Bus Redesign Network.
I believe that we should encourage citizens to use public transit but the way to do it is by making those services.
1. Reliable
2. Safe
3. Affordable
4. Accessible
5. Convenient
Cars are not the problem, but if we want to transition people to another mode, we need to make it a no-brainer. People will choose public transportation if it is the best option for them. That is the direction I want to see our city going. Public transportation may not be the best solution for everyone and we have to respect that. One size never fits all and the city can not overlook that. I believe in a municipal government that educates their population, gives them the best solutions to our collective problems, and then steps back and gives them the freedom to choose which solution works best for their personal situation.
The Bus Redesign did not accomplish any of the objectives I listed. It actually took us backward. There is NO on-demand pilot service for any of the North Side. It left Seniors stranded at home, teenagers without a means to getting to work, parents with no other option than having to take their kids to school, adults going back to driving.
The most vulnerable, those that have no other option were the most affected and left to deal with the aftermath of City Council's catastrophic decision to move forward with the change knowing fully well that it was a problem.
I have listened personally or read on Social Media hundreds of testimonies of how people are unhappy and adversely affected by this Redesign when it was something completely preventable. City Council needs to do better than this.
“ I have four children. My first child attended ME LaZerte (our designated school) and took the 181 bus route to and from school. It took about 15 minutes from our home near DDM school in Hollick Kenyon. This took about twice as long as driving would, but we justified it as she was 15. My first has now graduated and it’s number two’s turn to go to high school. We looked up her bus route to get to school. Route 107 is the easiest to take as it doesn’t require a transfer. There is another route, in theory, shorter by three minutes, but it requires a transfer. This seems quite ridiculous. It seems a really long time to get somewhere! It is five times longer by bus than by driving. (Google estimates the driving time as 5-8 minutes). Would it be possible to get a School Special from ME LaZerte to the Hollick Kenyon area? I think the kids would benefit from a SS as they can move to abs from school faster.”
“The 106 will go from Belvedere to Dunvegan back and forth down 132 Avenue. Going by multiple schools and senior housing and anyone needing to go to Northgate transit center have to transfer to another bus then another bus from Northgate transit center to where they are going. How is this better?”
“I have been living in the Northside all my life. I have never had access to using the LRT and have relied on ETS all my life. As I review the new projected plan ..it is very noticeable that our students and our seniors are two large groups that seem to have been entirely dismissed. So many stops have been taken away from outside schools ...which concerns me for them during the winter months. I am also advocating for many seniors in my area. With stops taken away.....I see that many seniors will not enjoy the independence of shopping for themselves as well as meeting friends at specific malls and places to have social situations. It seems apparent to me that the planning of this bus system was never meant for All the people but for a chosen few. People do travel within their communities and don't necessarily need to be downtown and many people are using the system outside of the hours that seem to be focused on (8-6). If ETS is to be promoted and the use of private vehicles reduced....you truly do have to make busing a better option. I understand that this is not a perfect world so there is no perfect plan.....but how can a city go from a system that was tolerable to one that doesn't even serve?”