Transit for small urban areas

Many small communities face unique challenges when providing transit services for their citizens. Transit revenues are rarely self-sustaining and operational funding is often required from municipality coffers. Traditional transit models applicable for larger cities have often been employed in small communities with limited success. There are a number of communities in Atlantic Canada that sustain transit services and many have launched. innovative alternatives to provide public transportation. The population in these communities ranges between 30,000 and 400,000 citizens. An overview of several of these programs is provided in this paper. In tandem to its commitment to the Kyoto Accord, the Federal Government of Canada has initiated a program to encourage communities to develop new and innovative ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through a mixture of technology applications, infrastructure enhancements and behavioural change. Among the communities involved in the Urban Transportation Showcase Program are three small cities in Atlantic Canada: Halifax, Moncton and Saint John. Proposals submitted by these communities for the program developed alternatives to maximize the. passenger carrying capacity of existing corridors that provide access to their cities. Initiatives include shifting road infrastructure from the automobile for transit use, transportation and land use planning decisions, parking strategies and the integration of services with non-traditional transportation modes. Other communities have recently established trans-cab services by structuring their transit system around existing transportation service infrastructure. This paper provides a summary of experience gained through the development of several of these initiatives and discusses their potential impact on common themes faced by small urban communities when providing transit.