, and the citizens and visitors of our city.”

The agreement was negotiated late last year to reduce the amount of deadheading between the city and airport. Currently, unless they have a pre-arranged fare, only taxis from Airport Taxi Service can pick up at the airport and only Edmonton-based taxis can pick up in the city. This means Edmonton taxis that take passengers to the terminal must return empty, as must Airport Taxi Service taxis that take passengers to Edmonton.

Under the new agreement, the airport will only contract taxi companies and drivers that are licensed to operate in Edmonton. To make sure there are enough taxis to provide reliable service to the airport, City Council released 100 new taxi licences yesterday and the City will allow drivers that are currently providing service at the airport to apply for these licences.

“Providing excellent, efficient taxi service is key to an outstanding traveler experience,” says Reg Milley, President and CEO of Edmonton Airports. “Our customers and community partners told us that they prefer a seamless, regional approach to taxi service, with less deadheading.”

The new City licences will be distributed through a random selection process. Edmonton International Airport will be asking for bids, through an RFP process, to decide which Edmonton taxi brokers will be contracted to provide on-demand service at the terminal.

The Senior Citizen Annual Pass goes up to $121.50 while the Low Income Senior Annual Pass will be $52.50. The Senior Citizen Monthly Pass increases to $13.50.

The fare increases scheduled for 2012 apply to all February 2012 fare products regardless of the date of purchase.

The increases in transit fares help pay for improvements in transit service and for new service in growing areas of the city. They have also helped to pay for new buses, transit centres, extension of the LRT and for increased DATS service.

Smoke will be generated in Corona LRT Station to test the effectiveness of the fan system to remove the smoke quickly and efficiently. Nearby residents and businesses may see smoke coming out of the exhaust ventilation shafts located on 108 Street near Jasper Avenue.

Twenty-seven riders used the Night Ride service on Friday night, and 53 riders used the service on Saturday night.

“We’re pleased that people took advantage of this pilot project,” says Angela Turner, program manager of Responsible Hospitality Edmonton, “Edmonton Transit, the taxi companies and the Edmonton Police Service were able to successfully manage the typical late night issues that arose.”

The Night Ride pilot project team is working closely with the Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton Transit and the taxi industry, all of which have professional and established standard operating procedures in place to manage late night patrons.

The City is piloting this late-night weekend transportation program to help Whyte Avenue patrons and workers get home more easily and safely after closing time. Night Ride runs from 1:30am, when the main transit system shuts down for the night, until 3:30am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Night Ride takes passengers from Whyte Avenue to the University, the Southgate transit centre and 51st Avenue and Gateway Boulevard, stopping on request in between. The pilot will run every Friday and Saturday night till mid-April when it will be evaluated and reviewed by City Council.

Night Ride is part of the City’s efforts to promote a safe, thriving, late-night environment in Edmonton.

Bus service will be available every 12 minutes along Whyte Avenue (westbound only) to the University and Southgate Transit Centre with additional stops along 51 Avenue to Gateway Boulevard before the buses head back to Whyte Avenue.

“The pilot is intended to provide a quick and safe late night transportation option for employees and patrons of the Whyte Avenue area,” says Angela Turner, Program Manager for Responsible Hospitality Edmonton. The service is also intended to help alleviate congestion on Whyte Avenue at closing time.

Passengers can disembark anywhere along the route and can use the stop-on-request service. Survey results from September’s public consultation with area residents and businesses suggest the majority of passengers will get off along the route. Remaining passengers will then be able to take advantage of a taxi stand at Southgate Transit Centre to get to their final destination or arrange pick-up by a friend or family member.

The use of the Night Ride bus by residents from Edmonton’s south side also means more taxis will be available on Whyte Avenue for residents going in other directions.

Turner says last September’s research found 65% of respondents either strongly supported or supported the pilot. “We also discovered that 77% of respondents support late night transit in the city and that a majority indicate if a service was available, they were likely to use it.”

During the pilot development, communities around the Whyte Avenue area, Southgate Transit Centre, and the Old Strathcona Business Association were consulted.

The Night Ride pilot will be evaluated with preliminary findings included in a report going to City Council in the spring.

Additional information on the pilot is available at www.edmonton.ca/nightride.

Citizens can also call 311 or email nightride@edmonton.ca with questions or comments.

The City of Edmonton is responding to freezing overnight rain by deploying sanding trucks throughout the city, including a full sanding cycle in residential neighbourhoods scheduled to begin at 3pm on January 4, 2012.

“City road maintenance crews are always staffed 24-7 throughout the winter and ready to respond to any weather event,” said Roland Aitchison, Superintendent of Operations, Roadway Maintenance. “By 7pm Tuesday evening, crews were responding to freezing rain conditions on roadways and sidewalks by applying abrasives on priority routes such as arterial roads, bus routes, hills and bridge decks. Crews are continuing their work today.”

Sanding trucks are moving into residential areas that require immediate attention, such as hills, intersections and sharp turns. Trucks will continue sanding all residential neighbourhood roadways and work around the clock until the full sanding cycle is completed.

Drivers are urged to continue to exercise caution throughout the day, even in areas that have already been sanded.

“We thank drivers for their patience as we work to bring Edmonton’s roads to good winter driving condition,” said Aitchison. “We hope drivers stay safe by taking their time, braking carefully and leaving plenty of space between vehicles.”

Citizens are reminded to clear or put sand on icy sidewalks in front of their homes and business within 48 hours of a weather event. The City supplies sand to community sand boxes located throughout Edmonton.

These are only some of the items included in a Capital Budget that sets infrastructure spending of $2.75 billion over the three years 2012 to 2014.

