LaSalle hires consultant to evaluate transit service

A consultant has been hired to evaluate transit in LaSalle.

The Town of LaSalle is hiring a consultant to evaluate the level of transit service it is providing to residents.

Town council approved hiring Left Turn Right Turn Ltd. on Tuesday night to oversee a Transit Master Plan that will shape the future of LaSalle’s transit service.

In recent years, Crystal Meloche, LaSalle’s mayor, said transit has become a more popular topic as the town continues to grow.

“As the municipality grows, we’re starting to hear a little bit more transit because right now what we offer only services a certain area of the town,” Meloche said after the meeting.

“So, we’re starting to hear from people who live in the newer developments in the newer areas who are looking for that service to be extended to them.”

Through Transit Windsor, in 2017, the town introduced the LaSalle 25 Route, which was previously estimated to capture about 70 per cent of homes in the town’s urban area.

The transit line has exceeded the level of interest that was originally predicted, according to a town report.

With feedback from town officials and residents, Meloche said the plan will look at potential extensions and additions to the current service.

“I think that’s what we’re looking for is, what we offer now, does it make sense, or is there a different route that makes more sense? Or maybe there’s two?” Meloche said.

“I mean, really, that’s what we’re hoping to get out of this report, is someone to reevaluate what we’ve done to this point and decide if it makes sense for us to grow and add more, or leave it status quo.”

Meloche said the report will also study other municipalities in the region and evaluate whether their forms of transportation would benefit LaSalle.

LaSalle’s current contract with Transit Windsor runs into August 2027. The town approved $52,268 for the consultant, which will be drawn from a Transit Reserve fund.