OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via our website. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter from reader James Mitchell encourages residents to try our local transit system.
As these days grow cold, grey, and short, I encourage you to give the Orillia bus system a try. I had the pleasure of using it this past week to do some grocery shopping.
I think one of the best parts of taking transit is that the bus is very warm and comfortable, and there’s no ice to clean off your car!
And although the walk to the bus stop can be daunting on windy or snowy days, getting those steps in is good for us and it’s refreshing to be outside for that time.
But let me give you some details about my trip.
I used the Google Maps app on my phone to show me what bus to take. I had two options and chose the one that was shorter overall but had a longer walk to start.
I will admit that I was a bit discouraged by the longer distance or longer time of the two options but this is something that could be improved if more people use our transit system.
In the end I was happy with the walk as I needed a good stretch and enjoyed the crisp scenery. I got on at Coldwater and Emily and there were about eight of us on the bus – plenty of space and comfy warm.
It was a short ride over to West Ridge area I was dropped off about 100 paces from my destination.
I put my return trip into the Google Maps app and saw I would get back on at the same stop where I had been dropped off and that I had 30 minutes to do my shopping and get back – a good amount of time.
I sat in the bus shelter not long and then I was on my way again, this time heading south along University Avenue going briefly into Lakehead where some students got on and off.
I saw views on Highway 12/Old Barrie Road that I couldn’t see before in my car – all the rubbernecking you could want!
And in a short while I got off at Mississaga and Westmount with a five-minute walk back home – enough to energize me again.
I’ll save my environmental commentary for a follow-up letter, but a friend of mine painted a pretty beautiful picture for me recently of what it could be like if a lot more of us did most of in-town transportation using the bus (including the increased coverage it would allow for).
As the ice and snow fly, please give it a try!
Kudos too to those people who are already using it out of necessity or choice.
James Mitchell
Orillia
