PLATTSBURGH — Local officials say Greyhound’s new location in the City of Plattsburgh’s downtown is having an effect on Clinton County Public Transit passenger safety.
Since July 15, Greyhound has been picking up and dropping off passengers on Cornelia Street outside of the Clinton County Government Center in the city — the same location designated for the CCPT buses.
Previously, for several years, Greyhound operated out of the Mountain Mart on Route 9 near Cumberland Head Corners in the Town of Plattsburgh, which became known as a gathering spot for migrants who illegally crossed the northern border and would then catch a bus to other locations such as New York City.
HIGHER TRAFFIC AREA
In comparison, the new Government Center location is much smaller and the higher level of traffic now in the area has caused issues.
“The large commercial buses take up a majority of the space, and make it challenging for (county) buses to safely and quickly load/unload passengers,” Clinton County Legislator Joshua Kretser (D-Area 9, City of Plattsburgh), who is chair of the County Legislature’s Transportation Committee, said.
“Luckily this isn’t a problem on every run, but now we’re seeing a huge increase in taxis and other transportation providers using the public transit stop to wait for the Greyhound and Flix buses. The impact on safety and space is particularly impactful as this stop is the main hub for CCPT and people are often looking to transfer between routes at this location.”
‘UNSUSTAINABLE’ SITUATION
Kretser said they are doing their best to ensure the lack of space for the CCPT buses, which utilize six spots there, doesn’t negatively impact the commutes of any riders in the county.
“At the moment we are focusing on communication between drivers and dispatch to be sure that none of our riders are missing their transfers,” Kretser said.
“CCPT will have to present some alternatives if the city is not going to address this issue by either offering Greyhound an alternate location or eliminating more parking on that side of Cornelia. This current situation is unsustainable and with the approaching cold weather we are considering changes that may need to be made.”
City of Plattsburgh Mayor Chris Rosenquest previously told the Press-Republican that Greyhound had approached him about finding a site for a bus transfer station within the city and even offered to pay $1,000 a month.
Rosenquest had said there is nothing in the city’s codes that would prevent Greyhound from using a city street as a transfer site, but he was researching the matter further.
After that discussion, Greyhound opted for the Government Center site.
‘FIND ANOTHER PLACE’
Clinton County Legislator Mark Henry (R-Area 3, Chazy) said the decision to bring Greyhound to that site needs to be rectified by the city soon.
“I would ask them to find another place for that bus to park,” Henry said.
“The mayor made a decision to allow that bus to be there. I think he needs to find a much better place than right there.”
He said he is unaware of any talks between the city and Greyhound on potentially moving.
However, he’d like to see them relocated sooner rather than later.
“What are you going to do in February?” Henry said, referring to the cold weather the North Country will likely be experiencing and the lack of weather protection that site offers.
“I don’t believe anybody gave it any thought. This was kind of all done over the weekend … and there it is. So I don’t believe any thought was given to that at all. The other issue is Greyhound doesn’t want to pay for anything with their business model. They basically want just a place where they can pull up and let people off. They don’t want terminals. They don’t want any of that stuff. They just want to pick up people, drop people off and drive off.”
‘SKY IS FALLING’
At the Common Council’s last meeting July 18, Rosenquest reiterated his support for Greyhound potentially negotiating a move to the multi-modal transportation site on the campus of Plattsburgh International Airport.
Beyond that, the mayor told the council the city can’t tell Greyhound not to operate at the Cornelia Street location.
“In the multiple conversations I’ve had with county officials, there is unfortunately a lot of doom and gloom, sky is falling, people’s hair is on fire and you think … the world’s falling apart because they’re using that location,” he said.
“From the city’s perspective, there is no law. We can’t go out there saying ‘don’t do that.’ There’s no premise for us to tell them ‘don’t do that’ … that’s the long and short of it.”