Public Events Demand Public Transit

The City of Charlottetown is justly proud of its “Winterfun Weekend”, held over the last three days.

But there’s a glaring hole in the event – and other Sunday and holiday events like it – and it’s that public transit isn’t available on these days.

That means that any city resident without a car, whether for reasons of economy or choice, is left without access to many venues.

So, for example, while “CARI Complex was full for all three days,” it wasn’t full of carless downtown residents with children, for whom the prospect of a 6 km walk to and from CARI from downtown on ice-covered sidewalks with children was simply untenable. Similarly, for a carless Hillsborough Park resident the events held Sunday and Monday downtown might as well have been in Moncton.

It is fantastic that the City of Charlottetown has decided to focus its winter event attention on residents rather than tourists, on family engagement rather than filling hotel rooms. But City events must be events for all, and now that we have a robust public transit system there’s no excuse for its absence on Sundays and holidays, especially on weekends like this.

Next year, let’s do better.