After recognizing a gap in service, transit planners with Calgary Transit have proposed to redraw routes within the SW at a cost of service hours elsewhere within the region. Here, we aim to summarize the changes, both the good, and the bad.

To provide input until June 17th, visit https://engage.calgary.ca/RouteReview.

Before we begin to describe changes, we want individuals to be aware of some changes within the are attributed to the SW BRT and SW Ring Road construction. Firstly, a new transit-only lane has been installed on the Glenmore causeway travelling eastbound. Secondly, a new pedestrian overpass with ramps will be constructed at 54th Ave. This will replace the existing overpass which is stair-access only. Coupled with this construction is the introduction of new BRT “shell stations.” We interpret this to mean BRT stations similar to what exists at limited-right-of-way areas elsewhere in the city. Full-fledged BRT stations are also being constructed at 75th Ave (road in front of Rockyview Hospital), and 33rd Ave. These stations are heated, enclosed, and will have real-time information. Construction of all measures should be complete by November of 2019.

Initial Proposal

In the initial proposal, several changes were proposed. They are listed below:

Route 93: Extended

Route 93 was proposed to be extended from Westhills to Chinook, via a hybrid of the existing route 13 and 112. For individuals accessing MRU from the Blue Line (west), travel times should be shortened, as the route was proposed to travel directly through MRU via 46th Ave., rather than travelling around the campus as current routes do. A new route 45 was proposed to be introduced to provide service along 45th Ave. and to Wildwood, replacing the eastern portion of route 93. This change accommodated existing ridership problems, whereby a higher frequency of service was required west of Westhills, while a lower frequency of service was required east of Westhills. Today, not all route 93 buses travel to Westbrook. Under the original proposed plan, routing was designed to match the high frequency and ridership of routes from Coach Hill to Westhills, and from Westhills to MRU, via 46th Ave.

Route 132: New!

Also within the plan was a proposal to introduce a new route, route 132 along 29th St. SW and Sarcee Rd. This was envisioned to provide service to Westbrook and the Blue Line, as well as MRU. Route 112 which formerly provided service along Sarcee Rd. was rerouted under both the original and current proposed plans to improve travel times from Westhills. Route 132 allowed for individuals living along Sarcee Rd. to access the LRT to travel downtown, or route 22, which travelled via Crowchild Tr. into downtown.

Route 22 (formerly route 112): Altered

Route 112 which provided service into downtown was to be discontinued due to the introduction of route 22, a faster and more direct route via Richmond Rd. and Crowchild Tr. into downtown. The new route 132 would also provide service to the Silvera homes within the SW, replacing existing off-peak hours service with all-day service.

Route 414: Extended

Route 414 was proposed to be replaced by route 51 and 141, which were envisioned to interline at Lions Park stations. This means the route would effectively be extended, as passengers on either route could continue on the same bus. A bus for route 51 would become the bus for route 141 at Lions Park. New service would be provided between the Red Line, Marda Loop, MRU, and Garrison Woods.

Route 47 and 18: Removed

Routes 47 and 18 were proposed to be eliminated. Route 18 was eliminated for obvious reasons, mainly because the route almost entirely duplicated the proposed MAX BRT. Route 47 was also eliminated, though the reason remains unclear for us. The MAX BRT will offer service improvements along the route 18 corridor north of 54th Ave, with better frequency, service span, and travel times.

Route 13: Altered

To accommodate this loss of service within Lakeview, route 13 was altered to turn south on Crowchild Tr. after 50th Ave, eliminating the connection to Westhills and MRU in favour of a connection to Lakeview. This was ultimately found unfavourable for residents of Lakeview, as trip times to downtown increased by 5-10 minutes one way (depending on where in Lakeview you live). The new route 93 replaced the western portion, retaining a connection between Westhills and MRU, as well as downtown options via transfers to MAX at 54th Ave.

The new plan

Route 66 (formerly route 18 and 63)

The new plan has redirected service hours to attempt to retain dedicated service between Lakeview and downtown. Under this new plan, routes 63 and 107 will be fully phased out. A new route, route 66 will be introduced which provides service to downtown via Sarcee Rd., partially replacing the proposed route 132. This allows for residents living along Sarcee Rd. to retain direct to downtown service, but results in no new service for residents along 29th St., and no LRT connections for residents along Sarcee Rd.

