Editor:
The latest bus schedule boasts of more frequent runs. Unfortunately, the timing of those weekday runs is leaving shoppers stranded uphill for far more time than we need. As things stand, if you live in Lower Gibsons and want to shop in Sunnycrest Mall, the turnaround time for arrival at the mall and departure is either 20-25 minutes or one hour and 20-25 minutes.
It takes 20 minutes to walk back and forth from London Drugs or SuperValu, arriving across the street before the downhill bus arrives. This leaves no time to actually buy anything. An extra hour does not lead to extra shopping, particularly if you have to stay every time you want to buy a few grocery items.
There is a 30-minute turnaround arriving Sunnycrest 1:44, leaving 2:15, which kinda works if the bus arrives on time, and you’re only buying a couple of grocery items, and there is no call for a price check once you’re in line to pay. It also helps if the sidewalk near the bus isn’t frosty. No winter sun gets past the newish construction; any frost sparkles treacherously all day.
In previous schedules, there have been some turnarounds during the day of 45-50 minutes, enough time to visit two stores and for non-shopping list items to catch the eye. Another difference is most Express buses are now going to the ferry via North Road rather than downhill.
My suggestion. I’d be happy with one opportunity per day for a reasonably timed shopping trip. The timing difference between the ferry Express bus to Sunnycrest Mall and the Local is only an additional three minutes. An Express bus leaves the ferry at 11 via North Road, currently arriving at SC at 11:09 a.m. Let that bus do the Lower Gibson/Franklin Loop route as far as Sunnycrest so we can have 50 minutes to shop and catch the 12:02 Local bus going home. The 1:16 Express ferry departure is another possibility – modified, it would arrive at 1:28 with a return bus at 2:15.
And yes, I’ve had a lot of time to study the schedule.
E.M. Goldman, Gibsons
