Bridge still bike friendly

Bridge officials apologize for wrongly telling cyclists shuttle service closed

The Confederation Bridge is offering shuttle service to pedestrians and cyclists despite messages to the contrary.

A bridge official recently told a Nova Scotia couple the service was not being offered.

Joe Reid sent The Guardian a letter to the editor explaining that he and a fellow cyclist arrived at the bridge on July 17 and were told the shuttle service was not operating.

“We entered P.E.I. via (the) ferry on bicycles on July 9,’’ said Reid. “Since then, we cycled hundreds of kilometres around P.E.I. On July 17, we arrived at Confederation Bridge to find there is no longer a shuttle service.’’

Reid said they contacted Maritime Bus about getting a drive to the New Brunswick side but were told they would be charged $220.

Reid said a local campground operator graciously offered to take them over himself as long as the cyclists paid the bridge toll.

To add even more confusion, the bridge’s website clearly reads that the shuttle and apprehensive driver service is closed, although directly below that message it reads that bridge personnel operate a shuttle service on a load-and-go schedule, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Michel Le Chasseur, general manager of the Confederation Bridge, said he wants to make it clear that the shuttle service is operating for cyclists and pedestrians and that Reid and his fellow traveller were given the wrong information.

“There was definitely a miscommunication on our part,’’ Le Chasseur told The Guardian on July 22. “Unfortunately, the answer that they got was the wrong one. It was very unfortunate. We’re sorry, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. That was our fault.’’

Le Chasseur said he acknowledges the message on the bridge website needs to be changed to clear up any confusion.

The shuttle service was temporarily suspended on March 19, 2020, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

However, Le Chasseur said the service did operate last year and has been continually running.

With travel restrictions easing recently, Le Chasseur said they’ve been seeing an immediate impact.

“There is already more traffic this year compared to July of 2020,’’ he said. “We’re talking about 38 per cent more traffic so far this month (compared to July 2020).’’

As more traffic begins to move, Le Chasseur said they expect to see more cyclists.

He said the bridge control office is open 24 hours a day. Cyclists who know ahead of time they’ll need a ride across the bridge can call 902-4377349.

Le Chasseur said they have tried to reach out to Joe Reid and his fellow cyclist but have not been successful yet.