By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 19, 2012 1:00 AM
Pressure could ultimately be eased on the North Okanagan’s busiest transit route. The Regional District of North Okanagan and B.C.
Transit are trying to determine how to provide additional runs to the
University of B.C. in Kelowna. “The service (currently) leaves students behind,” said director Rob Sawatzky. “Assisting young people and improving that run is a priority.” Staff and B.C. Transit are considering options, including the schedule and whether there may be a need for a third bus. Because another bus is costly, Sawatzky wonders if
there are other steps that can be taken like reworking the schedule and
going from eight to 10 trips during the school year. “Is there an option to do it without any additional cost?” The RDNO board has approved some changes to the UBC schedule. The 6 p.m. departure from Vernon to UBC will move to 1
p.m. This bus will leave UBC at 2 p.m. and it’s anticipated this will
help alleviate overcrowding on the 4 p.m. departure from Kelowna. During the Christmas break at UBC, the service will be reduced from eight to four trips per day. The changes are proposed to be implemented within about eight weeks. RDNO is also having to go through a legislative process to establish a transit service to UBC. Virtually all RDNO members fund one bus to UBC. But
when a second bus began in 2010, Vernon picked up the additional $120,000 a year because other communities had concerns about costs and
use among their residents. RDNO members have now agreed to fund the second bus and
that requires the creation of a funding service. However, the
provincial government says public approval is required first. If 10 per cent of electors sign an alternate approval
petition opposing the establishment of the service by 4 p.m., the
function cannot proceed. Director Juliette Cunningham questions why the
provincial government is demanding the approval process when there is
such a need for the transit service. “The province is encouraging public transit but I find it (process) surprising. It’s a lot we have to go through,” she said.
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UBC transit requires action
By Editorial - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 19, 2012 1:00 AM
The stories almost have urban myth status. If we haven’t actually met the individual in person, we
have all heard of a student waiting in line to go from Vernon to the
Univerity of B.C. campus in Kelowna. The bus comes, the doors open,
students climb aboard and climb aboard to the point that every last inch
is filled. Some students are left sitting on the roadside with no way
of heading south to their classes. Now it should be pointed out that politicians and
taxpayers haven’t been ignorning the needs of students or others
pursuing public transport to Kelowna. After all, there are two buses running up and down Highway 97 and that comes with a steep price. But given the current circumstances, there’s no question that more needs to be done. First, it’s not safe to have standing-room only on
vehicles whizzing along at high rates of speed. Secondly, it’s not fair
to offer a service and yet potential users are left behind. And thirdly,
if the service is not dependable, people will start driving to UBC and
that defeats the original goal of transit to remove single-occupancy
vehicles from the road. Director Rob Sawatzky has suggested that the regional
district tweak the schedule in the hopes that additional occupancy can
be generated without hiking costs. While that is ideal, it may be
unrealistic and taxpayers may have to bite the bullet and provide the
resources for a third bus. There is no easy solution, but compared to other bus
routes that are virtually empty, the high-demand UBC function is a nice
challenge to actually contend with.
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