Tell Us Your Big Idea!

Idea:

Path used everyday by many seniors.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks so much for your question and for your interest in Odell Park. The Odell Management Plan has identified a number environmentally-conscious surface treatments that are intended to make trails more accessible. The type of treatment for the cross park trail you mention will be determined during an upcoming park-wide drainage study which is intended to solve many problems such as ice on the trail by improving drainage throughout the park.

Idea:

Improve the visibility where the trail crosses roadways. Particularly dangerous: Bridge St, CDA/Gibson St, Exp Farm, Forest Hill/Waterloo.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! The team in our Parks and Trees dept will review site distances at the crossings you mention. Safety is our top priority, and the City is already planning upgrades to the trail crossings on Lincoln Road at the Potato Research Centre (2022) and on the Bridge Street trail crossing (2023). And as we're sure you know, the best protection at any trail crossing is to stop and look both ways to be certain it is safe before stepping onto the roadway.

Thanks again for getting in touch!

Idea:

Add separated bicycle lanes to Fredericton's main thoroughfares such as Regent and/or Your Street. If Calgary can do it, so can we!

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for your suggestion! The City has been looking at ways to improve our active transportation network. Our trails provide us with an incredible “off street” cycle path system and we are actively looking at ways to get cyclists through and around our busier core streets safely. The City Centre Plan was developed to create a plan for an urbanized downtown that includes a concept for a cycle track. The City Centre Plan also envisions a strong connection into the downtown via Carleton Street that connects the 104^th Regiment of Foot Bridge to the trails and the downtown neighbourhoods. The City Centre Plan documents can be found at: https://www.fredericton.ca/en/city-hall/plans-processes/city-centre-plan

Additionally, our Active Transportation Connection Plan looks across the City more broadly and can be found at:

https://www.fredericton.ca/en/roads-parking/active-transportation/active-transportation-connection-plan#:~:text=The%20Active%20Transportation%20Connection%20Plan,over%20the%20next%2010%2B%20years.

Idea:

Considering the Saint John River is now totally off limits and Killarney Lake is not an ideal location where to take your pups - dog owners in Fredericton have absolutely no options as to where they can bring their much loved animals to cool off on those 30 plus degree days. Wouldn't we be the envy of ALL to have such a fantastic facility right here in the capital city!?

Staff's response:

Thanks for your Big Idea! We love our pups, too, and your suggestion is intriguing. While there are currently no plans to build this type of facility in the immediate future, we’ve shared your thoughts with staff in our Recreation, Culture and Community Development Dept and they will add it to their list of ideas to consider. Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts!

Idea:

The following is an example of Ottawas famous legal Street art wall, which attracts talent from all over the country

The famous legal street art wall in Ottawa, whitch attracts artists all over the country

Staff Feedback:

We love murals, too! The City has a longstanding commitment to public art, as evidenced by the many pieces on display throughout Fredericton. In terms of sanctioned graffiti, we've shared your idea with the City's Arts and Culture Advisory Committee for its consideration. The idea would definitely require a public discussion as to where such a wall could exist and would need to be supported by robust policy work and a new bylaw.

Thanks for sharing your idea!

Idea:

There have been countless times where I’ve waited outside in the cold for over 40 minutes and the bus still hasnt shown. Also the buses not running on Sundays greatly affects peoples ability to go to work, not everyone can afford to pay 15$ for a cab to and from work every sunday.

Staff feedback:

Hi, there. While you're not suggesting an idea, we do want to let you know that we hear your concern. A reliable transit service is important to the City of Fredericton and it is crucial residents can get to where they need to be in a timely fashion.

During the work week, transit buses run every half hour from 6:15 a.m. until 10 a.m. They run hourly between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Typically, buses run every half hour from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then back to hourly until 11 p.m. However, due to the City’s recent driver shortage, the half hour service has been suspended temporarily in the afternoon and early evening. Transit buses also run hourly on Saturdays.

Any bus cancellations will be posted immediately to the Move with Fredericton Transit Facebook page. Many riders rely on this tool for the latest up to date information, particularly during poor weather conditions.

As part of their training, transit drivers learn the importance of time and punctuality. If they’re running ahead of schedule, there are designated areas along their route to stop and wait to make sure transit users are picked up at the appropriate time. It’s also important for transit users to carefully review the city’s bus schedule so they can plan their trip accordingly. Transit drivers run on a tight schedule, so it’s essential to be on time.

The City of Fredericton is currently working on many service delivery improvements that will support Sunday service planning in the future. These service delivery improvements include exploration of “on-demand” transit, as well as the acquisition of passenger counters. These recommendations are found in the 2019 Transit Strategic Plan. You can find the plan here: https://www.fredericton.ca/sites/default/files/roads-parking/2019-transitstrategic-finalreportjan19.pdf.

In the Strategic Plan, the addition of Sunday transit service is considered a medium-term recommendation of three to five years. As a result, the City doesn’t have any plans to launch Sunday transit service this year but is something we look forward to exploring in the future.

If you have other concerns pertaining to Fredericton Transit, we recommend sending a message to the Move with Fredericton Transit Facebook page. They’re always happy to help.

Idea:

Basic needs first! build more hospitals and recruit more doctors :)

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea. However, cities don't have the power or the budget to build hospitals or recruit doctors - that's the responsibility of the provincial government.

Idea:

Fredericton Transit is really quite embarrassing. We are the capital city of New Brunswick and the busses have no air conditioning which is in no way safe for the public and especially the operators in our hot summers. The busses are falling apart and half are an eye sore. And it’s time for this city to get with the times like others and go hybrid and/or electric. Fredericton Transit also needs to rebrand. New logo. Needs a bit of a face lift and so do the busses.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your comments. Beginning in 2021, new transit buses are being purchased with air conditioning. We are also working with a consulting team to develop an Alternate Propulsion Strategy for Fredericton Transit which will enable staff and City Council to make more informed decisions regarding the future of the City’s bus fleet. Our current bus maintenance program combines routine maintenance with the replacement of 1-2 buses annually. Regarding rebranding, this is identified as a 3-5 year recommendation in the 2019 Transit Strategic Plan an remains a priority – stay tuned!

Idea:

Please put some public washrooms in parks (specifically in Carleton park), trails or in downtown for anyone to use during night time.

The washroom at officer’s square is always closed after hours. It’s so hard when strolling around and suddenly there’s a nature call but all stores are closed. You don’t have anywhere to go but drive back to your apartment.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your input! In terms of public washrooms at Carleton Park, the washrooms at Picaroons are open to the general public (and the parking lot next to Picaroons is a public city lot). As such, there are currently no plans to build additional washroom facilities at Carleton Park.

As for Officers' Square, the washrooms there close at 9pm unless programming requires them to be open later. Staff's experience on this has been that when there's no programming in Officers' Square past 9pm, incidents of vandalism in the washrooms there goes up.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us.

Idea:

In areas with stagnant waters where mosquitos lay their eggs why not add an irrigation fountain to keep the water moving powered by solar so there's no monthly power cost let it turn off and sit at night when there's no solar energy it will lower the mosquito population and prevent the spread of disease.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your question! Within Fredericton, there are a number of wetlands, low lying areas, streams, and rivers that move and hold rain water, buffer the impacts of larger storms, and create habitat for many species. Many of these places also provide habitat for mosquitos which then become part of a greater food chain. The City does not install aeration within these natural environments as it may impact these natural cycles. The picture you provided appears to show an artificial lagoon: The City does own some artificial lagoons as part of our standard work, and we do aerate these.