Eelde-Paterswolde forgotten by the public transport office? ‘Municipality seems to be sleeping’

CDA Tynaarlo fears that Eelde-Paterswolde will be forgotten in the future plans of the public transport agency Groningen Drenthe. Because the connected village does not appear in a so-called ‘bid book’, the party asks questions to the council of the municipality of Tynaarlo.

Party chairman Henk Middendorp believes that a village with around 10,000 inhabitants deserves a good place in the public transport agency’s plans. But on a map from this agency, Eelde-Paterswolde is only indicated by an airplane and no ‘public transport hub’ appears to be being created (see box).

“It would be a missed opportunity if Eelde-Paterswolde were forgotten,” says Middendorp. “There has been talk about public transport in the village for some time. Now it is the case that if you want to go to Groningen from Eelde by bus, you will pass through all the southern neighborhoods of the city. This means that it will still take you 40 minutes to get to the City.”

According to Middendorp, the bus to Groningen feels like ‘a slow train’. “You could counteract this by ‘stretching the line’, as it is called in jargon. Then you would put a bus stop just outside the village, for example on the Legroweg. A bus could easily pass there three or four times an hour. Via there you can go to P+R Haren and you can easily reach the main station in Groningen.”

It seems, says Middendorp, that those resolutions have died a silent death. “When I see this bid book, I wonder whether we have been sleeping as a municipality. As Tynaarlo, you can exert influence on the public transport agency. I am convinced of that.”

Councilor Jelbrich Peters (PvdA) says that it is too early to draw conclusions from the bid book. “We are in discussions with the public transport agency to see how public transport in the municipality can be improved, not just in Eelde.”

Peters does see that things can be done faster in Eelde. “I believe it now takes 30 minutes to get from Eelde to Groningen by bus. As far as we are concerned, it can be faster. We are certainly discussing that and it will remain that way.” Peters emphasizes that – partly due to the so-called ‘hub taxi’ – it is possible to travel by public transport from every village in Tynaarlo.