Our office was flooded with calls and emails this week after Sunshine Coast Transit suspended service on its route in Lower Gibsons.
After weeks of vandals throwing rocks or, in some cases, shooting rocks with slingshots, Transit officials felt they had no choice but to suspend the service out of fear that passengers or drivers may be hurt.
One passenger did receive minor cuts after being hit with shards of flying glass.
It's troubling that a group of vandals figures this type of activity is fun. Not only are they putting the lives of people at risk, they also caused a serious inconvenience to transit users. And if you're thinking it's only a rock and can't do much damage - think again. What happens if a rock flying through the windshield distracts the driver and he crashes the bus? This is a worst-case scenario, but it could happen.
Many of the people who use this route are seniors and young families with small children. They were forced to walk or find other means of transportation. Transit officials were caught between a rock and a hard place (no pun intended) and didn't want to suspend the service. They felt they had no other choice.
Government officials will be reviewing the matter at the regional district next week to see if other measures could have been instigated. But the blame should not be laid at the feet of Transit officials. The blame here lies squarely with the young punks who are getting their kicks from throwing rocks. Where are the parents of these hoodlums? They should be held responsible, too.
RCMP is stepping up patrols and actively following up leads. You will get caught, so our advice is to stop it right now. Put down the rocks and grow up.
If you want to throw something, go get a Frisbee or a football and head to the park.
