The 320 Metro-X Airport bus to Halifax is on time as it passes by the Barnes Drive stop, but nobody is getting on or off the bus on Tuesday.
Perhaps that’s due to the “No Parking” signs installed late last week along Baldwin Drive, just a few meters from the bus stop, where in the past a dozen or so commuters would park daily to catch the bus into Halifax.
“It’s been a really great option just to commute into the city and leave the car behind,” said Craig Merrian, who has been commuting into Halifax from that location for more than three-years.
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Riders say the “No Parking” signs were installed abruptly last Wednesday, forcing a dozen or more daily commuters to scramble and look elsewhere for a place to park and catch the bus.
“It just kind of happened without any commentary, any announcements or consultation,” said Merrian. “I think the thinking was ‘the parking’s gone, just drive to fall river.'”
The frustration hit commuter Tammy Burton as well.
“All of us actually were disappointed, because again we had to kind of scramble,” said Burton. “It was a mid-week and we had to scramble to figure out what we were going to do for the rest of the week or where we were going to go.”
Baldwin Drive is private property and part of the Halifax Stanfield International Airport campus and it’s the Airport Authority who maintains the roadway and they say the decision to post the “No Parking signs came down to a matter of safety.
“It was recently identified as another emergency response staging area that we need here at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport,” said Tiffany Chase, Airport Authority spokesperson. “Think of it as a fire lane, if we have to respond to an emergency situation.”
Ridership is up along the 320 Metro-X route, which saw 575 riders on average per day use the service between 2017-2018, and that increased again to an average of 649 daily riders, last year.
The route is unique, as it’s one of the only Metro-X Regional Express routes that run seven days a week, all day, and that’s why these riders say they are frustrated with the loss of parking, suggesting it only makes the commute harder.
“We live in a world where there’s a lot of focus now on being green but green is always two things, it’s being environmentally conscious but its also being green in terms of savings on gas and wear and tear on vehicles,” said Merrian.
The Airport Authority says they will make a compromise for the drivers and want as many to take the bus and point to the free Park and Ride in Fall River as an option but say they will allow the commuters to park along the stretch of Baldwin Drive until the beginning of August to allow commuters to find alternative options.