Georgian Bluffs wants to chat with Owen Sound and Grey County to see if there’s a way to extend public transit to the Sunset Strip.
Township council passed a motion at a recent meeting to ask staff to work with the Owen Sound District Chamber of Commerce, city and county on the issue and then report back.
The resolution came after Georgian Bluffs council received a letter from Owen Sound Chamber CEO Diane Austin saying the lack of transportation on the Sunset Strip is becoming “more and more an issue for employees and businesses.”
Owen Sound Transit buses do not provide service to the Sunset Strip, which is directly west of the city but part of Georgian Bluffs. The popular commercial area along 10th Street West includes grocery stores, restaurants, a bowling alley, movie theatre and many other retail businesses.
“The chamber had heard from a lot of our members on the Sunset Strip, and employees, about not having any transportation to get to work,” Austin explains. “The bus service only goes so far. And taxi services are limited.”
Austin says the chamber is organizing a meeting with the city, township and county to come up with some ideas to get transportation services to the Sunset Strip.
“We know it’s an issue and a concern. And we want to move forward,” the Chamber CEO says.
Georgian Bluffs Mayor Sue Carleton says she met with Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy and the chamber last year about this, and is open to more discussions.
“I don’t think there’s really a plan in place for how we could arrive at that,” Carleton says, during a committee of the whole meeting earlier this month. “But, perhaps we need to talk to the city again about transportation and see if we can find some solution to help those businesses on the Sunset Strip.”
Boddy: “As we look at transportation throughout Grey County, the more we can help people get around the better. We’re certainly always interested in sitting down and discussing with neighbours.”
