Posted by: Anna Cuylits – SWOOS
As mentioned in the April 2020 OSCAR, the longstanding number 7 westbound bus stop at the corner of Sunnyside and Leonard was removed in 2014 when the rain gardens were installed. Since then, some passengers descending from this bus had to walk about an extra 170 metres to get to their destinations.
An extra 170 metres doesn’t appear much if you are young, vigorous and the weather cooperates, but when you are getting on in years or have mobility problems, and the weather is so typically hot or cold, the footing slippery and uneven (as often happens in winter), the extra metres become a good reason to give up on busing.
Fortunately our Councillor Shawn Menard and his staff responded to concerns expressed to him by SWOOS and others. Due diligence in the form of surveying neighbours about reinstatement of the stop has been completed and the green light was given by OC Transpo.
At the time of writing this, no timeline is known, but our Councillor will notify his constituents of this in an upcoming newsletter. [Note: in the latest Capital Ward newsletter, Councillor Menard wrote: “Because of the bio-swale at the corner of Sunnyside and Leonard, the bus stop will have to re-located slightly east of the intersection. Staff have put in a concrete pad on the boulevard, and the bus stop will be in operation beginning on Tuesday, October 13, 2020”]
Needless to say, SWOOS is following the progress very closely and looks forward to a celebration on the bus platform before the snow flies!
This article originally appeared in the October 2020 edition of the OSCAR.