City’s first bus priority traffic light paves way for new express route
As of Monday, transit riders coming from Regina’s southeast can expect a more efficient ride downtown with the city’s first priority bus lane and traffic signal.
Located at the intersection of Arcola Avenue westbound and the Ring Road northbound exit, the new bus lane and traffic signal paves the way for the new Arcola express route that was announced by the city last January.
“It’s a growing area of the city and it’s just a good example of what we can do to give buses a priority way to get to downtown and back again,” said Mayor Michael Fougere.
Cameras at the intersection will detect when a transit bus is in the transit-only lane and activate the bus priority signal, which is located above the red, green and amber traffic lights on the right-hand side of the road.
When activated, a vertical white line will be displayed on the signal indicating that the transit bus can proceed through the intersection ahead of other vehicles. While the priority signal is displayed, remaining traffic will have a red light.
After the bus has proceeded through the intersection, the traffic lights will cycle through as normal.
It cost $160,000 to install — $28,000 of which was provided by the federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund and is part of a larger $8.6-million federal contribution to transit for 2017-2018 that was matched by the city.
“This is part of a much larger strategy to put money towards replacing older transit, para-transit buses, making the system more accessible and inclusive,” said Fougere. “So larger bus shelters, bright yellow braille and raised letters for people who have visual problems.”
He said the new express route will provide residents with an alternative to driving, and is something needed, not only for Regina’s southeast, but right across the city.
The city will monitor the project through the winter. If it’s found effective, residents can expect to see more pop up around the city. Fougere said similar technology is being used in Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary.