It was very disappointing to see the Cowichan Valley Regional District remove two bus shelters at well-used stops in the Duncan area.
The shelters outside the high school on James Street and at Village Green Mall had attracted problems, with homeless people camping out in them and illicit drug use taking place there as well.
A report said the CVRD had tried to have the people just moved along periodically, but apparently it didn’t work and they would just quickly return.
This misuse of the shelters meant that bus riders did not want to use them.
First, it’s worth noting what a sad pass we have come to that people are basically trying to live in bus shelters. We can and must do better for people who find themselves with nowhere to live, whether that’s due to financial problems, mental health issues, or addiction issues. Nobody should be forced to huddle overnight in a bus shelter.
Second, it’s sad to see bus shelters being taken away from bus riders.
We are trying to increase the use of public transportation. It’s the best way to address a host of problems from environmental to traffic and parking concerns. To do that, we need to do everything we can to make the experience an enjoyable one.
Many of the people who use the bus are older, have disabilities, or just plain don’t want to stand out in all weather while they wait for their coach to arrive. Frequency of service on some runs is not the greatest while we try to build up enough ridership to justify more trips. This can leave people waiting for a considerable length of time for their ride. They may not be mobile enough to walk to a shop or other building nearby to pass the time indoors. Giving them a place they can sit down while they wait may be the difference between them using the bus and not. Obviously, discouraging current riders does not help to swell the bus-riding population.
Then there’s our frequently rainy weather. When the water is coming down in sheets at you horizontally and the wind seems to be trying to knock you off your feet a bus shelter can look like Shangri-La.
It seems like offering a bench and a three-sided structure to cut the wind a little would be the least we could do to for the 80-year-old who is coming back from a doctor’s appointment, or the worker who’s just gotten off a long shift.
Won’t those using the shelters for non-bus purposes just move to the ones that are left? Are we going to end up taking all of our bus shelters out?
There must be a better solution.