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“It was all about segregated use. It was never (built) with the pedestrian in mind,” said Iveson, reflecting on what it will take to bring a change. He’s pinning his hopes on the upcoming transit strategy, a draft of which council saw in December.

Photo by Tom Braid / Tom Braid

City staff will return this spring with a new route proposal to shift from Edmonton’s pulse hub-and-spoke system to a high-frequency grid.

In the current hub-and-spoke system, buses run between large transit centres. They’re timed so several routes converge on a each centre at the same time. It helps people make their transfer but requires a lot of space.

With a high-frequency grid, buses run at regular intervals down the main roads. Since buses don’t have to be in the same location at the same time, the transit stops take much less space and can be tucked in next to shops or other places where people want to be.

Iveson said he hopes some existing centres can be redeveloped, even if some in the suburbs need to stay.

“If you can shrink the transit centre over time, you gain back valuable real estate at an activity node,” he said. Plus, if the bus stays on the road, “it isn’t waiting to turn left and doing a loop, then sitting there waiting for 10 minutes to soak up its transfer time.”

“Our bus system needs a huge overhaul,” he said, “because for the money we’re putting in today, it can be way more effective. And by the way, that in turn supports good urbanism.”

Photo by John Lucas / Edmonton Journal

Iveson also sees opportunity on the west leg of the Valley Line. He wants to sell air rights above the stations, as many larger cities do, so people can live or work above the line, then wait for the train in a sheltered pedestrian plaza.