Proposal not exactly bus rapid transit, expert says

The City of Saskatoon’s plan for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system fails to meet the standards set by an international transportation advocacy group.

Jacob Mason, the global research manager for the New York-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), said the absence of dedicated bus lanes for most of Saskatoon’s planned system means it would not be considered BRT.

However, Mason said he believes transportation systems should be tailored to particular cities and supports initiatives to improve transit in general.

“I don’t think what’s being proposed is a city-wide BRT network,” Mason said in an interview from Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

Saskatoon’s self-described BRT system features shared lanes for both buses and private vehicles along most of the planned highfrequency corridors. The system would feature dedicated bus lanes on College Drive, on Third Avenue downtown and on Broadway Avenue in the business district.

Mason said he gives city officials credit for planning dedicated lanes in the downtown, which can pose challenges politically. Both the downtown and Broadway business improvement districts have expressed concerns over the proposed bus-only lanes.

ITDP has developed a definition for BRT basics and a scorecard for BRT systems.

The key for a BRT system is dedicated lanes that allow buses to move with minimal impediments by other traffic.

To be considered BRT, a corridor must be at least three kilometres long with dedicated lanes, the ITDP says.

Disappointment with systems that were branded BRT prompted the ITDP to come up with a standard, Mason explained.

“That’s why we came up with a definition, so when people said BRT it meant something, not just improved bus,” he said.

The final design of Saskatoon’s proposed system is expected to be unveiled next month with construction work slated to begin in the fall. The high-frequency bus corridors have been touted as the key plank in the city ’s growth plan.

Saskatoon’s high-frequency lanes and improvements to transit stations are estimated to cost between $90 million and $150 million. That’s far cheaper than BRT systems in Winnipeg and London, Ont., which have come close to $500 million.

Mason said much of Winnipeg ’s BRT system is built on an old rail corridor, but he gave planners in London credit for making “tough political choices” to maintain dedicated lanes throughout the planned BRT system.

“You get what you pay for, whether it’s financially or politically,” he said.

Saskatoon’s high-frequency corridors are expected to be built before any solution is found to the conundrum posed by railway crossing delays.

Mason said there’s no known cheap or easy solutions for train tracks that cross transit corridors.

But he pointed out flyovers for just the bus lanes would be cheaper than an entire street-wide overpass or underpass.

You get what you pay for, whether it’s financially or politically.