As I enjoyed the Penticton Farmers’ Market on Saturday, it put my mind into a whirl.
How on earth will I celebrate all that the City of Penticton has to offer next Saturday, July 1, Canada’s 150 years celebrations? Someone appears to have forgotten those dependent on public transit, when planning Penticton’s Canada Day events. As it’s a statutory holiday, there’s only one bus (No. 16) available to transit users, nor does it run in the evenings.
For me to get to Penticton Farmers’ Market on July 1, the No. 16 (by Cherry Lane Shopping Centre) takes me all around downtown before, 40 minutes later, I get off in front of Penticton’s Public Library (this bus stop is the closest to the re-located Farmers’ Market in the 500 and 600 Main Street blocks). Usually, Saturdays have five buses running during the day.
Therefore, while Penticton celebrates Canada’s 150 birthday at Gyro Park, along with the Rotary RibFest (Okanagan Lake Park) and the Scottish Festival (King’s Park), I will have to ride around Penticton on the No. 16 a few times, to join in these wonderful celebrations.
Sadly, no evening celebrations for this public transit user. With this in mind, I look forward to Penticton’s PeachFest, when the city has the No. 5 bus service, and the last bus leaves Okanagan Lake Park around 11:30 p.m. Such a service for July 1 would have been ideal. But how could the city operate on ideas?
Brigid Kemp
Penticton
