City staff has determined two spare buses, one for the InterCity Express (ICE) route and one for the local service fleet, are enough to ensure uninterrupted service.
In the Dec. 6 council meeting, alderman voted to reduce the number of mechanical spares from four to two in the 2011 Transit Operating Budget. Council asked staff to look into the implications of the decision.
“We can absolutely manage with one bus for each,” said Michelle Lock, director of community services.
“The additional spares would provide more flexibility such as using buses for community use, but one spare for each service will suffice.”
Having just one mechanical spare for the ICE service will save $3,250 per month and a standby cost of $19 per hour, Lock reported. This adds up to $39,000 per year standby costs and $700 per week of additional operating costs.
Council accepted the report for information.
The Calgary Regional Partnership will present its Transportation Plan and Transit Strategies to Airdrie City council on Jan. 17. Council will then decide whether to add the two additional mechanical spares back into the budget.
Alderman Fred Burley supports the idea.
“One of the (ICE) buses was in an accident the first week they were on the roads,” he said. “If unforeseen circumstances come up again, we may need to cancel the route and having a dependable service is the only way it will survive.”
Public Works is having more signs made to advise residents in advance when snow clearing will be taking place in their neighbourhoods.
“One of the challenges we are facing is vehicles parked on the streets,” said Kyle Reese, acting public works team leader.
“It makes it difficult for operators to push snow close to the curb and maximize driving lane widths. We are in the midst of creating these signs similar to the signs you would see in the summer for street cleaning.”
Although the initial passes during a storm will still only clear the driving lanes, temporarily moving vehicles after the storm will help with cleanup.
