The short answer, we believe, is yes. And it can be surprisingly cost-effective.

The majority of trips made on Calgary Transit (and most transit systems in North America) are made during morning and afternoon rush hours. Since most transit traffic occurs during these peak times, it is important that transit is accommodated to a high standard at or above that of the private vehicle, especially when an influx of both exists, as is the case at peak times. In many cases, this is the reason Calgary Transit users choose to use the system downtown. The LRT is capable of delivering passengers outside of the downtown core to their homes in a shorter period of time, primarily by having priority at major points of congestion in and around the downtown core. However, at rush-hour, travel times on road-based transit suffer due to congestion, making buses slower and less reliable.

We at CalgaryTranspo believe that there are several simple fixes Calgary Transit in conjunction with roads can make to improve rush-hour trip times for transit users, ultimately attracting more users to the system. This primarily involves the creation of peak-period bus-only lanes. But! Without the loss of travel lanes (except downtown…)

Read on to see how this might look.

Downtown

First, we will start with the most congested portion of the network: Downtown.

Downtown is unique, in that many routes converge upon this one location, including the LRT. It is also a prime location for frequent slowdowns and unpredictable congestion. To alleviate these problems, Calgary Transit needs additional priority in the downtown core. During peak-times, planners frequently iterate that congestion and unpredictable traffic increase travel times, drive up operating costs, and reduce reliability (a key part of passenger satisfaction). Calgary, unlike other urban centres, such as Portland and Seattle, has only one dedicated transit corridor through the downtown. That is 7th Ave. 7th Ave however, is also home to both the Blue and Red lines, which operate at 2 minute intervals in the downtown core at rush-hour.

7th Ave. is actually so congested it is impossible to fit another LRT trip through the corridor, and despite being free of vehicle traffic, trip times are actually negatively impacted because of the volume and frequent stops, with both LRT lines, the route 1, 7, and 107 all operating at high frequency in the rush-hour. This congestion is a large part of the reason route 9 and 10 were axed from downtown, as well as why the BRT service revisions aim to move many buses off 7th Ave.

Simply put, there isn’t room for more service on 7th Ave.

However, we are now left with a problem. Traffic is being removed from the predictable, albeit congested 7th Ave. onto equally congested, less predictable downtown roads (4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th). What Calgary Transit has done is simply moved the problem elsewhere.

Calgary Transit has also made no effort to improve downtown reliability. And who can blame them? Every effort to implement transit priority, in Calgary and other urban centres, faces strong opposition from private-vehicle owners. However, Calgary needs an opportunity to implement additional transit priority to maintain downtown service external to the LRT to support additional passenger volumes.

Because of the highly synchronized nature of downtown traffic signals, signal prioritization is not an attractive option. What we want to see, and you saw it coming, is a network of city-centre bus-only lanes. Unfortunately, because all roads in the downtown core are fully utilized at rush-hour, priority can only come at the cost of private vehicle lanes. But is it worth it?

We would argue that yes, during rush-hour especially, to save transit costs and move more Calgarians in and out of the downtown core by transit, additional dedicated transit lanes are a worthwhile investment for the road network as a whole.

What should the network look like?

The city has previously identified pretty much every road in downtown as a primary transit corridor. Now, through it would help, it doesn’t make sense to implement dedicated lanes on every road in downtown. However, highly trafficked roads connecting to the remainder of the city, such as 4th, 5th, 6th, and possibly 9th avenues could all use transit priority. There are a high volume of rush-hour routes, both mainline and express that use these corridors, including the future 17 Ave and SW BRTs. We believe that rush-hour transit-only lanes in what are usually off-peak parking lanes are what the city needs to improve travel times.

The aforementioned roads also allow for easy integration with the traditional road network, including connections to 10 St. NW, Bow Trail, Edmonton Trail (via the Reconciliation Bridge and 5th Ave.), and 9th Ave. via Macleod Tr./1 St. SE. Connectivity to those roads is important, as the majority of services travelling through the downtown core exit onto those roads. Transit-priority signals could also be implemented to allow for buses to weave ahead of other traffic to access different connecting roads (as is the case at the intersection of 4th Ave. and the 10 St. bridge, with buses today weaving to get to either Bow Trail or the bridge). We admit however, that because of the downtown signal network, transit priority signalization may not be an option. Nonetheless, the introduction of dedicated lanes should improve reliability and travel times within the downtown core.