“City Council made some difficult decisions regarding our limited funding available to deliver projects that move us towards our City vision,” said Lorna Rosen, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for the City.

“This three-year budget will move ahead many projects that will greatly contribute to our quality of life in Edmonton. And Edmonton continues to be one of just a handful of municipalities in North America that recognizes the importance of maintaining and funding appropriately its infrastructure assets to ensure long-term social, economic and environmental sustainability.”

Almost half of the capital budget is allocated to projects intended to maintain existing structures, avoiding costly repair and replacement costs later. The balance goes to the new facilities and amenities required to accommodate a population that is expected to grow 5.5% in the four years from 2011 to 14. 

Of the planned spending, $1.15 billion or 42% of the Capital Budget is funded through grants from other orders of government, while the balance is funded by investment earnings, developer/user fees, or general financing and debt paid back through municipal taxes.

The three-year Capital Budget will increase property taxes by 0.75% in 2012, 0.70% in 2013 and 0.67% in 2014 to service debt on three major projects—the Walterdale Bridge, the new Northwest Police Campus, and Southeast to West LRT land purchases—and to provide additional funding for Council’s priority projects.

In mid-December, City Council will set the Operating Budget, which will determine the final funding required from property taxes. The Provincial education tax is announced in the spring, and is added to the property tax bill.

Other Capital Budget projects approved by City Council include design work for a new Capilano Library and the downtown Milner Library exterior upgrade; design and land servicing for a new Pilot Sound Fire Station; initial funding towards the expansion of the Winspear Centre; renewal of several community parks; support for Active Transportation infrastructure; and a range of major road and building rehabilitation work.

The City’s total debt in 2012 will be $2.47 billion, which is 37% below the debt limit set by the Province of Alberta.

Rosen said the City will leverage a number of sources to ensure sustainable funding of projects included in the budget.

“City Council has worked hard with us to balance responsible fiscal management with the need to enhance the quality of life for citizens in a growing, and ageing, city,” she said.

Some major renewal and maintenance projects:

• Neighbourhood Renewal
• Replace Walterdale Bridge
• Central LRT Station roof repair
• Streetscape program
• Mill Woods Senior Centre and Multicultural Facility
• Abbotsfield Recreation Centre
• Fire Rescue equipment replacement

Some major growth projects continuing in 2012-14:

• LRT to NAIT
• Multi-purpose Recreation Centres
• Southeast to West LRT land purchases
• Northwest Police Campus
• 41 Avenue (Township Rd. 512)-Highway 2 interchange
• Southwest Division Police Station
• Ellerslie and Lewis Estates Fire Rescue Services Station
• Clareview Branch Library

Background

The capital budget spans a three-year time period because of the complex and lengthy process involved in many civic projects, such as major recreation centres, road renewal, parks development and bus replacement programs.

Capital projects have an impact on the annual operating budget due to the cost of staffing and operating new facilities from prior capital budgets, and, when borrowing is used to fund projects, the cost of servicing the debt is included in the operating budget.

Renewal projects maintain tax-supported assets with a total replacement value of $20.5 billion. Risk exposure and physical condition are assessed to prioritize work that needs to be done each three-year cycle and establish renewal targets for the budget.

Growth projects are prioritized according to their contribution to Council priorities, public health and safety, legal obligations, and contribution to the City’s strategic outcomes, partnerships and civic revenue streams. Projects were first rated by individual departments and authorities, and then assessed in a peer review process.

New ETS Trip Planner features include:

• Integration and automation of planned detours and bus stop closure alerts
• Improved usability and layout of the Trip Planner interface
• A new Trip Planner engine for quicker results and better trip solutions
• A school service summary that is searchable by school session (summer vs regular school term)

Residents were invited to try out the beta (test) version of the upgraded Trip Planner during the months of October and November. ETS used feedback from the public in refining ETS Trip Planner features.

In addition to the above features tested during the beta trial period, ETS has also added the following new tools:

• Subscribe for Alerts – subscribe to receive emails for planned detours and bus stop closures by route and/or bus stop and general service alerts (e.g. service changes, major delays/disruptions)
• yegtransitAlert Twitter – feed of all planned detours and bus stop closures
• Improved takeETS.com widget for convenient trip planning

Dedicated to continuously improving its online tools, ETS is slated to release a mobile website for the ETS Trip Planner and Bus Stop Schedule in 2012. As well, organizations will be able to embed the ETS Trip Planner onto their website, blog or company intranet to help their employees and clients get around on transit.

The Trip Planner was developed jointly by ETS and the City's Information Technology Branch. Users are encouraged to continue to send in their comments on the new tools via the report a bug link.

Edmontonians flocked to 13 Save-On-Foods locations over the course of the past week and donated over 20,000 kg of food and close to $14,000 in cash donations.

“The donations received are equal to fourteen buses stuffed with food,” said Denise Kirkpatrick, Stuff a Bus campaign Manager for Edmonton Transit Services (ETS). “Thanks to the kindness of Edmontonians, that food will help feed close to 400 families for a month.”

ETS, along with its partners, has operated the annual Stuff a Bus campaign since 1995. Each year, ETS volunteers bring 40-foot buses to every Save-On-Foods store in the city to collect non-perishable food items for the Edmonton Food Bank. Since its inception, the campaign has collected 302,545 kilograms of food and $325,729 in cash to help feed Edmontonians in need.

“I want to express our appreciation to Save-On-Foods, Joe FM, the Edmonton Sun, Global TV, our wonderful volunteers and to all Edmontonians who made this year’s campaign such a success,” added Kirkpatrick. “Together, they’ve all made a tremendous difference in their community.”