Our partners at Barrie Riders have created a UserVoice Petition - please read the details and add your vote(s)!
Details At a Glance
Link to Petition: https://barrie.uservoice.com/forums/225715-make-a-suggestion/suggestions/49027931-establish-a-barrie-transit-advisory-committee
Petition Purpose: To urge Barrie City Council to establish a Barrie Transit Advisory Committee, to enhance community engagement and improve our transit services.
Created By: Barrie Riders (a community organization, not affiliated with the City of Barrie)
What is UserVoice?
UserVoice is a site used by the City of Barrie (Access Barrie), where residents may share their ideas for the City, and vote on the ideas that mean most to them.
Each registrant can have up to 10 votes active at any time, and may cast one to three votes on any issue, depending on their priorities.
Once a suggestion attains 500 votes, Access Barrie will place the suggestion as "under review" (returning residents' votes), and notify the relevant City department for suggestion review - this department will then then write a memo to City Council on the suggestion.
For more details, please visit https://barrie.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/287301-what-does-it-mean-when-a-suggestion-is-under-revi
Petition Wording from Barrie Riders
Barrie Riders urges Barrie City Council to establish a Barrie Transit Advisory Committee (BTAC) to enhance community engagement and improve our transit services. Currently, Barrie stands out as one of the few larger municipalities in Ontario without a dedicated advisory committee for its transit system, despite having an Active Transportation and Sustainability Advisory Committee. Especially given the recent concerns regarding the New Transit Network and more specifically, Transit On-Demand, riders must be at the table informing Council on Barrie’s transit system.
At least 16 Ontario municipalities, including Toronto, Guelph, Windsor, Peterborough, and Orillia, have successfully implemented transit advisory committees. These committees incorporate resident and stakeholder group participation and have the support of subject matter experts and staff. These committees allow communities to have a meaningful voice in transit planning and operations, ensuring that the needs of all residents are addressed.
Importance of a Transit Advisory Committee:
Enhanced Community Engagement: BTAC would serve as a forum for transit riders and stakeholders to share their experiences, concerns, and suggestions directly with city officials, fostering a collaborative approach to transit planning.
Feedback Mechanism: Given the recent significant changes to on-demand transit services in Barrie, there is an urgent need for consistent and effective channels for transit-rider feedback. BTAC would enable the city to gather valuable insights and address challenges proactively.
Collaboration and Representation: Transit riders deserve a seat at the table. By including diverse perspectives, including those from accessibility advocates and various demographic groups, BTAC can help shape strong, rider-led recommendations for city staff and council.
Alignment with Best Practices: The establishment of BTAC would align Barrie with numerous other municipalities that prioritize community input in transit decision-making. This would not only improve local transit services but also demonstrate the city’s commitment to transparency and inclusivity.
Alignment with Barrie's 2022-2026 Strategic Plan: read more in attachment.
EBO is happy to share events and opinions of our members and community partners, provided they fit within our mandate.
This particular issue is in line with our values of accountability, collaboration, democracy, diversity, education, empowerment, equity, inclusivity and information. It also fits within our founding principals of local community-based organizing, and being solutions-focused, as well as our key focal points of democratizing decision-making in local government, environmentalism and the climate emergency, and healthy urbanism
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