So, where should these dedicated lanes go? For bus lanes following the direction of traffic, 5 Ave and 6 Ave make the most sense, as connectors to the reminder of the city are easily accessible from these roads. oth have wide parking lanes, allowing for buses to pass each other when stopped. 4 Ave is also an option, owing to it’s connection to the Reconciliation Bridge and 10 Ave. bridge, however the road is currently at capacity at the approach to the 10 Ave. bridge, with both right lanes exiting via the bridge. There simply isn’t room on this block for a bus-only lane. 9th Ave. is similarly an unattractive option, as it carries the highest volume of traffic from west Calgary, according to volume maps:

Contraflow lanes

An alternative to creating bus-only lanes on multiple streets is to implement contraflow lanes on one or two streets. This allows for the protection of dui-directional service throughout the core while maintaining vehicle capacity on other roads. (It also forces stops closer together, though in downtown, this shouldn’t be an issue.) In Calgary, this might come in the form of eliminated parking lanes on both sides of a traditional one-way road in order to accommodate contraflow bus-lanes on both curb lanes (buses only have doors on the right side). If a contraflow lane was to be implemented, it could not be a rush-hour only measure, as bus operations in the downtown core would alter if it was implemented.

Looking at the downtown transit network, 5th and 6th would be ideal alternatives, depending on system goals. Though 4th St. offers better coverage for the downtown area, access to Bow Trail is significantly impeded due to lane reversals and the lack of capacity at the west exit from downtown. 5th and 6th however, offer easy access to the 10th St. bridge, Bow Trail, and Edmonton Trail (all major roads for buses coming in and out of downtown), and are reasonably close to LRT stations along 7th Ave. The roads are also unusually wide at certain areas, possibly allowing for buses to pass each other when stopped. Should a contraflow lane(s) be introduced, additional signal work in the downtown core will be required to ensure the network as a whole is synchronized and efficient. Unlike peak-hour lanes, contraflow lanes do not permit right-turns in that road space, as buses are oncoming, possibly delaying traffic at major intersections.

Complicating potential contraflow lanes are lane reversals which occur at rush-hour. In order to accommodate access to other routes, certain lanes within the downtown core would have to be modified to allow for additional vehicle movements. Lane reversal concerns are primarily on the west side of downtown, as no reversals exist to the east. See the diagram below for an example.

As you can see, for a 5th Ave. contraflow lane, buses would need to make a left turn from 8th St. to 4th Ave to access the 10th St. bridge. Due to the lane reversals in the morning and afternoon rush-hour, as well as the need for buses to eventually be in the rightmost lane, access from 9 St. south of the bridge is not possible. To the east however, 5th St. is an attractive option due to ease of access from both Edmonton Tr. and the Reconciliation Bridge. The road is also currently used for a lane reversal from 10th St. to 5th St. SW. Adding a contraflow lane would simply put the road closer to the way it was pre-lane reversal. Similarly, to get to Bow Trail while avoiding the morning lane reversal from Bow Trail to 5th Ave, buses would need to make a left turn from 5th Ave to either 9th St. or 10 St. SW. From there, the bus can access 6th Ave. to Bow Trail. Unfortunately, this left turn movement would require a dedicated signal for the contraflow lane. On the east side of downtown, connections to 5th Ave. are relatively easy, with buses able to connect via 3rd St. SE, Macleod Tr. or 1 St SE. to the Reconciliation Bridge, or 9th Ave. SE.

Looking at 6th Ave, contraflow lanes would operate similarly, but with buses using 11th St. SW to connect from Bow Trail, and again, 1st St SE, Macleod Tr. or 3rd St. SE to connect to 9th Ave in the south. and the Reconciliation bridge in the north. Connections from the contraflow lane to 10 St. bridge are not necessary, due to a lack of bus-connections in that direction. However, to facilitate access from the 10 St. bridge to 6th Ave. would require a right-turn movement from 9 St. Unfortunately, due to the presence of the LRT crossing, another dedicated signal would be required, as well as a permanent conversion of the through-lane into a turn bay.

Finally, looking at a traffic flow map of the downtown core, 5th Ave. is the least trafficked of the multiple downtown roads. 4th and 9th are more heavily trafficked, so despite our commitment to improved transit, we are hesitant to reduce private vehicle capacity on these roads.

What would we ultimately recommend?

