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Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Edmonton

The_Cat said:
I think Option 2 might work better, given the businesses or residences along the sides. I posted a Google Map link to Calgary’s 17 Avenue SE.
Click to expand...
I actually lived really close to 17th ave for a majority of my life. If someone told kid me that it would look like that one day, I would have never believed you.
Actually, the middle transit lanes are quite nice, it actually helped smooth traffic also. Busses weren’t crossing three lanes to turn at the next light anymore. Busses also aren’t lined up waiting to merge anymore, they have their own light.
Seeing what it did to 17th ave, I would love to see something like that work up here.
 
Richmond BC also had a fantastic median busway for about 5 years before they tore it up to build Skytrain. They've recently rolled out their new Rapidbus network although I think most of it using existing infrastructure, bus lanes, etc. unless the route is not expected to be upgraded to rail rapid transit in the next couple of decades.

I didn't think there would be huge demand for rapid bus down Calgary Trail. There's been a couple of times I've wanted to go to businesses along the corridor and had to decide to take my car the next day instead because the corridor is woefully underserved by transit at the moment, but to have dedicated rapid bus lanes running parallel to two LRT lines?
 
dkazzed said:
I didn't think there would be huge demand for rapid bus down Calgary Trail. There's been a couple of times I've wanted to go to businesses along the corridor and had to decide to take my car the next day instead because the corridor is woefully underserved by transit at the moment, but to have dedicated rapid bus lanes running parallel to two LRT lines?
Click to expand...
I think you're underestimating just how much commercial and office is located along Calgary trail. Think about all of those big box stores (whose employees might not be able to afford driving), gyms, restaurants, etc. These would be huge transit trip generators if there was high quality service.


Calgary trail has so many amenities, but they are very hard to access for nearby residents without a car. And even worse, it absorbs a huge chunk of the local customer base, crowding out any potential pedestrian/transit user friendly commercial areas. So paradoxically, more medium intensity development on Calgary Trail actually made the area more car dependent. BRT would completely flip the script - the success of Calgary Trail would help make the city less car dependent.

Routes bookended by transit centers would be very successful imo:
Century Park - Calgary Trail - Bonnie Doon
Millwoods - Calgary Trail - University
 
dkazzed said:
I didn't think there would be huge demand for rapid bus down Calgary Trail. There's been a couple of times I've wanted to go to businesses along the corridor and had to decide to take my car the next day instead because the corridor is woefully underserved by transit at the moment, but to have dedicated rapid bus lanes running parallel to two LRT lines?
Click to expand...
When you read the ETS planning documents sent to council earlier this year, the Calgary Trail route has more to do with south LRT reaching capacity than it does with demand along the route itself.
 
Given the City Plan is a complete redo of east-end transit plans, what are your rapid transit suggestions?

I suggest a branch from the Valley Line to capture Sherwood Park traffic, heading north on 85 street between Strathearn and Holyrood, then west on 98 Avenue past Capilano mall, then continuing west on Baseline Road past Goldstick Park, entering Sherwood Park, with one branch heading south on Sherwood Drive to the Strathcona County City Hall/library/theatre, and another branch continuing east on Baseline, then north on Clover Road to the Strathcona Community Hospital, then west along Emerald Drive to end in front of Archbishop Jordan School.

I suggest a BRT line to capture east Edmonton and Whyte passengers taking over existing road lanes extending south along 112 Street from University, then east along Whyte, past Bonnie Doon and all the way to 50 Street where it heads north, past King's University, and Capilano Mall, then turning back west at 106 Avenue in Fulton Place and through Forest Heights, crossing the Dawson Bridge, then entering downtown via Rowland Road, Alex Taylor Drive, and Jasper Avenue. Would likely generate some TOD infill along the way.
 
Sherwood Park has the 401 and 404 routes that run on Whyte. The 411 and 414 routes run along 98 Avenue, east to Baseline Road in SP.

I think a BRT route would fly.
 
From the project page:

"Read the phase 2 engagement What We Heard Report .

This round of engagement focused on better understanding people’s priorities in terms of how we design the first four proposed non-LRT (bus-based) mass transit corridors. Opportunity to provide feedback on a fifth corridor planned to run along Whyte Avenue is being scheduled for early February 2023 as part of the Old Strathcona Public Realm project engagement.

The next step is for the City to use the feedback, along with policy and technical considerations, to develop the route alignment, station location and basic street configuration options for each of the corridors. These options are targeted to be presented to Council in fall 2023."
 
I like the idea of centre bus lanes. I could see these being effective on Whyte, from 99 Street to 112 Street, turning onto 112 Street. There could be priority signals at these lights, with prospective stops at 99 Street, Gateway/Calgary Trail, 109 Street and 112 Street.
 
There is a better solution -- expropriate land from CPR to punch 76th Avenue through from 99th Street to Gateway Boulevard. It would have the added benefit of forcing CP to focus on its unimproved, underused land that once was its mainstay rail yard. Put a BRT there. Don't further stress Old Strathcona with a high volume transit run through its very heart.
 
archited said:
There is a better solution -- expropriate land from CPR to punch 76th Avenue through from 99th Street to Gateway Boulevard. It would have the added benefit of forcing CP to focus on its unimproved, underused land that once was its mainstay rail yard. Put a BRT there. Don't further stress Old Strathcona with a high volume transit run through its very heart.
Click to expand...
I love the idea of connecting 76th Ave over the old rail land
 
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