Team 2017

New Possibilities with Transcollines Public Transit
By: Karl Saidla (2015/09/07)

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This summer, Chelsea’s new public transit service, Transcollines (http://transcollines.ca/home/), made its debut here in Chelsea and the rest of the MRC des Collines. This is a great development from a number of perspectives. Among other things, it means that there are simply more options for getting around Chelsea and to adjacent municipalities. It also means that more residents have the option of living a less car-dependent, and therefore more sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

Most importantly in the context of this website, it opens up some interesting possibilities for cross country skiing and outdoor activity because you can do things like take a bus from Chelsea to Wakefield, for example, and then ski, run, or even bike (yes….you can bring your bike with you on the bus!) back.

One trip that I experimented with this summer and definitely enjoyed was running from our house in Old Chelsea down to our daughter Leena’s daycare and then taking the bus back with her. This is a good routine for us on either Wednesday or Friday when Megan and I both work at home. All in all this trip was great for several reasons.

We didn’t have to use a car to get Leena to or from daycare. In the morning, Megan took her there by bike and rode back to our house. That means there was one less car driving around Chelsea, which means less pollution, less noise, and less traffic congestion.
Both of us got some exercise as part of daycare pick up/drop off making it very time efficient. For us this is good because of course want to be in shape for ski racing season and we are definitely pressed for time right now. For other people it might just mean they get a bit more physical activity and are therefore happier and healthier than they otherwise would be.
It meant that I got to do a very nice point-to-point style run through Gatineau Park that I wouldn’t have been able to do before.

All in all, I am really happy that Chelsea and the rest of the MRC des Collines has improved public transit options, and I am looking forward to using it in wide variety of ways.