Councillor Steve Streatch takes resident Aubrie McGibbon up on
offer to take bus; The Laker News was invited along by McGibbon
FALL RIVER: The beginning of what Councillor Steve Streatch hopes is the kickstart to get transit into Fall River, Waverley, and Wellington corridor has taken its first step.
Suggested by resident Aubrie McGibbon, Steve Streatch took up the offer to go on a ride on the Metro X 320 bus from the park and ride on Perrin Drive in Fall River to the stop at Albermale Street adjacent to Scotia Square in Halifax, and a return trip.
The Laker News’ Pat Healey was invited by McGibbon to join them and provide a story for the community to read about the discussion that took place.
We all boarded the bus at shortly after 10:30 a.m. from the park and ride in Fall River, then had stops at the Dartmouth Bridge terminal before finishing off at Albermale Street in Halifax. We were the only three on board, although we had a visit from a friendly Halifax Transit supervisor in Fall River and Albermale [There were two travellers on the bus back to Fall River].
The main sticking point for bringing any type of bus down onto Hwy 2 in Fall River area is that it is not within the transit boundary, said Streatch. It was the District 1 representatives first time taking a transit bus into the city.
“The thing that makes this timely is in order to bring transit into Fall River, we have to change the Transit Service Boundary,” he said. “Right now, the community is not within that.
“We can talk all we want about having bus service, but until such time that boundary is changed then that option won’t be real. It happens the review of the HRM’s regional plan is coming up this Spring, and I intend to open the discussion to change the boundaries to allow proper transit service into the Fall River and surrounding areas.”
He welcomed the chance to get a better understanding of the issues regarding transit that his constituents are facing by taking it himself. It was his first-time using transit.
“I think for me the discussion is one who’s time has come,” said Streatch. “It is time for a push to bring proper transit into the Waverley-Fall River-Wellington Corridor. In my mind that is what is needed to happen.”
Streatch wants to bring a modified bus service into the community which would make regular stops and link up with the park and ride. It could even go down the Waverley Road.
McGibbon, who uses they/them as pronouns, said having the discussion with Streatch while he rode the bus made sense to allow him to understand the context of the concerns through experiencing it. McGibbon had taken the bus for three years before they switched positions in March.
“I know where some of the gaps are from first-hand experience and I appreciate the opportunity to have dialogue with elected officials,” they said. “I think there’s no better way to have dialogue then to be in context of this shared experience so we can talk about the implications of a policy that could change something. Not changing a service and policy without first understanding the experience and perspectives of the users.”
They feels the Metro 320 bus service is amazing and efficient, however making it available to more in Fall River and area should be a priority.
“As a commuter it is fantastic to be able to get to Fall River to downtown in such a fast manner. I don’t have to worry about parking or any stress of driving,” they said. “The big gap is to get to the park and ride to get on the bus. It’s more than a kilometre walk from Miller Lake Road, the closest residential street, to get up here and there’s less than 100 metres of sidewalk.
“If you have a kid, or any kind of baggage or mobility issues, people are being asked to walk on the side of the road with heavy traffic to access public transit. That’s a community gap.”
McGibbon said they believes stats showed Fall River as growing upwards of 24 per cent between 2011 to 2016. The source is from Stats Can linked here (click on the highlighted word). https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=DPL&Code1=120015&Geo2=PR&Code2=12&SearchText=Fall%20River&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=120015&TABID=1&type=0
“That trend isn’t stopping, so how do we move citizens of Fall River around in a safe and accessible manner for everyone?” they questioned.
When asked why it took him so long to make his first Halifax Transit bus ride, Streatch said that was a good question.
“In my experience I have never had a requirement to use transit,” said Streatch. “Our family is a two-vehicle family, and like a lot of families you get used to doing things a certain way. But now with considerations relating to environment, to costs of travelling, and efficiency I think it’s time we provide more options for people, including myself.”
Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 9)As we finished the interview, we arrived at Albermale. After we departed the bus to await our return bus at 11:20 a.m., McGibbon and Streatch continued talking.
It was soon time to board for the trip home, and the discussion continued. The Shape Your City website was highlighted as a way for individual citizens to participate in the public consultation process. To learn more, you can visit the website https://www.shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/regional-plan.
Before we knew it, we were back in Fall River (and we were thankful as all that talking through our face masks is tough when you don’t stop for the half hour drive out).
It appeared that the trip was an eye-opener for Streatch, so as council looks at the Transit Service Boundary review it will be important for Fall River residents to keep tabs on it.
Equally as important will be for residents—transit users or not–to let Streatch know there’s a desire to make the change so he can push that forward and make the case for including Fall River in the Transit Service Boundary.
McGibbon is looking to discuss this issue with all candidates for District 1 to discuss public transit and the community infrastructure needed for accessible and safe communities. They hope this will become an election priority.
