PUBLIC TRANSIT
Coordinator with the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy. Through a program offered by the City of Charlottetown and the Town of Stratford, students are able to access free T3 bus passes, allowing them to integrate public transit into their lifestyle at a young age - a habit they can maintain throughout adulthood in an effort to reduce emissions long- term. The government supports this initiative and is looking for ways to expand programs like it so that more Islanders will turn to public transit as means of travel.
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
The Sustainable Transportation Action Plan will prioritize reducing emissions within the Island’s fleet of public transport vehicles. This includes replacing gasoline cars with electric alternatives within their stock of personal compact vehicles, as well as throughout the school transit system. In fact, twelve new electric school buses are scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks - a welcome addition to the current inventory. Next, we need to focus on public transit ridership. The T3 bus system has been steadily increasing ridership since its inception. Moving forward, the government plans to work in partnership with them to improve affordable, safe, and inclusive transportation services in rural areas, and break down barriers to accessible public transit for low-income riders. This plan includes expanding routes and schedules, and focusing on converting the current roster of buses to low-emission vehicles. “The province of PEI wants to build off of the success of the capital region transit system, and work towards a tip-to-tip Island wide transit system. Having more people utilize transit in the province would substantially reduce our carbon emissions in PEI,” says Ronnie McPhee, Policy and Outreach
Besides the 34 kilometres of new cyclist-friendly highways, the PEI government aims to expand active transportation opportunities in several key areas. This work starts from the ground up; with much of the focus on future urban and rural planning opportunities. Encouraging future development and planning in all Island jurisdictions to include active transportation is essential in lowering emissions. Accessible walking and biking infrastructure and municipal planning with active transportation in mind are key concepts of the Sustainable Transportation Action Plan. For more information, please visit the official Government of PEI website to read The Sustainable Transportation Action Plan in full.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Electric Vehicles, or EVs, are another integral part of the Sustainable Transportation Action Plan. “Right now we offer free registration for EVs. We continue to look at best practices in other jurisdictions on their rebate programs around North America. Islanders can expect that once we move towards an incentive that it will be equitable for all Islanders. We are working with the PEI EV Owners Association and the PEI Automobile Dealers Association on this and other aspects of our STAP to assure we have their voices, expertise and opinions at the forefront of our conversations about how we move forward on an EV rebate; such as charging rebates, and new/used rebates,” says McPhee.
Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy 11 Kent Street, Charlottetown 902.368.5100 www.princeedwardisland. ca/en/publication/sustain- able-transportation-action-plan
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