Hindu temple seeks bus stop in Kitchener

GRT needed to get to Kitchener Hindu temple CTV’s Colton Wiens finds out why there’s a petition for Grand River Transit to add a bus stop at a Kitchener temple.

The Brahmarishi Mission of Canada Shri Ram Dham Hindu temple is trying to get a bus stop at it's location in Kitchener.

According to the temple, many worshippers aren't able to get there unless they have a ride.

“Their children are not available sometimes, so they can’t drop them. If the bus is there, they can come in the bus,” Swami Chaitanya Jyoti, head preacher at Shri Ram Dham Hindu Temple said.

The most consistent bus stop that's nearby is about 850 metres away. Meaning anyone who takes the bus has to walk 850 meteres on sidewalk. The temple said it’s a challenge for their seniors and young visitors, especially when it's raining or snowing.

“Yesterday four students came here and they were all wet, because when they came it was not raining, when they drove out to the bus. Then when they were coming it was raining, so it happened,” Jyoti said.

Officials say they have spoken with the City of Kitchener and were told because a bus can’t turn around at the spot – a stop won’t work.

The temple has a petition with over 1000 signatures asking to extend the bus route from Conestoga Mall to the temple. They said either extending the route to a new stop, or adding a new route completely would work. Jyoti said they want to make a presentation to the Region of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener, in hopes of getting a covered stop before the snow falls.

Grand River Transit is the public transportation operator for Waterloo Region. No one from the region was available for an interview with CTV on Monday.

Officials with the temple said they originally chose the spot on Bridge St. back in 1995. They expected the community to expand and thought a bus stop would eventually be put in.

“At that time, we needed a big place. I thought this was a big place. Now it's not a big place," Jyoti said.

Jyoti said typically the most visitors come during Tuesday and Sunday services.

“In the evening, 5 to 8, 9. There's a big line here,” Jyoti said.

Around 2,000 people are on the mailing list, but during major events the temple sees at least 4,000 visitors. At their last major event there were cars lined down Bridge St., all the way to the roundabout at Lancaster St.

“The new immigrants are coming, the new students are coming and the new immigrants, they don't have vehicles,” Jyoti said.