What Matters To You
We need to get a bus, Gus
By Dan Gray
Just about three hours north of
here, I can go 40 km in approximately
two hours and 30 minutes. I’m sure
most of you would scoff and say it
doesn’t seem like much. What if I told
you I didn’t use a Greyhound bus,
e-bike, car or walk? Have I piqued your
interest?
I have lived in Windsor and Essex
County for more than five years. I love
so much about this place, but there is
one thing I yearn for: a regional transit
system. The system used in Waterloo
Region is a great example of what we
could do down here. Just three hours
up the 401, in a region with growth
that is projected at 1 per cent this year,
as well as many great festivals and
markets, I can take transit to almost
anywhere. I can take Grand River
Transit from the Elmira Maple Syrup
Festival to Cambridge, a trip of just
over 40 km in two and a half hours.
There was a projected net cost of just
over $46 million dollars last year to
operate this system. Could you
imagine going from downtown
Windsor to Leamington (a distance
just about 50 kms ) in 2.5 hours on a
transit bus?
But where would we put the depot?
Who would pay for it? Who would be
28 The HUB -May 2015
in charge? Is it really needed?
Let’s start with if it’s needed: the
answer is yes. There are jobs that are
available in Windsor that people in the
county simply can’t get to because of
transportation issues. Sutherland
Glo