Stop making sense

One month ago, the Carbondale City Council voted down my request to have the Greyhound bus stop on N. Washington St., but the vote has failed to stop the momentum for change. This is because (as a salesman) I "don't take 'no' for an answer," and because (as a teacher) I can not accept ignorance as an answer.

How a thing is named and framed can make a huge difference in how it is perceived or understood by the intended audience. As I (re)listened to the testimony of Council members Haynes and McDaniel, as well as citizens M. Nesbitt, E. Simon and M. Stalls. The reasons were wholly emotional, not based on logic.

I think this was in part because the City staff required that it be called a "terminal" when Bus Stop would be more accurate, since it is not a "terminal" as in "end of the line" at all. The buses that stop there do not remain, but motor further north and west to St. Louis, or south or east to Nashville or New York.

So, what are the issues with the bus stopping there?

• Safety (lighting. this is racist? should that neighborhood racism talk group chime in?)
• Parking spaces (taking up 2 spaces 24/7, when they are only needed about 1/2 hour per day, total. something wasteful about that, yet solutions exist. two parking spaces would be tied up for the entire day -- week. But there is ample parking in the 200 block of North Washington St. as anyone who's ever driven up or down the street can testify.
• Hours of operation - the city wants to set the hours of operation, but this should be market driven, not arbitrary.
• Restrooms - these will be available.
  
• Traffic congestion? Busses stop all over the neighborhood. In the case of Greyhound, it's three busses per 24 hours. 10 am, 8 pm, 11 pm.

The next time this request is brought before the City Council, everyone will better informed about the bus biz.