Hey Bus Driver – Nice Set of Wheels Ya Got There
Back in 2000, a wide-reaching community consultation project in Collingwood resulted in a set of recommendations called, Vision 2020: A Blueprint For Collingwood. Among others, it identified some of the core values of our citizenry including the desire to be a more inclusive, pedestrian friendly and environmentally responsible town. These visions were later incorporated into the Town’s Official Plan and today, those values were a step closer to being realized with the unveiling of Collingwood’s three new buses.
The new vehicles will replace the existing two old buses and will be pressed into service this week before the world lands at our doorstep this week-end for the Elvis Festival. The buses run on bio-diesel fuel, are fully accessible and even include bike racks on the front. The bus that will serve the commercial core is dressed up to look like a trolley which will surely animate the downtown and act as an advertisement in attracting ridership. I really do hope so. You can read all about it here on the Collingwood Living site. I have to say it was a special day for me personally as a former Chairperson of Vision 2020 and an advocate for these buses for seven years now. It was great to actually see them, touch them and then ride on one.
Following the official ceremonies, Mayor Chris Carrier, other council members and staff took guests on a 50 minute bus tour throughout the town highlighting some of the many projects currently underway including new subdivisions, infrastructure projects, the site of the new industrial park, areas for proposed road widenings and the town’s first traffic circles. It was a wonderful overview and a happy day for sure.
