Dear Editor,
I have recently stopped driving because of my age and the chaotic traffic we are experiencing in Richmond.
Taking the buses to shop and visit the seniors centre has been quite pleasant — the bus drivers are friendly and the Compass system works well. However, I have noted that to get to the seniors centre I have to walk at least half a mile, no matter which bus I take.
I am quite able to do that but I wonder about the growing population of seniors, many of whom would not be able to walk that distance.
The only bus that stops near the centre on Granville is the Railway 110. A number of seniors get the Handy Dart, but it has to be ordered a day ahead at least, it is more expensive than the regular bus fares and there are long waits when it is ordered.
I read that the city is planning to spend $80 million on new structures at Minoru Park, of which a large amount is to be spent on a new seniors centre.
This is the time that the Seniors Advisory Council should be petitioning transit authorities for better service, so that seniors will be able to get to the new facility.
Not to plan ahead would be like swallowing an ox and choking on the tail!
Now is the time that seniors should be calling Richmond’s Seniors Advisory Committee and asking for a special seniors’ bus that could be at certain points on a grid that could connect with the bus that is closest to them and for which the Compass card could be used, as well. Surely, the city has learned something from the dismal situation where thousands of houses have been destroyed in Richmond in the last five years?
It’s too late to bring in legislation to deal with the wreckage here, as there appears to have been no attempt to recycle any material.
However, hopefully, the powers that be will not wait until the new facilities are built at Minoru to start planning for more and better transportation.
Patricia Stanyer
Richmond
