GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader Mike Darmon, in regards to local transit:
Dear Editor
I couldn't agree more with Adam A Donaldson's recent opinion article on Regional Transit. It’s spot on - and a hot election issue in our Province Election.
I’m an avid cyclist and I bike all year round. My bike is my main means of transportation.
However in mid winter ,I developed some health issues ,so riding a bicycle was out of the question as it aggravated my symptoms.This is my experience transitioning to using transit for transportation.
I have occasionally used the local bus and the bus bike rack to get to distant destinations in Guelph ,but now it had to become my main means of transportation, so I had to quickly learn how to get to practical destinations and distant appointments by walking and using local, and regional transit.
Local transit
I am fortunate to live within a short walk of of the #North end 99 Mainline bus which runs from the Woodlawn Walmart plaza to Clair Road in the South end of Guelph. .This 10 minute frequency is a game changer as I did not have to figure out the schedules as you never have to wait too long for the next bus to arrive.Kudos to the kind Transit bus driver who waited for me one day when he saw me running to the bus stop!
Unfortunately, if you have to get somewhere distant East or West of the mainline you have to wait much longer for a connection. Fortunately for me our downtown and Guelph Transit station are about a 10 min bus ride away.
Next, I needed to figure out how to use our Regional Go Train Transit system to Kitchener for an appointment.
I’ve used the GO train to get to Toronto many times but I needed to get to Kitchener Grand River hospital , and I wanted to see if my schedule would work with GO train availability. I also knew that the ION rapid transit network would take me to my destination -but how could I get to it from the Kitchener GO Station?
Fortunately for me,I had an early afternoon appointment as the earliest GO train from Guelph is at 11 AM. I found this fact astounding as it will never attract commuters to use GO transit. Just imagine if we had 2 way all day GO trains between Guelph and Kitchener, how many car owners would use it and relieve the congestion of Highway 7 - perhaps even avoiding the construction of a new Highway 7?
At the Guelph GO station it's easy to board the GO train once you have a PRESTO Card and the large screens show the expected arrival times ,however as a newbie I found the wait experience puzzling and uncomfortable .Our restored Guelph train station building/washroom is nearly always closed but you can at least wait in a heated glassed in area, although it's devoid of seating comfort.
On time, and in just 20 minutes after boarding at Guelph’s Go / Via station you comfortably arrive in the Kitchener GO Central Station with no stops along a scenic route with countryside views.
Now I had to figure out how to get to the nearest ION station.I know that the amazing future Kitchener Central Transit Hub will integrate walking/ biking trail and sidewalk options to connect to the ION Central Station, which is just a few minutes away, but upon arriving at the Kitchener GO station I saw no signage directing you to the ION Station and even the helpful and well meaning train station attendant could not direct me there.Fortunately a kind stranger pointed me in the right direction and within 5 minutes walking distance I was at the ION Central station.
The direct, affordable ,frequent ,comfortable, dare I say European like and futuristic ION, whizzed me to my destination stop at Grand River Hospital in minutes!
We need to have the same level of service for every part of our walking and transit system so that taking transit is as close to the comfort level of taking your car ,otherwise we will never attract new users. We are so close yet so far away from having a modern day regional transit system that has been promised by the Provincial government for decades.
The Ford government is using smoke and mirrors tactics by proposing tunnel vision projects , removing bike lanes and building more highways to reduce congestion to deflect from the reality of its utter failure to build regional and local transit sooner, which are proven solutions to congestion .
Demand Better!
Mike Darmon
Guelph, Ont.
