BANGOR, Maine — At an Earth Day celebration recognizing the vital role of environmental protection efforts, Bangor advocacy groups urged area residents to sign petitions supporting expanded hours for the city’s bus service.
“We know our community depends not only on the health of our air and our waters, but also on the health of our social fabric,” said Dennis Chinoy of Transportation for All, a group that promotes easy, affordable access to public transportation. “If we don’t tend to it, we will get burned just as surely as from a rip in the ozone layer.”
Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, BRICK-PEACE and Transportation for All hosted an Earth Day event in downtown Bangor’s Pickering Square Friday afternoon, featuring music, children’s activities and an appearance by the Bangor Police Department’s Duck of Justice.
A major focus of the event was the Community Connector, the public bus service for Bangor and its surrounding communities. The groups gathered petition signatures supporting expanded hours that will be passed on to the city.
“For those without cars, our bus system’s limited hours make it challenging for many people, impossible for some, to access life’s necessities — things as basic as employment,” Chinoy said.
Most buses end their routes about 6 p.m.
Roberta Molina Torres, a Bangor resident and Community Partnerships for Protecting Children member, said she knows people who live in the Capehart neighborhoods and work near the Bangor Mall but struggle to find a way home after the buses shut down for the day.
“For single parents and those struggling financially, this could be their only opportunity to get here from there,” she said.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.