Re: “Chahko Mika Mall bus stop move prompts protest”
Good article by Bill Metcalfe. Silly and reactionary move by the bus company. There’s no doubt in my mind now (not that there ever was) bus riders are second class citizens in Nelson as elsewhere — efficiency versus rider needs. Moving the stop away from the grocery store entrance to the windward side of an outside garden centre 500 m away demonstrates the insensitivity to consumer needs.
There are so many things that could be done to make the former stop in front of Save-On-Foods safe. Some options for routing could be explored further; certainly different markings and traffic guards could be installed to separate passengers from folks who are pushing carts, and I’m confident if the objective was convenience for grocery shoppers who ride the bus, smart people could figure out a way this could work. In the meantime how about if the bus company utilized golf carts (like at airports) to shuttle people to this new ‘safer’ place out in the weeds.
Bus drivers are supposed to be pros. If semi drivers, big pick-up drivers, and thousands of car drivers can avoid hitting pedestrians and the relatively few bus passengers certainly the bus drivers can too. This is a decision to be made in Nelson with participation of the riding public, not a decision for an official in Calgary.
Bill Wells, Kaslo