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It’s still three years away, but Saskatoon residents are getting a better idea of how the city’s expanded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system will work on traffic hot-spot College Drive this week.
The city is hosting several open houses on the University of Saskatchewan campus this week to get public feedback on the route intended to run in front of the university.
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How the College Drive Bus Rapid Transit system will look at Clarence Ave. (City of Saskatoon Transit/Submitted)
The $250 million project will see 73 per cent of the cost covered by the provincial and federal governments.
The BRT project was approved by city council in 2018, and construction on the first eight platform stations was completed in 2024.
The hope is to build another 44 platforms around the city in 2025 before construction on College Drive begins in 2026. The system launch is planned for 2028.
The council says BRT will have the potential capacity to move up to 1,440 passengers per hour in each direction, adding that one bus with 30 passengers moves the same amount of people as 27 cars.
The College Drive plan will be proposed to council members in May.
How the Bus Rapid Transit system will look at College Drive and Preston Ave. (City of Saskatoon Transit/Submitted)
Rob Dudiak, special projects manager with the City of Saskatoon, said College Drive will look different once construction is complete.
“There is a reduction of a single lane in each direction for other vehicle traffic (and) we’ll remove the centre medians that exist today,” he said.
Additional crosswalks will be added, and the ones that exist today will be widened.
Dudiak said safety concerns have been the main topic of conversation.
“There’s always concerns especially around safety,” Dudiak said. “It’s always interesting to hear exactly what people are most keenly interested in.”
While it is still unclear if the the rapid transit buses would be staffed with peace officers, Dudiak said that each station will be equipped with a security camera.
“They’ll (each station) will be lit as well — those are some of the elements as it relates to safety,” he said.
The BRT buses will not eliminate the current city buses, but will be in addition to the city’s existing public transit fleet.
BRT and city buses will look exactly the same, but the rapid transit buses will carry the Link logo.
Dudiak said it was important to the city that buses looked the same “so that Saskatoon Transit has the ability to use buses on any given route.”
There will be three different bus lines on the BRT system, covering Boychuk Drive, Idylwyld Drive, 8th Street, College Drive, and more.
The proposed BRT routes. (City of Saskatoon Transit/Submitted)
For university students that take public transit, the move is being viewed as a win.
Blake Kemmer is in his third year at U of S and he said he’s excited for rapid transit to come to the city.
“I like using the bus when I can,” he said. “I’m really excited, especially about this new plan that makes it seem really accessible.”
Kemmer said he’d be riding the bus more often if the BRT was operating today.
“Getting in and around campus and getting downtown from campus — (it) would help more,” he said.
He also believes BRT is going to make the lives of students attending the university better.
First-year student Shell Lemana said she’s glad that public transit is becoming a priority in the city.
“Having a dedicated bus route (means) you can rely more on the bus to get you to school on time,” she said.
There are also open houses scheduled for March 18 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at University of Saskatchewan Place Riel and from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place; and on March 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Royal University Hospital as well as 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.
— with files from CKOM News
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