I’m super excited about the imminent opening of the new bus depot in downtown Bangor. The Bangor Transit Center in Pickering Square will have its official opening at 1 pm on Friday, December 9, and Slower Traffic will be there.
Nearly three years after the City Council gave the go-ahead for construction, the Transit Center opens a new chapter in the annals of Bangor area transportation. It’s a shining example of what a small but determined group of citizens can accomplish in the face of occasionally lukewarm official support. We did this, fellow bus passengers and advocates. A pebble thrown into a pond makes but a small ripple. But many small ripples make a wave.
It was never a sure thing. Various visions for Pickering Square were floated, including the so-called “Joni Mitchell option” of building a parking lot right next to a parking garage. Some people wanted the bus depot out by the airport, or atop a vacated gas station near Shaw’s supermarket on Main Street, or other outlying locations. But Pickering Square, at the hub of Bangor’s wheel of radiating traffic routes, was always the logical choice. On January 27, 2020, the City Council, by the narrowest of margins, agreed. I like to think that the several dozen supporters in the room that evening had something to do with the outcome.
The central location is important for several reasons. First, it’s convenient for passengers. Second, it brings people – potential customers – directly into the downtown business district. And third and most important, the central location sends a powerful message, to everyone who visits or spends time in downtown Bangor, that public transportation is central to the future of the greater Bangor area.
Those still married to their cars should be happy about it, too. Every bus passenger represents one more available parking space, one less car to wait behind at a traffic light, one less opportunity for an accident. The proximity of the parking garage makes it convenient to use the bus system in combination with your car, further reducing traffic congestion.
Of course, it’s only a beginning. I envision an extension of evening hours, restoration of Saturday service, and expansion of routes to nearby areas including Hermon, Orrington, and Winterport. I hope the new terminal will become a centerpiece of a wide, interconnected network of bus services that can take passengers just about anywhere they want to go. Bangor can be a model for small cities in rural states looking for a way forward from the Late Automobile Age.
But this Christmas season, let’s stop and celebrate this one momentous step. Let’s use the new Transit Center, and treat it with the respect it deserves. Put trash in containers, interact courteously with drivers, staff, and passengers, and honor the hard work of the many people who made it possible. See you on the bus.
