One of the busiest transit routes in Vernon could see riders walking.
City council was informed Monday that as of Feb. 6, the transit stop at the Village Green Centre food court will move to 48th Avenue, meaning riders will have to walk through the parking lot to get to the mall.
“A lot of seniors go to the mall and they have scooters and walkers,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham.
“At this time of year (winter), that’s not acceptable.”
First Canada, which operates transit, says it can’t provide the service to the existing transit stop in the mall because of safety concerns related to traffic and the configuration of the parking lot.
“Discussions with the Village Green Centre over the last several years have yielded some minor changes to the stop. However, the Village Green Centre remains insistent that the only acceptable transit stop on the mall property is the food entrance,” states a city staff report.
Amanda Watson, transportation engineer, says a number of options for a new stop within the parking lot, as well as redesigning the current stop, have been investigated.
“We’ve been going through this process for two years,” she said.
Council will write the Village Green Centre to determine if a solution can be found that allows the bus stop to remain at the mall.
Management at the Village Green Centre insists it’s committed to accommodating a transit stop onsite.
“Throughout the discussions with other key parties on this issue we have agreed that the current configuration for transit access is not ideal,” states a release from the mall.
“Prior to the news of council’s latest decision, we were under the impression that we were working together towards a satisfactory solution. In order to best serve the interests of our patrons and our broader community, we remain fully open and available to continue these discussions.”