Giuliana Van De Wal tells city council her concerns about city buses going down her street. PHOTO BY CHRIS DAWSON.
It was a long drawn out emergency meeting with amendments on top of amendments, but at the end of the day, the concerned citizens got their wish - city buses will not travel down Labreche Drive as was scheduled to begin on May 31st.
After a vote of 9 to 2, city council moved to use option four; one of five bus route options city staff displayed for council and a large Labreche drive contingent in the audience in council chambers Wednesday night.
Labreche Drive residents started the special meeting with public presentations showing their displeasure over the new bus route which would go down their narrow West Ferris area road.
Giuliana Van De Wal has been living on Labreche Drive for the past 26 years. She was one of the first vocal residents who made a presentation to council at the start of the two hour and 15 minute meeting.
“I’m glad they listened to our concerns and they were primarily safety and everyone spoke to that so we are very happy with the outcome,” said Van De Wal, who was among the 132 of 150 home owners on Labreche that signed a petition against city buses going down their street.
City officials initially recommended to continue with the new bus route plan and then monitor the situation for the next nine months to see if there would be an issue with the city buses going down Labreche.
The plan to change the routes came after a transit system review the city conducted back in the fall of 2013.
By using option four, the city will take on more costs and the route will go down Marshall, Marshall Park, Booth, and Ashdale - not Labreche.
Mark King, Chair of Community Services, was part of a recent Labreche neighbourhood meeting about the bus route.
King believes if there was more council support at that meeting, an emergency meeting to solve the dilemma may not have been necessary.
“During that particular discussion on Labreche, no one else on council showed up, my vice chair, Councillor Vaillancourt, he didn’t show up,” said King bluntly.
“Councillor Anthony, he didn’t show up either. I invited those people to come down and talk to those people on Labreche. I was there to speak to them as was the mayor and the result was this special meeting of council, very lengthy. “
Councillor Mac Bain made one amendment asking for council to keep the existing route intact, but it was voted down.
“There was also discussion about continuing the route that it presently sits on and going on with the same route would have saved the city money but council decided by serving the public and making the bus routes more accessible to the ridership was more important than the $50,000 it would have saved,” said Bain.
