TACKLING TRANSIT

JULIE NESBITT, WHO IS BLIND, USES THE TRANSIT SERVICE TO NAVIGATE THE CITY WITH HER GUIDE DOG

Ever since she was in high school, Julie Nesbitt has relied on public transit in St. Catharines to get around.

Nesbitt is legally blind: she was born with an underdeveloped visual cortex.

"I can really only see out of the top half of my left eye," she said, adding that she has no vision in her right eye.

She also suffers from Ménière's disease, which she said sometimes makes her walk like she's drunk because it throws off her balance.

Innovations over the years have helped Nesbitt get around, such as audible stop notifications and the bus's kneeling and ramp features. Overall, Nesbitt said, she and her guide dogs have had a positive experience taking the bus.

"Times have gotten better, and the drivers are fantastic," she said. "I don't even have to ask for the ramp, they just put it down. And they know that they have to help me if the bus is too loud that I can't hear what stop we're at."

Still, Nesbitt would like to see the improvements continue, and with the provincial election coming up, she's hoping candidates remember transit.

While Nesbitt can take the bus for free, her children pay the $3 fee to use the city's service, and the $6 fee to use regional transit.

Her eldest daughter takes the bus from Thorold to Niagara Falls for work, and her 17-year-old takes the bus to high school.

Nesbitt, who works from home in St. Catharines as a Toronto WheelTrans scheduler, also wishes there were more options to go further in the region.

With the region set to amalgamate its transit services in the beginning of 2023, Nesbitt is looking forward to more options to visit family in Niagara West.

Incoming daily GO train service will also benefit Nesbitt, who is looking forward to taking her kids on day trips to Toronto's attractions.

Matt Robinson, director of the region's GO implementation office, said weekday service between Niagara Falls/St. Catharines and the GTA recently restarted after it was put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, Metrolinx released their Initial Business Plan for a hub in the town of Lincoln, by Ontario Street.

"This exciting news which, combined with the secondary plan already in place at the GO station site, means another key piece is in place for a new GO station in Lincoln," said Robinson. "In partnership with the Town, we've already done so much planning to jump-start this process. We're ready for a station in Lincoln, and we'll continue working closely and aggressively with the Town and Metrolinx to seek out partners to deliver one."

By 2041, the report projects a typical weekday would see the Beamsville station attract 1,335 trips, including 235 that shift away from driving their own vehicles and 1,110 existing riders who opt for the Beamsville station instead of other GO stations. All told, it projects 48,000 net new annual trips on the GO network.

While there were no updates on the long-awaited Grimsby GO Station, Robinson said work is continuing on the infrastructure.

"There is still work to be

"We're ready for a station in Lincoln, and we'll continue working closely and aggressively with the Town and Metrolinx to seek out partners to deliver one."

- Matt Robinson

done and approvals needed before any announcements can be made," he said, adding that he hopes that in the coming months they can provide more updates."

Nesbitt's last trip to Toronto in 2019 went well, with attendants helping her navigate her way through various bus, trains and subway stations.

For now, she's happy in St. Catharines.

"Most of the drivers in St. Catharines (Transit) really think about accessibility for people," she said. "They're so kind and so good that they don't have a problem (helping)."