When walking to class Monday afternoon I saw the most beautiful sight on campus. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of students and construction detours galore, there were the beginnings of a new bus shelter at Athletics.
I don’t know if there are plans for construction around the main bus stop by the O-Train as well, but I really hope so.
I have lived in residence all four years of my university education, so I don’t have much of a personal stake in the future of Carleton’s busing infrastructure. And yet I will complain about our campus’s main bus stop to anyone who will listen.
I can’t even imagine how students who rely on buses for commuting to and from school every day feel. When the weather is cold, snowy or rainy, the bus shelter is jam packed with students. Students crowd the entire block for most of each weekday, making it difficult to walk from one side of campus to another, let alone to catch your bus. The constant stream of students weaving in and out of the crowd is inefficient for walking and catching buses, which only adds to the delays and stress of rush hour.
There are definitely enough students to justify a much larger bus station, doors and all. And there’s certainly the space for it right behind Minto.
Carleton desperately needs a bus station. The University of Ottawa (U of O) is downsized from three stations to just Laurier while LRT construction continues, but that’s still one more bus station than what Carleton has ever had. It’s understandable that U of O would have more bus stations, since it has more students and bus routes. But there are thousands of students who rely on public transit to make it to and from Carleton each day too.
It makes sense to invest in a bus station to accommodate the high volume of commuters it serves. I understand that construction costs big bucks, but this is long overdue. Happy commutes lead to happy students, which lead to more positive attitudes towards both Carleton and OC Transpo.
