Moncton seniors oppose proposed bus stop move

Residents of an apartment complex for seniors in Moncton are pushing back against plans to move a bus stop farther from their building.

Bridget LeBlanc is one of about 400 people who call Peoples Park Tower home.

Codiac Transpo buses on the Bessborough line pull off St. George Boulevard and stop in the parking lot directly outside the building.

Residents can wait in an indoor heated area until the buses arrive.

But after 30 years, Peoples Park Tower operations manager Paul Hanscomb says the city is considering moving the stop about 150 feet, or almost 46 metres, to St. George Boulevard.

That's not sitting well with LeBlanc and other residents with limited mobility.

The 62-year-old uses a walker and an oxygen tank. The bus stop was one of the factors she considered when moving to Peoples Park Tower.

"I cannot walk to the sidewalk in the humidity or the cold, and then if there's smoking around, I can't," LeBlanc said. "It's not fun and games for me, like I (can) die."

She was one of dozens of residents who packed a meeting Thursday with city and transit officials.

Nicole Melanson, a spokeswoman for the City of Moncton, said buses sometimes can't enter the parking lot because other vehicles are in the way.

Reliability concerns

"It was creating a bit of inconsistency in terms of the service for customers," Melanson said. "If the bus wasn't able to turn in, and there were people waiting, they didn't necessarily know the bus was on the street."

Last year, two buses collided in the parking lot.

Melanson called the stop "one of the most important" for Codiac Transpo. The area includes a high school, daycare, church and Centennial Park.

Feedback from Thursday's meeting with residents will be considered before a decision is made, Melanson said.

Residents hope the opposition shown Thursday will be enough to sway the city's decision.

Emile LeBlanc, who has lived in Peoples Park Tower for almost five years, said he uses a motorized wheelchair and takes the bus almost daily to get elsewhere in the city.

"I moved here because of a shelter in here and it's a nice place," he said of the bus stop. "If I'm losing the bus, it's not a nice place as much as it was."