A west Orillia bus stop may be relocated due to its negative impacts on a homeowner in the neighbourhood.
At last week’s council meeting, Coun. Jay Fallis proposed the city move the bus stop at the corner of Monarch Drive and West Ridge Boulevard further up the street towards West Ridge Park, requesting that city staff report back on the issue for the 2024 budget deliberations.
As it stands, the bus stop is causing numerous issues for a nearby resident, and the change may prove beneficial to the neighbourhood as a whole, Fallis said.
“It's one of the busiest stops in Orillia and (the resident is) in a spot where she really can't do much with her lawn – there's garbage issues, there's smoke issues, there's issues with people walking across,” Fallis said.
“That's one side of it, but there's a bit of a public benefit. I know several people identified (the proposed location) might be actually safer, (with) access to the park, as well, for those waiting at the stop, so it seemed like a lot of wins.”
Coun. Ralph Cipolla, too, said he spoke with the resident, and asked whether the city could expedite the relocation process.
“When a bus stops there, the fumes from the bus go into her house, and she cannot enjoy her living room,” Cipolla said. “I'm just wondering … if we can expedite this. I understand that the cost is around $7,000 or better, and can we not find that somewhere?”
City staff said there are insufficient funds in the city’s transit budget at this time.
“The issue needs to be considered through the budget process because the transit budget does not have the funds available in the approved budget to relocate transit stops,” said Ian Sugden, the city's general manager of development services and engineering.
Sugden also noted the bus stop’s current location at an intersection helps to ensure access during the winter – as the roads will be cleared ahead of transit stops.
“When there's storms, and the snow is accumulating faster than we can clear from the transit stops, but the roads are clear, that bus can just pull forward a little bit, and patrons can get on and off the bus on that cleared road,” he said.
Cipolla, however, continued to push for a speedier solution.
“This particular issue has affected her lifestyle and her health. I think we have a responsibility as councillors and as staff to make sure that her health is in place, and that her lifestyle is in place. She can’t enjoy her home,” Cipolla said. “There's got to be a way to fix this better.”
Despite Cipolla’s concerns, council voted to consider the issue during the 2024 budget deliberations.
