City unveils ‘complete rethink’ of its public transit network

The City of Edmonton released a draft plan for the largest reworking of its bus network in decades, promising to focus on service that is “safe, fast, convenient and reliable.”

“It’s a dramatic shift. It feels like a complete rethink,” said Coun. Andrew Knack, going through the details for the first time after it was posted online late Thursday.

The new approach to transit will have a network of high-frequency routes in the core of the city with new crosstown routes and rapidbus commuter routes for the suburbs.

The report also includes sample community routes, which are simplified into more of a direct grid in each area. The strategy is scheduled to be debated July 5 at council’s urban planning committee.

The plan was built on principles the transit strategy team has been working on for years, along with the largest public engagement campaign in years.

But this is the first time everyone gets to see how it affects their neighbourhood, said Coun. Ben Henderson.

“We have to recognize, this is the hard bit,” he said.

The plan calls for a high-frequency routes running every 15 minutes or better straight along major avenues: 118, 111, Stony Plain Road, 82, 51 and others. North-south connections run on the main streets: 50, 97, 124, 156 and others.

“That will help infill efforts,” said urban planner Robert Summers.

The plan calls for about a dozen express routes running between the suburbs and downtown, for example, in the north along the streets 127, 97, 66 and Manning Drive.

There’s a new cross-town service proposed to run every 20 to 30 minutes in a big loop around the inner ring road — 137 Avenue, 170 Street, Whitemud Drive and 50 Street, hitting the major transit centres. An extra section also cuts down to run across 23 Avenue.

Edmonton Transit officials said they are not available to answer questions about the new strategy or maps until Monday.