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A slew of documents released Thursday outline the City of Edmonton's largest overhaul of its bus network in decades. The new transit strategy focuses on safety, speed, convenience and reliability, with plans calling for high-frequency bus routes downtown and new crosstown routes and rapid commuter bus lanes that would serve the suburbs.
The framework is intended to guide transit development and investment into the future, highlighting mobility, connectivity, integration and sustainability as four key long-term values. The last major redesign of the bus network was conducted in 1997, prompting officials to begin work on a contemporary strategy two years ago.
Under the proposal, high-frequency core routes would offer service of 15 minutes or better between downtown and inner-city communities, represented by the dark blue lines on the map above. Light blue lines indicate the presence of crosstown service — essentially forming a large loop within Anthony Henday Drive — that will link suburban commuters to LRT stops, rapid bus stops and frequent bus routes every 20 to 30 minutes. A number of rapid bus routes, represented in green, will link residents in outlying areas to LRT stops. It extends the city's transit reach south and west beyond Anthony Henday Drive.
The plan would require people living outside the core to travel farther to their local bus stops, but the City says most homes will still be within 400 metres of transit. Edmonton Transit is also exploring the possibility of partnering with ride-hailing companies like Uber in areas of low ridership, where third-party transportation services could meet the demand more efficiently. It could be coupled with a new fare model based on distance travelled, requiring users to pay more for longer commutes. That would be integrated with the new electronic payment system expected to come online in 2020.
The draft plan will be considered by council's urban planning committee on July 5, and if approved, could be delivered by September 2018. What do you think of the plan? Get involved in the discussion by leaving a comment in the field provided below or visiting our Forum thread.
