Thank you to all of those who answered the previous survey (still accepting responses here) surrounding whether or not a SE Express route was feasible. I know several of you who responded indicated you lived in the communities of Somerset, Chaparral, and Sundance. Unfortunately for you folks, it is difficult to identify an express route in that area which would be faster than the LRT is currently. Any possible route would closely mimic the LRT while providing less reliability and frequency than the LRT does. A couple of you also proposed that an express line that travelled nonstop from Anderson or Somerset to the University be implemented. Though this would certainly speed up commute times, it is impossible to do without building a parallel set of tracks. This could cost billions of dollars, and is not feasible at present. As part of the Calgary regional transportation plans, a separate non-LRT line may be constructed and operated from Somerset, however in the short-term, there is little that can be done to improve commute times for those living near the Red Line.

However, for those of you living in the SE, particularly in Riverbend, Douglasdale, McKenzie Towne and Lake, Copperfield, Quarry Park, Auburn Bay, Cranston, Mahogany, and Seton, I appreciate the input provided, and have created two possible routes. Both options improve current travel times by approximately half an hour from SE terminals (savings may vary from within communities), and include stops at the South Health Campus, McKenzie Towne terminal, Douglasdale terminal, Riverbend, MRU, and the U of C. A stop at MRU, though not particularly useful for U of C students, will help ensure adequate ridership, and will improve travel times for MRU students commuting from the SE.

Frequency and travel times

Because the route caters to students at the U of C and MRU, I suggest operating this route from 0600-0900, operating between the South Health Campus and the U of C, and from 0400-0700, from the U of C to the South Health Campus. Frequency may vary, though I would expect a frequency of 30 minutes to start, depending on how buses are dispatched by Calgary Transit. Improved frequency is possible depending on the number of individuals using the route, and if the general public will use this route.

What about traffic?

Several of you also commented that a route may spend a long time stuck in traffic, which is a very valid concern. However, there are a couple of important mitigating factors. Firstly, transit priority measures and the need to stop at bus termini in the SE mean that the route can avoid travel on Deerfoot Tr. Secondly, priority measures exist at several points along the route, including several signals along 52nd St. 24th St. and 18th St. SE. Transit queue jumps also exist at 114th Ave. SE and Barlow Tr. and at 18th St. SE and Riverglen Dr. Along Crowchild Tr., Glenmore Tr., and between 114th and 130th Ave. SE, buses may also make use of bus-only shoulders.

When looking at the direction of congestion, during the AM rush, the route would avoid the majority of congestion, with the exception of a section of Glenmore Tr. At Crowchild Tr. and Bow Tr., the majority of traffic exits towards downtown. Once upgrades to Crowchild Tr. are completed, delays at this location should be significantly reduced, particularly for through-traffic. During the PM rush, buses may encounter congestion when exiting Crowchild Tr. to travel along Glenmore Tr. However, queue jumps and bus-only shoulders exist at this location to improve flow.

Together, these priority measures should ensure the bus remains reliable, particularly during the morning commute to class.

24th St. SE Option

The option below is a route which runs along 24th St. SE. It offers improvements of up to 30 minutes for those who depart from the South Health Campus, with additional trip time savings for those in Douglasdale and McKenzie Towne. This route would ideally travel in the morning at the following locations: South Health Campus, McKenzie Towne Park and Ride, South Crossing (optional), Douglasdale Park and Ride, Quarry Park business centre (optional), South Hill/Riverbend, MRU, stops along Crowchild Tr. (optional), and the U of C via the Craigie Hall bus loop. The route would travel in the opposite direction in the afternoon. Not depictable on this map are transit priority measures which may improve travel times, and will improve route reliability. Though the Google Maps image shows the route travelling along 52nd St. from 130th Avenue SE to 114 Avenue SE, there is in fact a transit-only road which exists between these two roads, eliminating delays along 52nd St SE shown in the afternoon map. Travel time will likely be between 60 and 75 minutes from the South Health Campus, which is an improvement over the current 90 minute commute. Please note travel times shown depict the longest possible estimates during the AM and PM rush hours.

18th St. SE Option

An alternative option is depicted below. The difference between this image and the other image is that the route would travel along 18th St. SE, rather than 24th St SE. This change would allow for buses to make use of new BRT infrastructure in Riverbend and Quarry park, including heated shelters, and offers better walkability for those living in Riverbend. Though transit priority is also offered at signals along 18th St. SE, as well as a queue jump at 18th St. SE and Riverglen Dr. the route contains 2 additional stoplights when compared to the 24th St. SE route. However, the bus will not need to wait for lights when entering or exiting Glenmore Tr.

Overall, an express route appears feasible. However, Calgary Transit aims to move away from peak oriented service, and may or may not possess the resources to implement such a long express route. If either of these routes are of interest to you, contact Calgary Transit and your institutions representatives to express your support. If you would like to propose changes to the route options, please comment below, and I will investigate their impact on travel times and accessibility.