VIDEO: Niagara Parks issues RFP for new visitor transportation system
October 13, 2023
By CCE
Photo courtesy Niagara Parks.
Niagara Parks recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an innovative, sustainable visitor transportation system to link its sites in Niagara Falls, Ont., with a focus on reducing traffic congestion in the core tourism area of Queen Victoria Park.
The commission—a self-financed agency of Ontario’s ministry of tourism, culture and sport—has long operated transportation to facilitate access to viewpoints along Niagara Parkway and overlooking Niagara Falls. The Niagara Parks Act of 1885 called for incline railways, aerial cars, lifts and associated works. Now, following a history of steam trains, trollies, incline railways and buses, the commission seeks to establish a modern system.
In 2018, the commission established a Queen Victoria Park Master Plan to guide future redevelopment. The city, meanwhile, recently completed a Connectivity Study focused on visitor movement. Both documents will now guide the RFP process, as the commission plans a system for seamless travel between key sites that will increase visitor demand, reduce carbon emissions and congestion and generate new revenue.
“The introduction of a new visitor transportation system has the potential to transform the guest experience within Queen Victoria Park, which welcomes millions of people each year,” says Niagara Parks’ chair, April Jeffs.
The RFP is available here. The close date is Nov. 21.
