Bus lane puts riders on fast track
Dedicated lanes open on Stony Plain Road
Sarah O'Donnell
Edmonton Journal
Thursday, August 20, 2009
City officials hope to shave at least five minutes off transit riders'morning commute down Stony Plain Road by dedicating an eastbound lane to buses and taxis for two hours each day.
As of today, the stretch of Stony Plain Road between 149th Street and 158th Street will have a dedicated bus lane between 7 a. m. and 9a.m. for the dozens of buses headed toward downtown.
"The reason we've chosen this road is, when we did the traffic counts and looked at road-sharing, this was something we could do with the buses and not disrupt traffic," Edmonton transportation manager Bob Boutilier said.
The modest stretch of a dedicated bus lane is part of the city's effort to deliver on its promise of "premium transit service"--a level of service that is not as fast or expensive as LRT, but at a higher level than smaller, neighbourhood routes.
"We have to do something now to show what it is going to be like," Boutilier said.
"Then when we introduce it in other areas, the experience will already be there."
The city continues to examine possible routes for an LRT line through west Edmonton, something that is independent of the dedicated bus and taxi lane on Stony Plain Road.
While Boutilier said he knows some drivers will be annoyed by the single lane in the morning, he said the city must do more to make transit ridership appealing.
"If I said we'll do nothing, in four or five years you're going to have such congestion that you're getting stuck," Boutilier said.
Brendan Van Alstine, spokesman for a group of transit advocates called the Transit Riders' Union, called the dedicated bus lane a step in the right direction.
"Anything that makes transit more efficient and gives it priority over other vehicles is a positive step," Van Alstine said. "The city for a long time has neglected transit and prioritized cars. It's nice they're reversing that now."
Diane Kereluk, executive director of the Stony Plain Road and Area Business Association, said the dedicated bus lane could help ease congestion.
"Given the fact that it is from 7a.m. to 9 a. m., and most businesses along here don't open until 9 a. m., we didn't think it would be a problem," Kereluk said.
Boutilier said police will enforce the single-lane restrictions.
"That is part of introducing this to Edmonton is to see how people react," he said.
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© The Edmonton Journal 2009
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