Of the various options for downtown, we think either two bus-only lanes on 5th (from 10 St. SW to 3rd St. SE) and 6th (from 5th St. SW to 3rd St. SE) Avenues in the direction of traffic, or a contraflow lane on 5th Ave. (from 9th St. SW to 3rd St. SE) and a regular lane, also on 5th Ave (from 10 St. SW to 3rd St. SE). There are benefits and losses to both. In the case of a 5th Ave. contraflow lane, the lane would have to operate 24 hours a day, taking away parking and regular vehicle lanes. In the case of uni-directional lanes, lanes could be converted to parking during off-peak hours, but would again reduce east-west traffic flow by one lane in each direction during rush-hour. However, in all cases. transit will benefit from consistent travel times through the downtown core (and consequently destinations outside of the core), particularly if lanes are active throughout the day. Lanes will also enable buses to bypass traffic that may arise in the event of a CTrain delay, providing transit users with a reliable second option out of the core.

Outside of the core

Outside of the core, the solution is much simpler. On many Calgary roads, high levels of congestion exist during peak hours due to the presence of parked private vehicles in travel lanes. Typically, these vehicles are allowed to be parked on main routes during rush-hour periods. What we propose is the introduction of more peak-direction, peak-time, bus-only lanes along mainline routes (i.e. routes 1 and 7) in the locations of current parking lanes. Some example could include Bowness Rd./Parkdale Ave, 14 St. S, and possibly 33rd Ave SW.

The majority of the roads which would benefit transit are identified in Calgary Transit’s primary transit network and are located in the inner city. Traffic congestion tends to decrease as distance from the downtown core increases. This is why it is critical buses are given dedicated space closer to the downtown core and along skeletal routes, such as BRT lines.

Peak-direction transit-only lanes have served to improve the attractiveness and reliability of other transit systems, notably in Vancouver, where an extensive network of peak-direction transit only lanes exists both inside and outside of the downtown core. Improving mainline routes will improve the customer experience while also helping to attract additional riders to the system through speed and reliability. An example is the route 1, which has changed little since it’s introduction, and has an established rider base. Transit-priority for successful routes helps to further reinforce their presence in the community while promoting transit as a reliable method of travel. When implemented in existing road space, they are also a cheap and simple method of improving transit service without requiring millions of dollars of additional road.

When looking at the network, space exists on several streets. No additional lanes should need to be built. Established corridors in each corner of the city should be chosen, primarily on the envisioned primary transit network. Implementing rush-hour dedicated lanes should help reduce overall travel time, allowing for high-frequency service, yet a reduced number of buses. In Calgary, this network might include the routes 1, 7, 20, 112 and the future route 43.

Here is a map of the roads:

It may appear as though little is being proposed for the east, and while that is true, the majority of the roads included in the primary transit in the east are industrial roads which offer no parking or room for transit improvement without road widening. Improvements on certain roads, such as 14 St. N and Parkdale Blvd. would be required to operate in one direction due to the width of the street, unless lane reversals were implemented. However, in both cases, bus-only lanes are retained in the outbound direction, or the direction typically facing greater delays during the afternoon peak (looking at Google Maps traffic estimates). Similarly, though Northmount Dr. would make sense for the implementation of bus-only lanes, particularly during school beginning/end, a bikeway is already planned for the area, and bus lanes cannot be accommodated within the right of way.

Dui-directional improvements in the inner city, specifically on 14 St. S, 37 St. SW, and on Kensington Rd. should primarily help support the skeletal transit network by either improving skeletal service (such as the route 1/305 and SX BRT) or by improving connections to skeletal service (route 7). Ultimately, it is these roads which are currently at capacity, and will see the greatest benefit to transit riders along those corridors by allowing buses to bypass points of congestion along Kensington Rd, 33 Ave, and 14 St.

By implementing bus-only lanes on 37 St. SW, we may actually see great improvements to the ridership of routes using the road, as BRT services will have an advantage over regular traffic, possibly being comparable to Crowchild Tr. during times of congestion.

Though large gaps appear in the map, these gaps are already under improvement for rapid transit, with the majority of the SE quadrant seeing the construction of the Green Line, while the east-central area will soon be seeing the implementation of the 17 Ave SE BRT in dedicated lanes. Along Centre St, the primary north corridor, transit priority already exists near major congestion points, as well as HOV lanes in the peak direction. Until the LRT is constructed, room does not exist to implement additional transit priority.

For transit in Calgary to improve, we need better reliability and trip times which are competitive to private vehicles. To do so requires that additional transit priority be constructed, particularly on established bus routes. We aim to have shown you where low-cost opportunities for transit improvements currently exist. Perhaps these options will become realities in the future, but for now, like most of our imagined plans, we can only hope.