BANGOR, Maine — Washington Street could be the home of Bangor’s regional multimodal transportation hub of the future, with access to a rail line, new sidewalks and a new shuttle service that could make downtown much more accessible.
Or the city’s bus terminal could stay at a redesigned Pickering Square, which wouldn’t require the unknown hazards and costs of rerouting all of Bangor’s eight bus routes while keeping buses closest to the downtown businesses and elderly.
That’s the choice the City Council faced during a workshop on Wednesday when it discussed whether to relocate the city bus depot from Pickering to Washington Street. No clear picture of which option was favored came from the 63 people who attended the workshop. Councilors agreed to have city staff further examine both ideas and return at a later date with more data.
Another option, relocating the station to Abbott Square, drew no apparent support.
Councilor David Nealley floated the idea of locating the terminal or a mini bus-hub at the Airport Mall on Union Street near Bangor International Airport, but that also seemed to draw little interest.
“There are not going to be any immediate changes to the bus service,” council Chairman Joe Baldacci said. “This will be a thoughtful, deliberative ongoing process” and all components of the community “are going to be a part of that.”
Staffers reviewed several options, including using the former Greyhound Bus terminal at the corner of Union and Main streets, before settling on the three potential station locations that Community Economic and Community Development Department Director Tanya Emery reviewed with the council.
Relocating it to Washington and Hancock streets would allow city officials to place the depot in a building that could house bus service offices. The lot could be expanded into “a multi-modal hub” with “complimentary uses/services” and is close to a dollar store, pharmacy and convenience store.
Potential use of the rail line opposite the proposed depot location on Washington lit up several councilors and residents.
“Please bring rail up here. Please,” said resident Ann Marie Orr, who owns 11 Central, a downtown restaurant.
They also liked the idea of running a special shuttle from Washington to several downtown locations.
“I’m surprised how open I am to option 3 [Washington Street] only because I want to see public transit really grow,” Councilor Sarah Nichols said, in reference to the large building that could be used there.
The option’s cons include its distance from downtown “for those who would rather walk than wait for a transfer or shuttle” and the area’s need for significant pedestrian enhancements, Emery wrote in a 10-page report to the council.
Keeping the depot at Pickering Square wouldn’t require any changes to the bus service and would keep it in a more centralized location than Washington Street. That option, which involves some redesign of the square, also “separates bus traffic, pedestrian traffic, and garage traffic and creates a defined area for buses and bus support functions,” Emery wrote, while creating “a significant, contiguous open space adjacent to the Maine Discovery Museum.”
Museum director Niles Parker said he liked the Washington Street option.
“It revealed a multimodal big picture that I think we really need to be looking at,” Parker said.
But several residents, including members of Transportation for All, a local public transportation advocacy group, spoke against Washington. They said moving the station from Pickering would deprive some of the city’s more economically disenfranchised residents a needed service.
Karen Marysdaughter, a member of the Bangor Climate Action Team environmental group, thought relocating the station would defeat its purpose of serving downtown.
“If in fact the goal of a public transportation system is to serve everyone in a community, and if it is our goal to reduce use of cars and congestion in an urban area, then adding just one more step [the downtown shuttle] to getting people downtown, which is where the businesses are, is inhibiting,” she said.
Tiffany Curtis, a Community Connector bus driver and speaking on behalf of Amalgamated Transportation Union Local 714, which has 24 Bangor members, said routing buses over Washington Street and other one-way roads near it “would be a nightmare” for the buses.
It also would carry unknown costs, such as for rerouting all city buses. Downtown also lacks road space for bus routes, which aren’t necessary with the station at Pickering, Curtis said.
“Your routes are already established. I understand you want to revitalize downtown, but you are talking about bringing things out of downtown,” Curtis said. “Just timing and expense wise, Pickering Square for us seems to be the best option.”