(For the original post about the new station grand opening ceremony, go here. And thank you to Maggie Ardito and other transportation activists who really are trying to make transportation conditions better for the non-motoring public. As well as providing opportunities for the recreational cyclists etc. to get out in nature.)
For Daytona Beach residents using public transport: Take the 60 bus to Deland, then either walk a couple miles south on 17/92 (Woodward) or transfer to I believe it’s the 20 bus.
Oh wait, I forgot that Deland Sunrail station is not downtown. Rather, it’s near the Amtrak.
So You’ll actually need to walk 7 miles from the supermarket at Amelia & 92 that is the endpoint of the 60 bus route. (I have done that.) Or transfer to the 20 bus, ride it to downtown and then from downtown it’s a couple or 3-mile walk to the station. (Have done that too.)
Be careful, walk on the left side of the road so you can see the traffic coming, there’s no sidewalks in a lot of places.
I’ve walked to this Amtrak station many times, so I know whereof I speak. Maybe they will put some sidewalks etc in. Now that the Sunrail station is there.
Added later:
I do still support the opening of the station. I might not have made the same location choice; would have wanted it to be easy walking distance of downtown (and for that matter I would have kept Amtrak downtown too, way back when it was. But alas I don’t have a time machine).
What I would do at this point would be to add bus service running to the Amtrak; I don’t understand why they’re hasn’t always been one. And now that we also have sun rail in the same vicinity, that just brings even more justification to have a bus route going to those train stations.
And sidewalks as I mentioned before for pedestrians and cyclists and wheelchair users and other non-motorists to be able to get to the stations safely.
Added even more later:
I just looked more closely at the map and found out the sun rail station is absolutely nowhere effing near the Amtrak! More human insanity, inspired by the availability of massive amounts of petroleum. Well in Permaculture design we always have to work with where we’re at, so there you have it. Keep in mind, location is everything and we in the USA have massively flubbed that basic design principle of Mother Nature by locating things far from each other that should be near each other.
By the way, once while traveling overseas I walked five or 10 miles from a port to a train station. I have a feeling somehow that USA car-culture design patterns influenced this. Our destructive ways have spread far and wide across the planet.
All of this said, I still support the Sunrail as I do the Amtrak. And we will find ways to retrofit basic needs.