Challenges of rural life

Getting to Grey County

By Sam Mooney ⋅ October 23, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

If you don’t have access to a car you’re not going to get here easily.

One of the challenging things about owning a weekend home in Priceville is getting to it – and getting around once you’re there.  There is no inter-community public transit in Grey County, or in most of rural Canada.

If I want to go from Toronto to Flesherton (forget direct to Priceville) you can get a Greyhound bus. Of course you still have to get to Priceville.  No idea if there are taxis in Flesherton.  If there are they don’t have websites.  Maybe I could hitchhike.

I’d have to make sure I had groceries with me because once I arrived in Priceville it wouldn’t be easy to get to Flesherton, Durham, Hanover, or Markdale to get groceries.  Of course that won’t be as important once the general store opens.  Yes, we’re going to have a general store in Priceville!

Inter-community public transportation is a thing of the past in rural Canada

I was quite excited today when I saw this link in my Google Alerts – Charter sought for railway line past Horning’s Mills. I clicked the link and read the article.   I have to admit that I found the language a bit old-fashioned and formal but the idea was terrific.  I was all ready to blog about it when I noticed this at the top – 125 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 21, 1883.

I often think about how communities were connected in the past, that it was much easier for people to go from town to town.  We rely so heavily on cars now that we can’t get from one town to another.

Tony McQuail proposed a Rural Rideshare program as part of his platform in the 2008 election.  We need something.  I wonder if it’s possible to use school buses as inter-community buses when they aren’t taking kids to school.  It’s not particularly friendly but it is better than everyone driving their own car.

There’s a discussion group about trains at the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board.  Trains are a great idea. They don’t have to be huge, they can be just one car.  Unfortunately Canada did away with the rail infrastructure in the 70s.  A lot of old rail beds are now hiking paths and bike trails.  I can’t see anyone rushing to convert them back.

We do need ot do something but maybe the solutions need to come from individuals, not from government.