Dear editor,
How best to increase bus ridership? Getting motorist to stop or reduce the use of their car is very difficult. A different approach might be to start with children’s attitudes towards transportation. In Odense, Denmark, some schools have banned cars completely. Children arrive by walking, biking, skateboard or school bus. And Odense is a city of 200,000.
We should examine what those cities are doing differently. By making “alternative transportation” the norm from a very early age we change future behaviours and choices.
Why do we set our cities up so that people “need” a car to get around? Increase dedicated bike/pedestrian paths (not on roads with cars). Charge for parking in certain areas of city during peak hours. Give people an incentive to change their habits.
These are some thoughts on how to increase bus ridership. Remember if you’re in a car then you are traffic. Don’t complain; make a change.
Natalie Fisher
Courtenay