Welcome to Keep It Downtown!
Keep the Bus Terminal Downtown!
The Acadian Bus Lines terminal has moved from its downtown location in Fredericton to its temporary location at Hubbard Lane, which is outside of the downtown area.
Let Fredericton City Council know that keeping the terminal in the downtown core is of utmost importance!
We the undersigned draw Fredericton City Council’s attention to the following:
THAT:
- an intercity bus service is an integral part of a vibrant downtown core
- the City of Fredericton has professed its desire to be a green city, and the use of public transportation reduces greenhouse gas emissions arising from the use of personal vehicles
- the City of Fredericton is home to several post-secondary institutions, with many students of these institutions needing convenient and affordable access to public transportation on weekends and holidays
- a bus terminal is a valuable opportunity to encourage tourism by making a good first impression on those passing through our community; while a poorly-designed or inconvenient terminal reflects negatively on our city
- those relying on public transportation are often on limited incomes, and should not be expected to bear the increased cost of cab fare to get to a distantly located bus terminal
THEREFORE, we petitioners demand that the City of Fredericton take immediate action to secure a downtown location for the Acadian Bus Lines Terminal.
ACTION ALERT: NO TO ACADIAN’S BUS ROUTE CUTS
Acadian Lines is planning to cancel several routes, and reduce service on other routes.
Fredericton to Miramichi – Cancelled
Saint John to Bangor – Cancelled
Kentville to Digby – Cancelled
Moncton to Charlottetown – Reduced service
Acadian Lines has applied to the NB Energy & Utilities Board (EUB) to make these changes.
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University Students’ Union, UNB Students’ Union and others will intervene in a formal hearing on Wednesday, March 17th, beginning at 10:00 am at the Fredericton Inn, 1315 Regent St. There will also be an informal public session at 5:30pm on Wednesday, March 17 at the Fredericton Inn, 1315 Regent St. While the deadline has passed to submit a request to present at both these sessions, both sessions are open to the public to attend as observers.
All are encouraged to send in a written submission before the March 4th deadline.
To object to the bus route cuts at the NB EUB, objectors must identify how the bus route cuts would be detrimental to the users of the public transportation services, to provincial economic or social development, or to intraprovincial, interprovincial or international commerce.
Send written submissions to:
Lorraine R. Légère
Board Secretary
New Brunswick Energy & Utilities Board
P.O. Box 5001
Saint John, NB
E2L 4Y9
Email: lrlegere@nbeub.ca; and general@nbeub.ca
Suggested points to include in your letter:
1. How the route cuts will affect you?
2. Why you take the bus instead of other transportation? According to a 2008 report about New Brunswick’s multi-modal transportation strategy, “both intercity bus and urban transit services are experiencing a renewal of interest.” For economic and environmental reasons, people are choosing to take the bus.
3. These bus routes are the only means of transportation between communities for many New Brunswickers. Public transportation is key to social development.
4. These bus routes are important for intraprovincial and interprovincial commerce. Cutting these bus routes would have a detrimental economic impact on communities, particularly rural communities, dependent on the bus service for trade.
4. These bus routes are important for intraprovincial and interprovincial commerce. Cutting these bus routes would have a detrimental economic impact on communities, particularly rural communities, dependent on the bus service for trade.
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For more information:
NB Energy & Utilities Board website: www.nbeub.ca
The Notice: Acadian Coach Lines LP: Revision to Routes and Schedules January 20, 2010:
http://156.34.203.123/Documents/Orders%20&%20Notices/MC/E/Notice-E-2009-018.pdf
Join the Facebook group “No to Acadian Bus Route Cuts” page and post your submissions or thoughts there or to info [at] nbmediacoop [dot] org
Bus line seeks to cut Fredericton-Miramichi service
Telegraph-Journal: Acadian Coach Lines is asking for regulatory approval to eliminate its Fredericton-Miramichi route as the motor carrier undertakes an ambitious plan to increase focus on travel between Halifax, Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton. According to documents filed with the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) and obtained by The Daily Gleaner, the once-a-day service is targeted for elimination. Read more…
Ryan Brideau: I’ll be home for Christmas…or not, thanks to Acadian
Recently Acadian Bus Lines has applied to the Energy and Utilities Board to have routes between Miramichi and Fredericton, Saint John and Bangor, and the Kentville-Digby corridor in Nova Scotia ended, in favour of more express routes between the major cities in the Atlantic region. This not only represents a threat to the large number of people from North-Eastern New Brunswick, and those travelling to the United States and parts of Nova Scotia, but also to anybody who acknowledges the importance of an affordable, reliable transportation system in our province. Read more…
More change for Acadian
Sandy Chase, The Brunswickan, November 17, 2009
If Acadian Coach Lines has their way, many UNB students could be facing difficulties getting home in the new year.
