Совет Петерборо переотправил решение по закупке электробусов до следующего срока полномочий

Councillors have deferred a series of recommendations which included the introduction of hybrid diesel-electric buses and battery-electric buses for the Peterborough Transit fleet until the next term of council. The recommendations, voted on at a general committee meeting Monday evening and set to be ratified at next week’s council meeting, would have seen two electric buses added to the fleet by 2030 as a pilot program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the planned Monaghan Road Transit Garage, subject to available budgets, would be arranged to be battery-electric bus ready to accommodate the purchases. A study conducted by Toronto environmental consultant company, Arcadis Inc., concluded a fleet of battery-electric buses would offer the highest reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for Peterborough Transit buses, decreasing emissions by 46.2 per cent compared to diesel buses. The estimated cost to add two battery-electric buses to the fleet, as a pilot project, is $3,538,000, the report notes which includes $3 million for the buses, $400,000 for battery-charging infrastructure, $80,000 for maintenance and $58,000 in electricity costs. The cost of replacing the entire Peterborough Transit fleet to electric buses by 2050, the report states, would cost $321.75 million, $14.68 million more than a diesel fleet. Following a presentation by Greg De Santis, an associate director with Arcadis, Coun. Alex Bierk floated the idea of a deferral to the next council after highlighting the lack of clarity of how this would be paid for in both the Arcadis report, as well as staff’s overview. “While we are not spending the lion’s share of that money outright, we are setting the table to be on the hook for a lot of it,” Bierk said without moving the deferral himself. “We are committing ourselves to start down the path of something that I believe in, but I have real concerns as to how we’re going to be able to afford it and to sustain it.” Coun. Kevin Duguay agreed with Bierk, stating his support for electrifying the city’s transit fleet, but noted the “dramatic” budgetary measures associated with it. Duguay also highlighted the fact staff had been waiting for direction on this project to help inform plans for the transit garage set to be built on the former site of the Canadian Canoe Museum on Monaghan Road and that the timeline will allow for staff to continue to plan this project alongside future direction from the next council by 2030. It would be Coun. Joy Lachica who would eventually move the deferral, noting the city has made commitments to greenhouse gas reductions by 45 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2050. “We are behind and it is our responsibility to address climate action,” Lachica said. “But I don’t think at the end of a term, when we’re in the final hours of this council, that we’re in the position to … reset priorities … We need to reset priorities that align with the previous commitments we’ve made to participate in climate action with our fellow municipalities that are light years ahead of us.” The deferral passed by a 7-4 margin, gaining support from councillors Lachica, Bierk, and Duguay as well as Andrew Beamer, Keith Riel, Gary Baldwin, and Lesley Parnell. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.