Article content

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.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Saskatoon plan does not qualify as bus rapid transit, expert says Back to video

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 high-frequency corridors. The system would feature dedicated bus lanes on College Drive, on Third Avenue downtown and on Broadway Avenue in the business district.