Bus routes/transportation

[reindeer]

Hi everyone,

 

I was wondering if some current students could comment on the feasibility of bussing it to school? Are the bus routes/buses good in Kingston? I've heard mixed messages - some say it's excellent, others say very poor. I know it's highly dependent on where you live, but would it be a very bad idea to bus it to school if you live, say, 5-7 km away?

 

Thanks

[reindeer]

Forgot to say this in last post - I will have a car also. The problem is, Queen's parking is horrendously poor. If I were to drive, what would be the best way to go about parking? Do people rent out spaces close by, or should I get municipal parking? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks again

[dh79]

There is a free shuttle with free parking at the football stadium (Sir John A Macdonald BLVD). I've never taken it so I can't comment on how it is. Lots of people park there and take the shuttle to campus.

[bayervillager]

Hey reindeer,

 

One of the problems with the Kingston buses is that they go to a reduced schedule after ~6:00pm. It could be difficult to bus to your house with the route changes, and the buses only come once/hour. If you plan on studying at the library, or plan on staying at the campus for an extra-curricular activity after classes, it would be inconvenient.

[Cobey]

My opinion: one of the great things about Queen's is the community/campus atmosphere, not to mention the convenience of living 2 minutes from campus.

 

Bussing into campus everyday would definitely be a headache. There are lots of places to choose that are within walking distance.

 

 

I agree that somewhere 2 minutes from campus would rock because you can just roll out of bed and run to campus, but in my opinion being that close to campus isolates you from the downtown 'stuff.' By that I mean grocery stores (if you don't have a car, it is hard to get groceries if you have to walk 20 minutes), banks, shoppers drug mart, the market, etc.

 

On that note, is it common for med students to live within a 15-20 minute walk from campus in order to enjoy the perks of living right in the downtown core? I'm just wondering because I am trying to decide on a place right now. There are nice apartments near Bagot and Gore, or Bagot and William, which are really close to campus. But there are also great places at Wellington and Brock, or Wellington and Princess, which are I guess a 15-20 minute walk to the med buildings. Thanks for the help!

 

One more thing: What time do classes usually start in the morning?

[coleflower]

It really depends in which direction and how far you live from campus in terms of how annoying the buses are (also which transit system you are comparing it to).

I lived a decent way west of campus in first year, about a 15 minute bus ride to campus or a short walk to the free shuttle. It worked out quite well for me. The bus pass is "free" and the major buses run every 15 minutes during the bulk of the day. Of course into the evening becomes less frequent (30 min). I rode my bike frequently, especially if I was going to be out past the end of bus time (11pm).

One small irritating thing that some people in my class experienced is that if you are coming from the east, the bus arrives 3-5 minutes after 8:30, (or whichever 15 min interval you choose).

The shuttle is decent, located west of main campus so it depends where you're coming from how convenient it is. Parking is free and there is a bus every 20 min between about 5 am and 11pm and a second one every 15 min during morning/evening peak times.