Monday, August 17, 2009

There are automatic doors in the middle of nowhere

Reading both here, and here about how inconvenient passenger bus travel to and from Winnipeg is now that the new depot has moved out to the Airport, I thought I would dig out an old post from December 2006, which also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press around that time.

"It seems the only people that do favour the terminal’s move likely never take the bus themselves. Winnipeg Centre MP Pat Martin, for one, seems happy the Greyhound terminal, along with its jobs and visitors, may soon be leaving his riding. Its current location is “a nuisance, a headache, an absolute disaster,” and “so inappropriate”, he told reporters. Clearly, any pretenses of social justice are lost on the NDP MP of one of Canada’s poorest federal ridings, as Mr. Martin--who travels by air at taxpayer’s expense--seems indifferent to the concerns of financially limited travellers."

Naturally, since King Pat and Don Axworthy want it, no one from the rank and file of the Red and Orange Armies--who normally never miss a chance to bleat for the poor--has yet uttered a word about this.

8 Comments:

Blogger unclebob said...

Part of the problem has to do with the growing volume of freight carried and its implications to the business model. Freight, you know, does not complain or need washrooms or act up en route or take up as much space per pound as annoying passengers.

9:01 AM  
Blogger John Dobbin said...

I can't imagine a location they could move to even in the downtown that would not illicit complaints.

The Holiday Inn Express clients would likely not have liked it if the location had been by the Via Station.

Some have framed this as the University of Winnipeg and politicians kicking out the bus station. The fact is that the old location was built for shorter buses. It certainly wasn't built for the growing package business. Grehound was going to move no matter what. It is good that the University of Winnipeg will be able to make use of the building but they weren't responsible for it leaving.

I suppose governments could have thrown money at Greyhound to stay downtown but to think that any type of move wouldn't have brought complaints is wishful thinking.

9:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you are going to have a transportation hub then you must make the decision to develop it.

Greyhounds move is a step in the that direction. Next should be freight companies and if rail travel is still relevant, then that should be considered.

The bottleneck is the shuttling issue. That issue hasn't been thought out with private and taxi companies.

9:52 AM  
Blogger Louis Riel said...

what good is a transportation 'hub' if the people that use one form of transportation can't get to the terminal easily?

10:38 AM  
Blogger John Dobbin said...

I wonder how most got to the old bus station? While I'm sure some walked over from the Holiday Inn or surrounding neighbourhoods, I expect a lot used Winnipeg Transit.

As I said, I think even if the bus station had moved to the spot by the VIA station, there would have been complaints.

10:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Louis, a very good point and perhaps the first question that should have been asked/answered. As John says, most probably used transit or got dropped off.perhaps, 75% or more. You can't expect me to believe the inverse is true. that 75% or more walked into the bus depot.

As I mentioned, perhaps the issue wasn't properly thought through.In the end, a shuttle system should be developed for those that have no transportation to the "hub'. it would inconvenience them BUT, such is life in the City.

With Centreport a glimmer on the horizon, more of these initiatives will and should take place. Some will be inconvenienced but in the end if thought through, it should be more efficient.

11:02 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Not having a bus depot downtown is disgraceful. Looks like the city's decline is continuing unabated.

2:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thats funny Dallas.

3:37 PM  

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