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So, you're a Clarington resident and you want to do your part to save the planet by ditching the family car and relying on public transit to get where you need to go. Is this a viable option? Here is a look at the carless options available in Clarington.
Local transit
Durham Region Transit offers service throughout Clarington (check their site at http://www.durhamregiontransit.com for information on specific routes). Service is available throughout Bowmanville as well as in Orono and Newcastle.
On the negative side, while there is service to Orono and Newcastle, it is only available once a day each way on Tuesday and Thursday, which means it isn't an option for someone who wants to commute to their job (unless their job is on Tuesday to Thursday). As well, if you're looking to get anywhere after 7 pm, you're out of luck; the transit system shuts down in Clarington after this time. If you live in Newtonville, Hampton, or other smaller communities in Clarington, Durham Region Transit isn't an option.
To their credit, Durham Region Transit is looking to the future, and looking for your input. Visit the service's Long Term Transit Strategy site at http://www.durhamlongtermtransitstrategy.ca for more information.
Grabbing the GO
The GO bus is an option for commuters who are looking to get from Newcastle, Bowmanville and Courtice to points in Oshawa and beyond. Down the road, there is talk of extending GO Train service to Bowmanville by 2013. If that happens, the possibilities of a car free commute to Oshawa and Toronto improve considerably.
Greyhound
Greyhound used to be a good option for longer distance commuting, but on April 11, 2010 service is being cut for the Clarington communities of Bowmanville, Newtonville and Newcastle, effectively ending the possibility of jumping a Greyhound to get out of town.
Car pooling
Okay, technically, this isn't going carless... but it does cut down on the number of cars on the road. A good website that has been set up in the GTA to help commuters find a ride is the Carpool Zone at http://www.carpoolzone.smartcommute.ca/en/my/
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 January 2010 04:41 )
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