Every time we have a municipal election, candidates claim they have the solution to improve transit ridership. The problem is that none of their solutions will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their solutions are always bandaid solutions that never address the underlying causes of low ridership. Few people take the bus in Lethbridge because it is way too convenient to drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to be serious about increasing ridership, you have to make driving more inconvenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019d take drastic, unconventional measures to increase ridership, but most city councils (present and future) will never go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few measures I could think of off the top of my head to make driving more inconvenient and transit more attractive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

• Eliminate bus fares<\/li>
• Make 15 min frequency standard (7 min across Whoop Up)<\/li>
• Have fewer routes stop downtown<\/li>
• Make holiday\/Sunday service same as the rest of the week<\/li>
• Stop adding lanes to existing roadways<\/li>
• Stop creating additional arterials<\/li>
• Don’t build a third bridge<\/li>
• Implement exorbitant commuter parking fees<\/li>
• Outlaw non-resident parking in London Road, Tudor, and Varsity Village, and near the hospital.<\/li>
• Make university and college parking exorbitant for Lethbridge users<\/li>
• Make drivers yield to buses at all times<\/li>
• Give buses ability to change traffic lights<\/li>
• Increase number of bus shelters and make them heated<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

  But campaigning on all of these, let along implementing them, would be political suicide. So no one will do it, and we will continue to have low transit ridership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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