A resident reminded me that the conversation about a bus stop or route to the YQR airport goes back to the 1980s. So what's the delay? Well, there are challenges, like cost and fears that there won't be sufficient ridership to make the route financially sustainable. But what about the hundreds of workers employed in and around the airport, and the role the Regina International Airport plays in YQR's broader economic development strategy? I think's it time to think about how to build a solution rather than focus on the problems. That's why I'm bringing that motion before Council this month.
WHEREAS the City of Regina’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) focuses on increasing public transit ridership;
WHEREAS section 7.4 of the TMP addresses the need to “Support access to municipal and regional intermodal facilities including the Regina International Airport”;
WHEREAS the TMP makes a recommendation to “Reinforce the role of Regina International Airport as a key gateway”;
WHERAS transit access to the Regina International Airport could service thousands of travellers and workers employed at the Airport and surrounding businesses;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Administration prepare a report for Community and Protective Services for Q2 of 2019 that:
1. Identifies the costs, benefits, and ridership statistics related to a dedicated airport route;
2. Identifies the costs, benefits, and ridership statistics related to an airport stop using an existing route(s);
3. In consultation with the Regina Airport Authority, identifies the challenges and potential solutions to servicing the needs of travellers and employees who work at or around the Regina International Airport and airport lands;
4. Identifies potential third party capital and operational funding support for an airport transit service.