By Taylor MacPherson

City offers free transit on New Year’s Eve

Dec 13, 2016 | 11:00 AM

Locals will have access to a safe ride on New Year’s Eve, thanks to a long-running partnership between the City of Prince Albert and SGI.

Residents can grab a free ride on transit busses all night long thanks to the 29th annual Ding in the New Year program launched today at city hall. Busses will run from 8:15 p.m. Dec. 31 to 3 a.m. Jan. 1 along four routes. Special needs transit services will also be available, a new addition this year. Route information can be found on the city website.

“This year we’ve added special needs transportation,” Mayor Greg Dionne said. “That’s a big plus for us because we want to have an all-inclusive community.

Dionne said special needs transit will operate on an appointment basis, similar to a taxi except without the hefty bills.

“Everyone can go out and celebrate safely in our community,” Dionne said.

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Local police also plan to be out, but for a different purpose.

“Last January we charged 19 persons with impaired driving. Two of them were on New Year’s Eve,” Police Chief Troy Cooper said. “Our goal here is to reduce that New Year’s Eve statistic to zero.”

Cooper said 166 P.A. residents have been charged with impaired driving so far this year.

“That number will rise as we have check-stops scheduled throughout the holiday season,” Cooper said.

Joe Hargrave, MLA for the Prince Albert/Carlton area and minister responsible for SGI encouraged all residents to plan ahead this New Year’s Eve.

“Last year during the holiday season alone there were 119 crashes in Saskatchewan because people didn’t plan a safe ride home,” Hargrave said. “Instead of making excuses to drive after drinking, create solutions to ensure that you don’t.”

Hargrave added everyone should remember the new strict impaired driving laws which will come into effect Jan. 1 across Saskatchewan.

“The penalties will be even tougher than they are now,” Hargrave said. “These new laws are tough, but I hope there will be positive impacts from them.”

Hargrave said about 400 people used the service in P.A. last year, and added he hopes to see that number grow to 600 this year.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

@TMacPhersonNews