Dear Editor,
Come Sept. 5, many Fourth Avenue residents in Steveston will find their peace and quiet deep-sixed.
It’s then, Labour Day, that an additional 100 buses, 300 per day in total — and triple the number of just a few years ago — will start running up and down what was once a quiet residential street.
Why? Buses on the busy 410 route will no longer operate out of the Richmond Transit Centre in Ironwood, but be based instead out of the new Hamilton garage in Queensborough.
Until now, interlining among Richmond routes saved many buses from having to use Fourth Avenue.
A 410 bus pulling into the Second Avenue and Chatham Street Steveston terminus, continued as a 402 heading up No. 2 Road to Brighouse Station, or a 401 to Horseshoe Way or Riverport.
In reverse, those buses turned back into 410s heading back to the 22nd St. Station.
With the separation of garages, that interlining will be no more. A 410 bus on Chatham Street approaching the Steveston terminus will turn left onto Fourth and head up to Steveston Highway, then back down No. 1 Road to the Steveston terminus, to be positioned for the return trip as a 410.
Same for the 401 route; many buses that before routed directly to Steveston to turn into 410s will make that same loop up Fourth in reverse, to be pointed in the right direction for the return trip.
Altogether, dozens of buses will already have traversed Fourth Avenue before most residents have poured their first morning coffee.
The one saving grace is that some of those will be newer model, hybrid buses, considerably quieter than the older diesels.
Still, the added traffic, combined with the fact that, done properly, interlining can make for much more convenient service for local transit users, means many will be less than happy with the new arrangement.
David Magowan
Richmond
