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It also says the location “was chosen because it is in close proximity to the start of the route, allowing trips to start on time.”

Perhaps there would be additional blocks on Kent that might fit the bill if drivers were directed to take Somerset Street rather than Laurier Avenue to get to Kent following the No. 12’s final stop on Bank. And if Transpo was willing to adjust its first stop on Queen, where the No. 12 begins its run, and some on-street parking was removed, the Kent-to-Bank block on Queen might also serve the purpose.

Flavell says “the bureaucracy is just being stupid … They could (move) the buses back 100 yards (on Kent). There’s nobody there except civil servants and their building. They’re not going to be bothered by it.”

Flavell uses a cane and says he is a “good example of someone who is inconvenienced” by the lay-up zone. He gets a ride to the restaurant and almost always has to be let off well away from the entrance.

Then there’s the problem of the diesel fumes that waft in from the idling buses, and the audible rumble of the engines.

The city says Transpo has a standard operating procedure that “requires operators to shut off their buses when idling for more than seven minutes, unless the temperature is below -5 degrees C or above 25. For durations less than seven minutes, operators are required to leave the bus running to avoid causing damage to the bus engine.”

That doesn’t help the restaurant, especially as many buses are gone within seven minutes, and those that stay longer don’t follow the rules anyway, say Liu and Flavell. When the Public Citizen was there early Tuesday afternoon, when it was 6 degrees, an articulated bus was left idling and unattended for more than 10 minutes. The driver, on his return, said he was unaware of the restaurant’s issues with Transpo. The next operator said the same.

“I can see why” the restaurant is concerned, said one. “It’s non-stop.”

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