Thunder Bay residents critical of transit changes

Some Thunder Bay Transit riders are skeptical about plans revealed at public meetings Tuesday to make the city's bus service more efficient.

Thunder Bay resident Paul Filteau said he doesn't like a consultant's plan to close the south side and scale down the north side bus terminals. He said the idea of having more routes meet in the middle of the city doesn't create a community for transit riders.

"Or the central terminal, it's really no man's land," Filteau said.

"It's a place where people go to work, but it's not a place where people live."

Big workplaces not on bus routes

People who use Thunder Bay transit to get to work take issue with the proposed changes.

"One of my prime concerns was hitting the centres of employment," said Lucas Johnson, a Bombardier employee.

He usually cycles to work, but Johnson says in the winter he'll want a warmer option. He said the new plan misses a big portion of the city.

"For example, Bombardier and Bowater are completely left out."

Johnson said more people would take the bus if major employers were on bus routes.

Five key transfer points

Making the whole transit system more efficient and timely for riders is a big concern for Brad Loroff, the manager of Thunder Bay’s transit division.

"We need five key transfer points that would converge and give people the opportunity to get on another bus," he said.

Loroff said a major central terminal in the intercity area would be required to help support that. He said there would still need to be some type of a major terminal presence in the north core.

"The south core still fits into this plan," he added. "(But) instead of having nine bus bays at city hall, we'd be having something smaller than that. No more than four."

The proposed route concept would centralize the terminals in the intercity area and "afford passengers the ability to make more direct connections in a quicker time."

He said he’d like to see 90 percent of the ridership not have to transfer more than once between buses.

Gerritt Wesselink isn't old enough to drive and said he takes the bus everywhere around town. He wants to see shorter routes, and better connections.

"Sometimes it'll take me three hours to get home from the airport, or sometimes if I miss the bus by two minutes, well that's going to make me an hour and a half late at home," Wesselink said.

The final recommendations from the transit master plan will be presented to city council on Dec. 5.