I’m very lucky with my position in this community. I’m not claiming to be a well-respected anything of any status on the Moose Jaw scene. Rather, I believe I’m lucky to live in the physical area of the city in which I do.
My job is located approximately five minutes (by foot) away from my home. I can basically go days without driving my car and still get to work on time each morning, having just awoken a few minutes prior.
Yep, it doesn’t get much better than living in downtown Moose Jaw. Everything one needs is located just a refreshing stroll from my kitchen.
I have both the Co-op and Safeway to satisfy my grocery needs, Crescent Park for summertime people gazing/duck feeding purposes, a plethora of restaurants, stores, bars and coffee shops to keep me entertained and oodles of old buildings to titillate my senses.
How incredibly fortunate I am to live in the heart of the Friendly City, with almost everything I might need within a few blocks’ radius. And, if I must venture outside the old “Carter zone” for any reason, the old Kia Spectra is always at my disposal.
However, I also recognize there are people in this city who might not be as close to local amenities as am I, who don’t have access to their own vehicles and who, for whatever reason, might not have the physical capacities to easily walk long distances.
During this week’s executive committee meeting at city hall, Moose Jaw-South Central Regional Intersectoral Committee co-ordinator Christine Boyczuk led a coalition of representatives from various groups in the community who rely on local bus service for purposes of work, entertainment, education and other reasons.
It’s something I rarely think about and, I imagine, it’s something many Moose Javians rarely think about either. Public transportation is the only affordable method of transportation for many people in urban society.
Currently, city buses run in half-hour loops around various routes from 7:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., with extended service on Thursday evenings and no service on Sunday.
If I lived far away from the Times-Herald office, given the varied hours I tend to work, I imagine it would be very difficult (if not impossible) for me to do this if bus transportation were my primary means of getting to and from work.
The whole presentation during Monday’s meeting certainly made me think about groups in this community with whom I don’t regularly associate.
For example, I’ve never considered just how challenging it must be for refugees arriving in Moose Jaw, who speak limited English and must often take jobs around the city at non-regular hours without the convenience of a vehicle.
Tara Blanchard, Moose Jaw Multicultural Council executive director, told councillors and the mayor, this week, that it’s not uncommon for newcomers to bicycle to work in unsafe winter conditions, simply because there isn’t a bus available to transport them to work due to scheduling.
For seniors or disabled people on fixed income and with limited mobility, I imagine transit operation hours are perhaps among the most important factors in whether one attends various community events. After all, paying for a taxi is probably a luxury some fixed-income people cannot afford alongside various bills, rent and food.
After the various group representatives discussed transportation concerns on Monday, the executive committee commented on the situation, discussing budget concerns and expressing sympathy for those who do need bus service.
Mayor Glenn Hagel, for example, mentioned the possibility of extended bus service during a second day of the week, offering public transportation into the evening on Thursdays as well as another day of the week.
Although community group representatives would prefer more work be done with regard to bus scheduling (based on comments from the meeting), as well as other issues such as fare rates and bus stop conditions, all agreed that even an extra day of extended service would benefit users substantially.
Boyczuk said Fridays seem to be a time of week when lots of local social activities take place, so that would be a good candidate for another day of extended bus service.
I think, at the very least, the City of Moose Jaw should consider implementing another day of extended service, or at least look into that option extensively.
People who require bus service are an important part of this community, some of whom are in vulnerable financial and/or physical situations and require as much compassion as this city can muster.
After all, this is the Friendly City.
Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.
