Tzouhalem Road needs bus service
For the last few years I have been advocating for a bus service along Tzouhalem Road.
It is a road that can be logically serviced by the bus service to and from Cowichan Bay.
The people who live on this road tend to be economically disadvantaged. How can you buy a car if you cannot get a job because you have no bus service to get you to a job? How can you get a university education if you cannot get to university because there is no bus service?
I once called CVRD to ask why there was no bus service on Tzouhalem Road and was told “because there are no pull off spots”. I then followed buses on Hutchinson Road and Valleyview Road, and Cowichan Bay Road, and there are no pull off spots, but there is a bus service. I called CVRD back and pointed this out, and was told “there is no demand for a bus service on Tzouhalem Road”. I proceeded to pick up anyone I saw walking along that road, and asked them if they would like a bus service, and was always told, yes.
Recently there is a survey being put on by BC Transit asking for input into improvements of service. They provided a map showing the bus service. Once again, no service seems to be proposed for Tzouhalem Road.
There is a lot of attention paid recently to encourage awareness of systemic racism in our attitudes and communities. I believe that the lack of bus service on Tzouhalem is an example of this. Since my personal efforts are not garnering results, I am asking the people of the Cowichan Valley to take the current opportunity offered by BC Transit, requesting input, to support a bus service on Tzouhalem Road.
Lorraine McDonald
Cowichan Bay