The Backlands Coalition

No more, courtesy of 9 versus 7 in council

Extracts:

This week, regional council voted in favour of implementing routing and peak perod service for Route 415 in the Purcells Cove area, sporadically replacing the Route 15 service in accordance with the Moving Forward recommendations. The 415 would run the extent of the existing route, both ways from Bayers Road to York Redoubt, but only during peak hours from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m until 6 p.m. Bus 15 currently runs from 6 a.m., to 8 p.m.

“It’s a normal-sized bus that is totally underutilized at that time of the day,” he [Wells] said. “To be fair, there are two sides to every story. Really, what we need to do in this part of Halifax is to have better service and get people out of their darn cars. When I stand waiting for the bus and when I am walking home, virtually every car that passes me in either direction is a driver-only car Coun. Steve Adams (Spryfield-Sambro Loop-Prospect Road) tried to head off the bus-altering motion at Tuesday’s meeting, asking his colleagues to defer the discussion and vote until a later date. The vote on Adams’ motion did not pass, even though it achieved an 8-8 vote. Councillors then voted 9-7 for the motion to have the 415 routed for peak-hour service as an alternative to Route 15.

It has not been specified when the route changes will occur.

This is it … the last week of the campaign to save the #15 bus from further cuts. Just a friendly reminder to get your letters about the #15 bus into clerks@halifax.ca (with instructions: “Please circulate to members of Council, the Mayor and Transit staff”) as soon as possible (they are due Friday (Nov 23) morning but please get them in sooner if you can)! Your support and letters can make a difference. Please remember to cc the letters to Councillor Stephen.adams@halifax.ca and to nbrett@dal.ca.

Nathan Brett wrote this letter on behalf of the #15 Bus Action Committee; it incorporates perspectives expressed by six users of the #15:

“I am writing to protest the cutting back of the services of Bus 15 that serves the Purcell’s Cove community. A year ago I faced a major health crisis with a stroke. I used public transit for six months until I recovered sufficiently to get my car license reinstated. There is an elderly gentleman on my street who had to give up his license because of visual issues. We are an ageing population … As a retired physician I know the benefits of keeping the elderly in their own homes as long as they can function safely … Residents will not be reimbursed for their local transit tax while losing 70% of their transit service. This further impacts the elderly who may require the use of taxi services to get groceries. This is a vulnerable population … The proposed Halifax Wilderness Park off the Purcell’s Cove Road is scheduled to open the very month the bus cuts will occur in August 2019. It seems to me that the Purcell’s Cove Bus 15 has been shown to have a statistically higher frequency of usage in the summer months. I propose that, at least, with the opening of the new park, some kind of tally of the bus usage for the month of August and September be conducted before these cuts are made … Without a bus that runs there on the weekends, many people will not have the means to get to the park. As the city centre densifies, this urban wilderness will become our Central Park for all citizens to enjoy – minus public transit! Only car owners will be able to access it on evenings and weekends … Halifax Transit figures show a marked increase in ridership during the summer months, especially at midday. The popularity of York Redoubt, an historic and beautiful national park, is likely the current reason. This service closure will represent lost opportunity for those tourists we so desperately seek to buoy our struggling economy.”
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It’s Harvest time!Oct 26, 2018:

Dear Residents of Purcell’s Cove and surrounding areas
We regret to report that the Transportation Standing Committee voted today FOR the motion to cut back the #15 bus. The matter now goes to Council for a final vote (see below).

The vote today was as follows:

FOR #15 bus cuts:
Councillors Cleary, Nicoll, Outhit, Mason and Smith

AGAINST #15 bus cuts:
Councillor Zurawski

The motion that passed would replace the #15 bus with the #415 bus, which would operate for six runs per day, three in the morning at peak times (i.e. rush hour). There will be NO weekend or holiday service. It is likely that this change will take effect in August 2019 or sooner.
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