Sarah Williams
Special to the Beaver
Town of Greater Napanee Council has set the wheels in motion for a partnership with the Town of Deseronto (Deseronto Transit) that would see a fixed transportation route available for residents.
During the Aug. 29 regular council meeting, council received an update from Annie Manion, manager of community economic development for the town. The report was originally brought before council in December 2021 outlining a transportation partnership with Loyalist Township. Since that time, Loyalist has moved ahead with their own transportation plans while town staff have met on numerous occasions with Deseronto Transit to discuss a possible partnership.
As per the report, the proposed transportation route would operate 4:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. Stops in Greater Napanee include Lennox & Addington General Hospital, Baker and West Street, Market Square, Camden Variety, No Frills, and Wal-Mart. These stops are along the proposed fixed route. Staff will monitor other potential stops as the route becomes established.
Currently, Deseronto Transit operates on an “as-needed” basis.
“At present, Deseronto Transit is looking to go to a fixed route as opposed to an on-demand route. Any of the on-demand calls that wouldn’t be on a fixed route, would hopefully be picked up by a cab service or something along those lines,” explained Manion.
Funding for the partnership is available through the County of Lennox & Addington. The funding was allocated to the County via the province and must be based upon an approved budget and timeline.
Councillor Bill Martin questioned just how fixed the fixed route might be, noting that many constituents have voiced a desire to be able to get into Kingston via transit-an option not currently available with the proposed transit route.
“Are we committing ourselves to a long term thing here? Most people who talk to me about transit are talking about getting into Loyalist Township and Kingston for medical appointments,” said Martin.
Manion noted that while there are early discussions about different connections, more will come to light as talks progress between the town and Deseronto Transit.
“I believe more answers can come about as we progress with the discussions and see how the fixed route goes,” Manion stated.
Benefits of public transportation are well documented in the report, including improved access to essential services, employment, skills training, and social networking for non-drivers.
Based on a recent transportation survey conducted by the town, 52 per cent of respondents stated they use public transit because they don’t own a vehicle. Meanwhile, 80 per cent of respondents noted their use of public transportation would be for grocery shopping and 59 per cent would use transportation for medical appointments.
Ultimately, reliable public transportation can provide a higher quality of life, improving mental health and community participation. Also, the report notes that people who use public transportation walk more than those who don’t, which can help reduce the risk of becoming overweight and subsequent health issues.
Environmental benefits include reduced road congestion and lower vehicle emissions.
-Walking council through the impetus behind and possibility for walkable development in Greater Napanee was Aaron Feeney, who spoke during the meeting via a deputation.
Feeney argued the modern style of development is in contrast with the way in which towns and cities developed historically. Presenting the small town of Raynard, Minnesota, as an example he explained that, for the vast majority of human history, urban development has happened incrementally and on a human scale.
“Individual property owners would make incremental improvements to their property as they could afford to do so,” he said.
Feeney added this type of development allowed structure and land values to remain in proportion to one another, while towns/cities grew both up and out. Importantly, this also allowed homes, businesses, places of gathering, and other public places to be within walking distance of one another.
Now, as Feeney points out, there are specific zones for living, shopping, working, and travelling, creating distance between these places.
“Transportation is assumed automotive first, with long stretches between spaces to live, work and shop. This was founded on the belief that society could be master planned from a central bureaucracy,” said Feeney.
This philosophy, he added, has only really taken off since WW II.
“Prevailing social science of the time believed efficiency would be gained from segregation, whether that be land use, social use, or ethnicities,” said Feeney.
Of the many drawbacks to having car-focused development, Feeney emphasized it is those who are unable to drive that suffer the most.
“Many people can’t drive and that puts them at significant disadvantage. Age, finances and disability should not prohibit people from full, productive lives,” he expressed.
There are other financial impacts noted by Feeney, for example the degradation of infrastructure due to the rampant use of vehicles. He also posited this type of modern sprawl favours corporate developers as opposed to small-scale, entrepreneurial ones.
In his deputation, Feeney made several requests from council. First, he asked that the councillors conduct a walking audit around town and take note of how easy (or difficult) it is to get around. Crucial to this, he added, is the inclusion of disadvantaged people in the audit.
“Walking must be viewed as critically important, as is driving,” said Feeney.
He also requested council end parking mandates, capitalize on provincial legislation that allows small homes to have a second dwelling on their property, and allow for pedestrian commerce.
“People should be allowed to run small businesses from their property. Businesses which create minimal impact on neighbours should be allowed, with some restrictions,” said Feeney.
These requests, he explained, would not only help improve walkability, but also help add to the neighbourhoods’ character and wealth.
Martin asked Feeney if he finds Greater Napanee to be unwalkable.
Feeney responded that, apart from the downtown core, it is fairly unwalkable.
“Downtown, yes, but if you’re around Centre Street, not so much. I feel the focus for development should be opened up to a broader swath of developers,” he added.
-Council received a deputation from a concerned resident, Hubert Hogle, regarding rail safety. His primary concern was that the tracks near the train station are unsafe and frequented by homeless people.
“I want to talk about rail safety, particularly as it applies to the area near the train station. That is a regular crossing area for homeless people. There’s a well-worn path and Canadian National is requesting you to pass a resolution declaring the week of September 18 rail safety week,” he said. “We are well aware of this because they send railway police up there regularly. I think that this could be easily solved by something we’re all familiar with-a fence.”
A Bob Norrie/Martin motion to receive this deputation and ask staff to send a message to CN about the possibility of erecting a fence was passed.
In relation to this, council also passed the proclamation declaring Sept. 18-24, 2023 Rail Safety Week.
-At the same meeting, council also proclaimed Oct. 17, 2023 be known as child care worker and early childhood educator day.