Opposition to the Bay Street Bus Route

This was on CFAX today:

RESIDENTS OPPOSE BAY STREET BUS SERVICE

Mar 2, 2009

RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG BAY STREET BETWEEN QUADRA AND RICHMOND ARE NOT IMPRESSED WITH PLANS BY BC TRANSIT TO INITIATE FREQUENT CROSS-TOWN BUS SERVICE ALONG BAY STREET.

A GROUP CALLING ITSELF THE BAY STREET COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM IS EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ISSUES IF THE BUS SERVICE GOES AHEAD. IN THE MOST RECENT COMMUNITY PLAN, PREPARED IN 1996, THE CRD RECOMMENDED SPEED REDUCTIONS AND BIKE LANES ON BAY STREET, THE RESIDENTS POINT OUT THERE WAS NO MENTION OF BUS SERVICE ALONG THE STREET.

THE RESIDENTS QUESTION THE WISDOM OF LAUNCHING A BUS SERVICE WITHOUT FIRST REVIEWING THE COMMUNITY PLAN IN ORDER TO CONSIDER SAFETY AND TRAFFIC ISSUES. THEY ALSO SAY PARTS OF BAY STREET WERE BUILT ON A SWAMP AND THE ROAD BED IS ALREADY UNSTABLE DUE TO HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC.

- KIM O'HARE

All change has to be opposed by someone. The world changes all the time, nothing remains static. I am getting tired by the constant negativity to any change. It is bad for our civil discourse to have everything framed in the form of a debate that is negative.

Change can be formed in a positive manner. We can focus on the good of the changes and explore the underlying interests of the people that misgivings about the change.

In the case of the new bus route, it seems to obvious that it would come someday given the re-orientation of Royal Jubilee so that the main entrance is off of Bay and not Fort. The redevelopment in Vic West also clearly shows a need for more transit.

What are the underlying interest of the people along Bay? I think it is a fear that the buses will be too loud. Is there something that can be done to deal with the noise? How serious is the noise of the buses? Certainly I can tell when they come along Harriet. Normally we have no buses on Harriet, but from time to time do to road problems, buses come along Harriet. They are significantly loud, but they are moving at about 70km/h when they are on Harriet.

I suspect another interest would to avoid the intrusion a bus stop makes. I know how much litter lands on my yard being on a sidewalk of a mid sized street. A bus stop would add a lot more.

Can the city and BC Transit meet the needs of the residents and still bring in the bus route? There has to be a way to do this.