We polled students and residents of the community of Thunder Bay to see what improvements they felt that Thunder Bay needed to work on to create a better community.
Better bus services- Many of our public busses only arrive every 40 minutes to certain stops- which means a long wait - and with winter coming up! Also, many people who live out in the country cannot access public transportation, meaning they must own a vehicle etc...
More street lighting: Many areas in Thunder Bay are left without street lighting. Increasing street lighting allows members of our community to feel safe and secure when walking around the city.
Traffic lights: More traffic lights provide a safer community. Many people have to `jay walk`across streets as there are not adequate traffic and pedestrian crossing lights.
Neighbourhood watch areas: Have more areas protected by neighbourhood watch, to allow community members to feel more safe.
Walking/Bath Paths and Sidewalks: Many people walk and bike around our city, and having more pathways (that are lit) provide our community members with greater access, and also increasing physical activity. Many areas of our community are not accessible with sidewalks. A lot of our community members use sidewalks to walk throughout the city, and much of our city centre is left without them.
Coordinated effort to reduce litter: Many of our public spaces and ditches are full of litter. A cleaner community provides people with more appreciation of the place in which they live. Cleaning up of waste, garbage alongside roads and highways, in public transportation, and in our local parks.
Restore our heritage buildings: We need to work on restoring our heritage buildings to their once beautiful glory. So many amazing buildings in this city are very run down, and by improving these we can reuse the much needed space.
Limit green-sprawl: We need to actively work on restoring the cores of the community, so stop spreading the city into more rural areas. Restoring the core of the community creates greater access for members of our community.
Implement urban design standards: By implementing these design standards, we work to define neighbourhoods (ie. Bay & Algoma, Westfort, Waterfront). All areas should have standards for benches, bus shelters, street lights/lamps, waste containers, etc.
More welcoming for newcomers: More welcoming signs and directions for visitors and newcomers to Thunder Bay. Allows them to feel more welcomed upon arrival to our community. People who are new to our community have found it difficult to get around the city, as there are a lack of signs directing people where to go.
Accessible Parking and Access into Buildings: Parking for individuals with disabilities is limited. It can be very difficult and painful for some people with different needs to walk long distances to enter certain establishments. Also, accessibility into buildings is also a barrier for individuals with disabilities. Many of the buildings in our community are inaccessible due to steps or curbs- we need to remove these barriers!
Winter Maintenance: In the winter, many of our sidewalks are not plowed or salted, which creates treacherous conditions for our community members. This limits options for people and creates a real saftey hazard. We need to actively work on this to create a safer community!
Community Gardens and Kitchens: Many people that we spoke to believe creating more community gardens and kitchens is a great way to build a stronger community.