In a document submitted to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, Acadian requested a hearing to discuss proposed changes to their current operating schedule. These changes include the proposed elimination of the Fredericton – Miramichi route and the St John – Bangor route, which could leave a lot of students searching for other ways to get home.
“That’s not only mildly inconvenient, it’s unbelievably inconvenient… I take at least 6 buses a year, and that’s just on a regular basis, that’s not counting if there’s an emergency or if there’s a meeting or an interview that I have to go to,” said Tyson Belliveau, a third year Arts student at UNB.
350 International Day of Action on Climate Change! October 24, 2009
350 is the safe upper limit of parts per million of carbon in our atmosphere. On October 24th, millions around the world will gather to call on governments to take action to bring carbon levels down to 350ppm (currently we are at 387ppm).
In Fredericton, a rally will take place at 12pm on Saturday, October 24th at the old Acadian Bus Lines terminal at the corner of Regent and Brunswick. In Saint John, a rally will be held at the Market Square Boardwalk from 1-2pm .
Join us for music, speeches, and solutions. Demand that governments commit to a new global deal that enacts real change, and reduces emissions in line with science based targets in a just and fair manner!
For more info on the 350 campaign, visit www.350.org, e-mail efficiency[at]conservationcouncil[dot]ca or call Julie at 458-8747.
Acadian in no rush to move up the hill
Bus depot | Company says it has problems with downtown site
Published Wednesday July 15th, 2009
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/729256
Acadian Coach Lines says it’s still weighing its options for the location of its Fredericton bus terminal and it’s not going to make a hasty decision.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the company said the decision-making process will take time and due diligence.
“We hope to make a decision in the near future. We will let the population of Fredericton know as soon as a decision has been reached,” said the statement issued by Manon Piche, vice-president of marketing and strategic development for Groupe Orleans Express, the owner of the bus line.
On Monday evening, city council voted eight to three to grant an amendment to the highway commercial zone to permit the bus company to relocate to 150 Woodside Lane from 101 Regent St.
Acadian has an opportunity to sublease space in the United Rentals building that would accommodate a passenger reception area, ticket counter and room for its courier and package delivery service.
The company was given notice effective in April to vacate space it leases from Commercial Properties Ltd.
After a public furor about the proposed departure of the bus station terminal from the downtown core, Acadian’s landlord relented and offered to extend its lease. The terms and conditions of the lease deal haven’t been made public.
Acadian chose to proceed with its application to council while city hall was deluged with opposition from students, the Fredericton chapter of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and downtown business owners who support environmentally friendly initiatives.
The groups argued that a downtown bus terminal is the most convenient and cost-effective way for people to access the inter-provincial bus line. Businesses said they can walk packages and parcels to the bus depot downtown but won’t be able to if the business moves to Woodside Lane, off Hanwell Road.
“Since passenger travel is the primary part of our business, we want to ensure that our bus terminal can comfortably accommodate our passengers and our service staff and that safety concerns are addressed in the bus, passenger and taxi parking areas, as well as the pick up and delivery area,” the company statement said.
“It is clear that our current accommodations no longer meet our basic needs … Our current location is still a viable option if we can reach an understanding with the current lease holder that will address our needs.”
In a telephone interview from Acadian’s Montreal headquarters, Piche said the company needs less interior space and more exterior parking room at the Regent Street location.
Parking conflicts at the downtown bus depot are causing problems, Piche said.
“People don’t care. They just position themselves where it’s right for them,” she said.
It’s a safety problem when you’re trying to manoeuvre a 13.5-metre (45-foot) bus with private passenger vehicle pickup and drop-offs and taxi traffic, she said.
Piche said the Regent Street and Woodside Lane options are the only two sites that the bus line is looking at, unless other landlords step forward.
If Acadian opts for the Woodside Lane location, then it would be interested in continuing preliminary talks University of New Brunswick for some type of route or service opportunity, she said.
UNB spokeswoman Natasha St. Pierre said the university is open to further discussions with the bus company.
