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To get bus service, Mercury pulled out all the stops

Please help me figure this out. The city’s Transit buses don’t stop at the Durango Mall, neither pick up nor drop off. The “T” Bus is great and the drivers will do anything to help passengers, but what’s with the mall? I guess it doesn’t want anyone to go there. – Carol

Normally, Action Line would make a couple of snarky comments and go off on a tangent before answering the question.

But this week, we’re doing the opposite. Here’s the scoop:

The city’s public Transit routes are tweaked every so often based on passengers’ needs, explains our good friend, Amber Blake, the city’s multimodal administrator.

A couple of years back, planning began for the Mercury Payment Systems building and the Mercury Village. The Durango Mall owners fought tooth and nail against the project, filing a lawsuit against the developer and the city.

The mall claimed the village would compromise safety and bring too much traffic to the mall’s parking lot. The lawsuit eventually was dropped.

Nevertheless, a mall that doesn’t want traffic? Really?

Anyway, as part of Mercury’s green initiatives, the company asked the city for a bus stop and Transit service. Mercury also agreed to fund the construction of the bus shelter and keep it maintained.

“Mercury has a number of people who use the Transit system,” Blake said. “We need to have stops and facilities that serve the most riders. It was a natural fit.”

Thus, the Mercury Village stop was established, and the Durango Mall stop was eliminated.

So, that’s the short version of the saga. Simply put, it’s the best use of resources.

However, this situation poses an extraordinary opportunity for additional routes.

Consider that the city offers a special service for late-night patrons of downtown establishments. It’s called the Buzz Bus.

Perhaps the city could create a special service for patrons of the Durango Mall. We could call it the Buzz-Off Bus.

When you call for a ride to the mall, the dispatcher would tell you to “buzz-off.”

It perfectly complements the mall’s strategy to discourage traffic.

Sorry to be a buzz-kill, but if you need to get to the Durango Mall with public transportation, the nearest stop is Mercury Village.

Remember those air-raid warning sirens from war movies? Just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, I was awakened by that noise, and it continued almost three hours. I phoned dispatch, and an officer called back. He said no one else had reported it. The noise definitely was coming from outside because it was muffled when I closed the patio door. Do you have any idea what it might have been? – Pam

The only annoying sound Action Line heard that morning was Mrs. Action Line’s alarm clock going off at 5:57 a.m. after a glorious three-day weekend. So, no help there.

But upon further examination, it turns out that Feb. 17 is a day we should all be very, very afraid of.

It’s the birthday of both Paris Hilton and Larry the Cable Guy. Seriously.

If ever there were an occasion that needed a warning siren, this would be the one.

Happy birthday, Paris Hilton and Larry the Cable Guy.

Duck and cover! Head for the hills! Run for your lives!

Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. You can request anonymity if you knew that Paris Hilton’s middle name is “Whitney” and Larry the Cable Guy’s last name is “Whitney.” Coincidence? Not likely.



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