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3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, September 3, 2009 In the swim FUN FOR ALL: Enjoying themselves at the Novice Swim Meet are (clockwise from the left) Wedgewood Pool swimmer Nicole Wilson, 8; the Puffer Fish team from Bronte Pool; Holly Smith, 5, from Iroquois Ridge enjoying some juice; and, Falgarwood swimmers, Reilly McKay, 9, (left) and Leah Creelman, 8, giving the thumbs up for the event. PHOTOS BY GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER Oakville Transit route changes not popular with everyone Continued from page 1 "This system allows them to travel wherever they want in the town without having to visit the GO station." To accomplish this goal six new transit routes will be introduced running north/south and east/west. Route one (Trafalgar) runs north and south on Trafalgar Road from the newly expanded Uptown Core Terminal into the new terminal at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning and then to the Oakville GO station. Route two (Lakeshore) runs east and west along Lakeshore Road from the Bronte GO station to Ford Drive and Kingsway Drive. This route also continues along Upper Middle Road on route six. Route three (Third Line) runs north and south along Third Line from Dundas Street to the Bronte GO station and continues to Hopedale Mall. Route four (Speers/Cornwall) runs east and west along Speers Road, Cornwall Road and Royal Windsor Drive making connections at the Bronte GO station, the Oakville GO station and the Clarkson GO station. Route five (Dundas) runs east and west along Dundas Street from Colonel William Parkway to the Uptown Core Terminal. Route six (Upper Middle) runs east and west along Upper Middle Road from Bronte GO station to Ford Drive and Kingsway Drive. This route also continues along route two. The new service for route one will run every 20 minutes Monday to Friday while service for the other five routes will run every 20 minutes during rush hour and every 40 minutes during regular hours. The new routes will make regular stops along the way to facilitate connections to other grid and local routes. Oakville Transit has also introduced new transit service to Devon Road, Lakeshore Road and Maple Grove Drive via Route 11; to Sixth Line via Route 19 and to Postmaster Drive via Route 22. In addition, Oakville Transit has replaced the Zone Express service with a fixed route system offering more service throughout the day, evening, weekends and holidays. With the design of a new grid system, the Town warns that some routes have been rescheduled and/or re-routed to avoid duplicating or overlapping services. A list of these changes is available on Oakville Transit's website at www.oakvilletransit.ca. "Our goal is to create a system that makes Oakville Transit the number one choice in transportation for residents," said Cole. "This year alone, we're introducing new routes, new buses, new shelters, new bus stop signs, a new bus terminal at Sheridan College and an expanded Uptown Core Terminal -- and there's more to come." While the changes are meant to increase the convenience of taking public transit for many, some are not amused. In an e-mail to Cole, local resident Heather "Where we've moved buses off a street, people have asked, `Why did you move the buses?' Where we've put buses onto a street that didn't have buses, people have asked, `Why are you putting buses on my street?'" Barry Cole, director Oakville Transit Services Moorhead blasted the transit changes noting that they would add considerable time to her daily commute. "With the cancellation of the Glen Abbey Express and being forced to catch an earlier bus, Oakville Transit is adding another 20 to 30 minutes to my existing commute into work and Oakville Transit is taking away 30 minutes from my quality time with my family," wrote Moorhead. Riet van Lieshout also expressed dismay over the impending cancellation of the Glen Abbey express route in a letter to Cole. "When I came back from vacation this morning, I was handed a flyer that the 180 Express Route will be cancelled effective Sept. 6. Like many other travellers, I am a regular on this bus route and I am very disappointed that the Express service connecting to the 7:58 a.m. Toronto GO train will no longer be available. This leaves me with the options to take the 7:12 a.m. (route 28) or the 7:15 a.m. (route 18), which will add another 15 minutes to my daily commute," said van Lieshout. "Public transit should be easy, convenient and accessible and the different transit systems (bus, train etc.) should be working closely together. This mandate is not supported by the intended cancellation of the 180 Express Route. The addition of an extra 15 minutes to my already long daily commute is unacceptable for me and it will make me take the car again to travel to the GO station." Cole noted reaction to the new transit design has been mixed with those who like it listing the overall idea of locally-oriented transit as positive. Many of those who don't like the new system have a problem because it is personally inconvenient for them, noted Cole. "Where we've moved buses off of a street, people have asked, `Why did you move the buses?' Where we've put buses onto a street that didn't have buses, people have asked, `Why are you putting buses on my street?'." said Cole. "It really is all over the place. There are a couple areas of focus and one of the good things about the feedback we've gotten is we have been able to address some of the concerns." Cole said the new design is not set in stone and routes can be changed if they result in enough negative feedback. Those who want to comment on the new system design can do so at transitinfo@oakville.ca.