“We have said we’re open to it (talks),” St. Pierre said.
Acadian Coach Lines is owned by Groupe Orleans Express, which serves Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It offers passenger travel, charter services and parcel delivery.
The company carries more than 1.7 million passengers per year, employs 500 people, operates more than 110 buses and services 162 communities.
Bus station gets zoning approval to move
Vote | Councillor says it’s not the city’s job to tell businesses where they can set up shop
Published Tuesday July 14th, 2009
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN, The Daily Gleaner
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/728094
Acadian Bus Lines will be able to move to 150 Woodside Lane if the company so chooses after city council voted eight to three to approve a zoning amendment to the highway commercial zone.
The move disgusted activists, who jeered and catcalled councillors who said they were voting for the amendment at Monday night’s city council meeting.
That prompted Mayor Brad Woodside to lecture the crowd on showing respect for the democratic process. He warned the 60 or so supporters of a downtown bus depot not to continue interrupting or he would hold the item until the end of the meeting to let them cool their heels.
Julie Michaud is the climate change co-ordinator for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and its Fredericton chapter, which has taken the lead on the issue. It held a public rally in front of city hall prior to Monday’s meeting where people sang and waved signs.
“I really was holding out hope that the city councillors of Fredericton had the best interests of the citizens of Fredericton at heart, and they demonstrated very clearly that they don’t,” Michaud said.
She said she’ll speak to the Department of Transportation about its commitment to double the share of public transportation in the province by 2020.
“It’s a commitment that would be severely hampered by moving the Acadian Bus Lines terminal outside of the downtown core. This is the capital city of our province and the fact that we can’t take action to help Acadian find a suitable location, that they can afford downtown, is absolutely shameful,” she said.
She said the council will also turn to Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield for help since he signed a 1,200-name petition in support of keeping the bus station downtown.
“We were chastised for speaking out, but if they’re not comfortable hearing from their constituents, then they probably should not be in elected office,” Michaud said. “What we saw in there tonight is undemocratic.”
Woodside disagreed.
“Democracy is all about debate. This is democracy in action “¦ We’ve listened to everybody that wanted to speak on more than one occasion,” Woodside said. “I think tonight was a prime example of what democracy is.”
The mayor said council wasn’t expressing its preference for an uphill over downtown location for the bus depot by its vote. He said the vote wasn’t about location, but about zoning.
If it was purely a case of location, Woodside said, the entire council would have supported keeping the bus depot downtown, but council has to follow planning principles.
“They haven’t moved yet … So, they now have an option of a place where they can go,” Woodside said. “Within a close proximity of this location they could actually go and set up and nobody could say anything or have any objection. It was a zoning issue, not a location issue. According to the Planning Act … we deal with the zoning.”
Councillors Jordan Graham, David Kelly and Marilyn Kerton voted against the zoning amendment.
Graham said locating the bus depot on Woodside Lane wouldn’t add to neighbourhood property values and would obligate the city to add more infrastructure. He urged the bus station to look again to the downtown core.
Students in Graham’s ward support a downtown bus depot, and he said he was elected to represent that voice.
Kelly said residents on surrounding streets in the ward he represents made it clear they didn’t want a bus company as a neighbour.
Kerton said she was swayed by the public concerns about affordability, access to the bus station and the impact on local business.
Councillors Scott McConaghy, Stephen Chase, Stephen Kelly, Dan Keenan, Mike O’Brien, Steven Hicks and Eric Megarity voted for the rezoning, as did deputy mayor Bruce Grandy. Coun. Tony Whalen wasn’t present for the hearing of objections in June and therefore couldn’t vote.
Hicks said if Acadian could stay downtown, it would, but from city council’s perspective, it had to deal with the application on the basis of the zoning merits.
“It’s a zoning issue and we have to respect that,” Hicks said.
Grandy said he doesn’t believe it’s city council’s job to dictate where a private business locates.
Keenan said the highway commercial zone is intended to handle high-volume traffic.
The remaining councillors who voted in support of the amendment said they were sympathetic to keeping the bus depot downtown, but said they couldn’t justify voting against the amendment for that reason alone.
Prior to the meeting, people at the pro-downtown bus rally held up signs saying “Stop Clowning Around with our Climate” and “Cut Carbon Now.”
Inside city hall, two members of the public gallery unfurled a sign and hung it over the upper railing so that city councillors could see it. It read “Democratic Planning – The City’s Duty.”
