The councillor for Ward 7 in Windsor believes the future is bright for transit in the area, especially when it comes to a new east-end transit terminal even if there are some issues that need sorting.
The City of Windsor is working to move the transit terminal at Tecumseh Mall to a new location.
An open house was held last week, where officials had an opportunity to share plans and receive public feedback.
The planned location is on a plot of green space at the northwest corner of Tecumseh Road east and Lauzon Parkway, about a block away from where the current hub is located at the mall.
The city is hoping to begin construction on the new terminal next year, and then have the new hub open by 2026.
Angelo Marignani says the idea for the new hub is part of the Transit Windsor master plan and it will allow them to expand services available in the east end.
"We couldn't do the expansion at the current location. We could've done it, but we would've been paying a significant amount of money to a developer in Toronto to do so. We decided as a council to have it moved to the other side where we do own the land, develop that, and prepare it for the future needs that we'll have here in the east end," he said.
Marignani thanked all of the people who came out to the open house, and says thanks to concerns raised about crossing all of the nearby lanes of traffic they're already working to make sure that aspect will be safe.
"We are now currently looking at what we can do with the lighting at that intersection. Also maybe adding countdown timers, so that people are more confident when they cross. There's a few things that came out of that public consultation that I think are really going to improve the final product of this transit terminal."
He says by investing in terminals, they can become hubs that people will go to and there's the potential for changing the way in which some people will get around.
"So you ride your bike from your house to the station, and then once you're at the station you can then take the transit. And that is the ultimate urban sort of transportation scheme that we should all be looking at. Because it's good for the environment, it's good for yourself actively because you get out and ride your bike, and then you sit and relax on the bus and have WIFI," Marignani said.
City administration has said the time is right for relocation of the hub, which has an approved budget of about $5 million.
Marignani says the new location could have express routes downtown, another positive for the plan.
- with files from AM800's The Shift