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The proposed Baseline Road busway took a step forward Wednesday as the city’s transportation committee approved a plan to build the $148-million cross-town line to carry 10,000 riders a day.

The 14-kilometre Richmond-Baseline-Heron corridor bypasses downtown, connecting OC Transpo riders to existing and planned Transitway and O-Train networks. There will be 24 new stations, each located about 575 metres apart (Transitway stations are between 800 metres to one kilometre apart). The plan also includes kilometres of new sidewalks and cycle tracks.

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Buses will use designated median lanes, which the city says will shave travel time and increase reliability because they won’t get stuck in congestion.

“That’s effectively what makes it rapid,” said Keith Egli, transportation committee chairman.

Some residents raised concerns about having to walk further to reach a bus stop, navigating ice- and snow-covered sidewalks and platforms in winter, and crossing several lanes of traffic to board the bus in the median, instead of catching it at the curb.