Hippodrome park-n-ride to close this year

The Société de Transport de l’Outaouais (STO) plans on closing the Hippodrome park-and-ride by the end of 2016. This recommendation will be confirmed by the Board of Directors this month.

The STO notes that the Hippodrome park-and-ride was always to be temporary.  The STO is only renting the space and, eventually, the construction of the Connaught Eco-neighbourhood will spread onto the park-and-ride’s terrain.

This 300-spot park-and-ride is located on the site of the old Aylmer racetrack, at the Robert-Steward intersection. The land is now owned by Les Habitations Bouladier.

This park-and-ride is at full capacity and this is one of the reasons the STO went ahead with the implementation of a new bus network for Aylmer last August 29. One of the goals of the new network was to decrease the usage of Rivermead and Hippodrome park-and-ride facilities.

Since August 29, bus routes 40, 41, 44, 45, 46 and 47 do not run by these park-and-ride facilities. Previously, more than seven lines served these park-and-rides going to centre-town. Now, only route 59 goes by.

To compensate, the STO increased the frequency of bus 59 running from Aylmer in the morning; but by the time the buses get to the Rivermead and Hippodrome park-and-rides, they are often full and many users end up angry.

The STO reports that bus 59 runs about every nine minutes in the morning and every seven minutes in the afternoon, but many residents using the park-and-rides complain that this is insufficient.       
   
(Trans. CB)