For years now, the bus stop in front of the Thomas J. Condon Student Centre has been a familiar sight to students and staff.
Whether someone is heading towards the cafeteria for lunch or racing at breakneck speed to catch it, almost everyone has seen the familiar city bus pulling up at that location. This year, that bus stop disappeared. The city bus now picks up and drops off behind the HWK Commons in a lane designated for it. It’s almost perfectly out of sight. But why has the stop moved? And what are students thinking about the change?
The mundane explanation for the change is the construction at the location of the former Ward Chipman Library. You may have heard it if you have a class in Hazen Hall. The construction blocks off the road, and there’s certainly no space for a vehicle the length of the city transit bus to turn around. The Saint John City Transit site surprisingly doesn’t seem to have any information about the location change, possibly because it does not affect the schedule very much.
The new stop is not the most ideal location, but it is the only location that makes any sense for the City Transit bus. Students who use the bus find the out-of-the-way location a bit frustrating when heading for class. “I can’t just run from class to the bus stop now.” says one student. A librarian who used the bus stop by the NBCC building said that she used to be able to see the bus pull around and then dart over to the NBCC stop. The SRC is well aware that the stop is not ideal, but it will be there until either further notice or until construction is completed.
Winter at the new stop won’t be very ideal either. When asked what they think of wintertime at the new stop, several students visibly winced at the idea. The road will have priority snow removal according to the SRC, which should cut down on bad slips on the ice. The location makes it inconvenient to wait inside a building for the bus, so a couple of extra layers may be needed to stave off the cold.
Ice and cold may not be the only inconvenience or even danger. There are no visible security cameras in the area, and since the bus is out of the way of most of the buildings, outside visibility is reduced. Late-night riders are recommended to use SafeWalk, a service UNB provides. Simply call the number or use the app to ask a security guard to walk you to your car or other location if you feel unsafe doing so at night. A dose of caution may be needed more often than usual when waiting for the bus.
The new bus stop location is not ideal. Running late for classes, the ice, snow, and cold in wintertime, and the lack of security are all real inconveniences. We can only hope the construction at the late Ward Chipman Library will be done soon. Not only for those who wait on the bus, but for those with classes in Hazen Hall too!
