qathet Regional District’s accessibility committee will consider correspondence regarding bus service to special events such as Blackberry Festival.
At the October 25 committee of the whole meeting, Electoral Area D director and committee chair Sandy McCormick said she believed the correspondence from Marg Hodgins should be referred to the accessibility committee, regarding her comments about the difficulty in transporting someone in a wheelchair to the Blackberry Festival. McCormick put forward a motion to refer the correspondence to the accessibility committee.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said the correspondence appeared to be related to the municipality’s transportation infrastructure, so it’s not the regional district’s rural paratransit. He said something else the accessibility committee should consider is, in discussions with Town Centre mall, adjusting its parking lot layout. He said the park and ride service is questionable for future events because of planned expansion at the mall.
“That’s something the accessibility committee should consider because park and ride for people’s disabilities is important,” said Gisborne.
City of Powell River director George Doubt said Blackberry Festival is a separate organization that is not operated by the city or regional district.
“It’s an organization that puts on the festival, and each year, they request BC Transit to provide a transit service that shuttles from the mall down to Westview Avenue so everyone can go there,” said Doubt. “What BC Transit provides is based on what the organization asks BC Transit to provide.
“There are difficulties, just because of the geography of the territory, in actually transporting people down to that area on a wheelchair when the whole road is closed. There are very few level places to unload a wheelchair. Talking to BC Transit and the Blackberry Festival committee may be more effective than getting the accessibility committee to look at that, because they are the people who can look at that.”
Doubt said Gisborne’s comment about the main bus stop at the mall is that the convergence is now at the north end of the mall, but it is changing, and exciting things are going to happen at the mall. He said city council just saw a new design for a bus stop area that is going to be changed, but there is still going to be lots of available parking for people using park and ride to attend events.
McCormick said it would be up to the accessibility committee if members wanted to bring the matter to the attention of Blackberry Festival organizers.
“That would be really appropriate,” said McCormick.
The committee carried a motion to send the correspondence to the accessibility committee.
In her correspondence, Hodgins stated that it is commendable for a free shuttle to be provided for Blackberry Festival’s street party. She added that people with disabilities would like to have attended this event had there been handyDART service available.
She stated that her son, who uses a wheelchair, could have been taken to the festival, but lack of access meant they did not do so. In 2022, they parked at the ferry terminal and pushed him up to Marine Avenue, but it was very difficult and unsafe, she added.
“Perhaps handyDART could have provided service from the mall to one end of the closed street to offload and reload those who need this service to participate,” stated Hodgins. “The use of regular transit is not the answer for everyone.”
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