Calgary Transit<\/a>\u00a0conducted a review of the zone late last year.<\/p>\nStory continues below advertisement<\/p>\n
The free fare zone, which runs the length of 7 Avenue in the downtown core, has allowed for riders to use the CTrain free of charge since 1981.<\/p>\n
Transit advocates said they\u2019re glad the service will remain in place for now, but remain concerned the zone will still be eliminated after the deferral.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt does feel like this council is a little bit indecisive about how we\u2019re going to manage our transit service,\u201d said Alex Williams with the Calgary Transit Riders group.<\/p>\n
According to city administration, the recommendation to scrap the free fare zone was driven by the need to \u201cimprove safety for customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move was expected to generate an additional $5 million in fare revenue per year, which transit officials said could be reinvested into furthering improvements in transit safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe majority of social disorder on the CTrain starts down at the free fare zone,\u201d said Ward 6 Coun. John Pantazopoulos. \u201cThe right approach is get the data, consolidate it into the fare strategy, and then we can decide what we want to do with the free fare zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elimination of the zone would give transit peace officers the lawful authority to remove disruptive riders, address loitering and intervene before issues escalate, a city report into the issue said.<\/p>\n
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Williams said he is \u201cnot buying\u201d the argument that scrapping the free fare zone would improve safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not going to make the safety issue go overnight,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an excuse to harass and bother people who might literally just be walking on the sidewalk.\u201d<\/p>\n
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According to Andrew Doudican with the Calgary Downtown Association, the free fare zone isn\u2019t a \u201ccatalyst for social disorder\u201d in the downtown core.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does experience symptoms of what exists in our downtown core, we do have safety issues we need to address,\u201d he told Global News. \u201cI think that\u2019s being addressed currently by Mayor Farkas to introduce a downtown police station.\u201d<\/p>\n
That motion, co-signed by several councillors, was given the green light by city council Tuesday.<\/p>\n
City administration will now work with the Calgary Police Service to conduct a feasibility study on bringing back a police station to the downtown core, as well as review options for facilities in the core, including city-owned or city-leased properties \u201csuitable for adaptive reuse, new construction, and public\/private partnership models.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farkas told reporters Wednesday he didn\u2019t believe the station would be the \u201csilver bullet\u201d to solving downtown safety issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the be all and end all,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this is one way we can have a more visible presence on a 24\/7 basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Calgary Police Chief Katie McLellan said the service is open to discussions with the City of Calgary on a downtown station, after the previous station in the core was removed in 2017.<\/p>\n
However, the Calgary Police Commission warned a downtown station and its resourcing would require additional funding from city council, which isn\u2019t currently in the police service\u2019s request for the upcoming four-year budget.<\/p>\n
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