Cochrane, AB – Cochrane is pleased to announce the completion of the first phase of public engagement for its comprehensive transit study, with more than 1,000 residents and partners providing their input.
"We sincerely thank all residents who came out to provide their feedback during this initial phase of our transit study," said Michelle Delorme, Manager, Community Services. "We were pleased with the amount and diversity of participation we received and were excited to share this public input with Council yesterday. For those that didn’t get a chance to have their say, we will be doing a second round of engagement later this summer.”
From May 17 to June 9, Cochrane residents were asked to provide their expectations and experiences regarding Cochrane’s transit service. Users and non-users of COLT were invited to take part by filling out online and hard copy surveys which were available at the Cochrane Public Library, the Station and FCSS. In person opportunities to provide feedback were available at The Station and the Farmers Market on May 30 and June 1 respectively. A Community Partner Workshop also took place on May 31st.
Key themes identified during this engagement include the need for a more reliable and useful transit services, safe and accessible transportation options, financially sustainable and scalable service solutions and integrated transit planning that meets community needs.
Along with public feedback, the study will evaluate the current transit service delivery and will include a thorough technical assessment of the existing system, an examination of public transit best practices and lessons learned from other communities.
The outcomes of this study will provide Council with options on what the future of public transit could look like within varying budget parameters.
Residents can view the "What We Heard" report, summarizing the engagement results, at letstalkcochrane.ca/transit. The next round of engagement will help further inform the recommendations coming forward to Council in September 2024.
Details of how and when the community can participate will be shared in the coming weeks. For more information visit letstalkcochrane.ca/transit.