I am going to start writing more regularly. The main reason why I have “time” to write is because I am now a happy member of the club that takes transit in Halifax.
Marnie got a job in Burnside where public transit is next to impossible, where I work 100 metres from the Woodside ferry terminal, so I gallantly said “well I will take the bus!” Sure the new job involves a raise and stuff, but the whole point of making more money is rather wasted if we spend most or all of it on a second car just to get Marnie to said job.
The bus costs under four bucks a day if I remember to buy tickets, so all up its $70 a month to get to and from work.
There are challenges, however. The ferry to Woodside leaves Halifax every half hour. This is the service that has one boat. Council’s number one priority is to get a second boat, so the service runs every 15 minutes, and runs all day. Right now, last ferry to Woodside in the am is 9:52 then the ferry is done until the afternoon, where it starts up around 2:32 and the last ferry out of Woodside leaves at 5:52.
So what this means is, I fire the kids off the school, hopefully at 8:30, but really 8:40. I run to the bus stop, 20 metres away. If I just missed the 1, I walk a block and can take the 80, 81 or 1, and 10 minutes later I arrive downtown. A very short, downhill walk, and I am at the ferry terminal, say hello to the commissionaire, and sit down and start writing. Because? If I I am not out the door by 8:25 I miss the 8:52 ferry, and the next ferry is 9:22. Not enough time to do any real work, but enough time to write 150-400 words.
Thank god none of my classes start until 10:30, though to bad my classes go till 5:30 three days. The run to the last ferry is always fun.
I like taking the ferry, the 10 minute ride with the gentle wave action and the wonderful view is relaxing an amazing. The ferry is alright in the winter, but magnificent in the late spring, summer and fall. I am content, though adjusting to not having control of my arrival and departure to campus has been a real struggle.
Eastern Passage and that area of Dartmouth between Portland Hills, Mount Hope and Shearwater has to be one of the fastest growing areas in HRM. We have the two buses and a ferry, all of which are infrequent enough to make choosing transit very difficult.
It would have been nice if the Conservatives in Ottawa had decided that shovel ready included our ferry request but the ask was denied. We shall see if this goes forward after this year. $12 million is a lot, but the boats with maintainance last for 40-50 years, so it isn’t all that bad.
Tomorrow I’m going to comment on the light rail heavy rail issue council was discussing last night.