Norfolk County > Ride Norfolk Transit > Transit Master Plan

Transit Master Plan

Project Overview

Norfolk County is developing its Transit Master Plan (TMP). The goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive and sustainable Transit plan that will support the County in planning for its transit network and efficient development and growth.  The TMP will provide a comprehensive review, insight, and strategies to reach growth areas within the County for the next ten (10) years and recommendations for longer-term strategies.

The Transit Master Plan Final Report will be submitted to the County and presented to Committee in Winter 2025.

 

Timeline of engagement for master plan. Discovery and review May - July 2024. Analysis July - November 2024. Review November -December 2024.

 

Background and Context

Norfolk County provides a contracted public transit service, Ride Norfolk, which has operated since 2011. The service has traditionally been a fixed route service. In July 2023, Ride Norfolk moved away from the local fixed-route model to a one-year piloted on-demand model with Blaise Transit. Council approved a Brantford service, as part of the Community Transportation Grant, and will continue its fixed route with two routes per day until at least 2025.

Norfolk County has not yet conducted a comprehensive review of the transit network completed. The County approved funding in the 2024 budget to undertake a Transit Master Plan (TMP). A comprehensive and sustainable Transit plan is essential for Norfolk County to continue to plan for efficient development and growth within the County.

 

Engagement Sessions and Surveys

In creating the TMP, we are aiming to respond to community and partner engagement, including user and public needs to best address gaps in the current system as well as build a future network that responds to the needs of residents. As part of the development of the TMP, two round of public engagement will be conducted.

Round 1: Envisioning Success (June- July 2024) aims to learn about the preferences, practices, behaviours, needs, and desires of transit users and stakeholders as it relates to the current and future state of Ride Norfolk.

Key objectives for Round 1 of public engagement are:

  • To understand the public’s perspective of Ride Norfolk’s services including:
    • Current and past successes of the existing service
    • Current rider behaviour and needs
    • Areas to focus for the future
  • To introduce the project to the public
Round 1 engagement activities include:
  • An online survey
  • Pop-Up session(s)

 

Round 2: Taking Action (October-December 2024) is focused on taking information and analysis to the public and stakeholders for review and input. This is to confirm that the developed solutions are the right fit and are reflective of their needs.

Key objectives for Round 2 of public engagement are:

  • To share concepts related to the future network for the county and future services
  • To gather feedback on proposed service changes for the County
  • To receive guidance on decision points or conflicting priorities (e.g., trade-offs, balancing level of investment with service quality)

Round 2 engagement activities include:

  • An online survey
  • Pop-Up session(s)
  • In-Person Public Information Centres (PICs)

 

How to be involved?

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