Our conclusion: Ultimately, the proposed change ironically hinders travel for most of Lakeview.

For downtown access:

For areas of Lakeview with bus service today, the original route 13 would have led to an increase in travel time of 6 minutes compared to route 18. The new plan results in an increase in travel time of 4 minutes. This means that exiting Lakeview, travelling via Sarcee Rd. and Crowchild Tr. saves just 2 minutes. For the NW part of Lakeview, which currently has poor access to bus service, the new plan would have added 6 minutes onto existing travel times while the new plan cuts travel times by 12 minutes. When examining travel times, for most residents of Lakeview, the proposed route 66 simply does not improve service. Frequency on route route 66 and route 13 will remain the same at 15 minutes, and both routes will increase travel times compared to the existing route 18 and 63. Neither route allows for good LRT connections, though arguably both allow for connections elsewhere. Under the original plan, at 54th Avenue, they may transfer to the SW BRT which will travel via Crowchild (time savings of 6 minutes), or they may remain on a route which utilizes uncongested community roads through Mount Royal. Under the new plan, residents must use route 66 to access downtown.

For LRT access:

Compared to today, travel times to LRT will increase by 8 minutes one way, and will increase by 6 minutes compared to the original plan. Route 66 does NOT help Lakeview access the LRT. Under the original plan, with route 93 extended to Chinook, via Route 13, though residents would have to make a transfer at 54th Ave (to be a heated BRT stations), there would be four different options of accessing Red Line LRT stations. MAX Teal will travel to Heritage, with an 18 minute peak frequency, route 20 will travel to Heritage with a 12 minute peak frequency, and routes 9 and 93 would travel to Chinook, both with 12 minutes frequencies. Thus, even with todays schedules, riders would have to wait no more than 7 minutes at peak for a ride to the Red Line.

Express routes:

For riders of the express routes, those using route 63 will be negatively impacted under the new plan, as the route will be eliminated and replaced with route 66, offering longer travel times. Under the original plan, the route would have been retained.

For users of route 107, under the new plan, riders can use route 22 or route 7, both of which are high frequency and offer similar travel times to the same destinations.

Route 414 (proposed as 51 and 141)

To accommodate service hours needed by route 66, extension to route 414 via route 141 and 51 was cancelled. This was simply the result of budgetary constraints. The conclusion here is obvious. The older plan would have allowed for new connections between MRU, Marda Loop, and the Red Line, and for new service to the ATCO business park and Garrison Woods.

Route 13:

Route 13 is proposed to travel along 50th Ave., providing service between Westhills and MRU, but eliminating access to Chinook or 69th St. LRT stations. The route will continue to travel through Mount Royal and South Calgary in both plans.

Our conclusion: Changes to route 13 are non-beneficial to most customers, as the changes, in combination with the requirement route 93 be shortened, eliminate connections to LRT stations for residents along 50th Ave, near Westhills, and at MRU. The previously proposed route 93 would allow for single transfers for individuals accessing MRU from 69th St. connections. Access to MRU from Westhills is retained in the existing route plan (route 93 extended).

Though some individuals living in south Calgary away from route 51 will require an additional transfer at 54th Ave under the original plan, they should keep in mind the drastically improved frequency of routes travelling between the 54th Ave. station (which will be a heated BRT station) and MRU. This includes MAX Teal, operating at an 18 minutes peak frequency, routes 9, 20, and 93, both of which operate on 12 minutes peak frequencies, and MAX SW, which will operate on a 10 minute peak frequency. At peak, from 54th Ave to MRU (or vice versa), individuals should not have to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus.

Route 22 (formerly route 112):

Route 22 will also be re-routed to travel via 14th St. rather than Crowchild Tr. to allow for a complete crosstown connection along Richmond Rd. and 33rd Ave. This allows for a new connection between Westhills and Marda Loop, while retaining direct service from both destinations to downtown. Travel time from Westhills has increased by 5 minutes in each direction as a result.

Our conclusion: The re-routing of route 22 (formerly route 112) will allow for less congestion along Crowchild Tr. HOV lanes for MAX SW as well as better connections to Marda Loop and downtown. Additions to travel times are minimal in comparison to the Crowchild Tr. route.

Unchanged proposed routes:

Other proposed changes which will go ahead in both service plans include the re-routing of route 6 to continue to Westhills rather than terminating at Westbrook, and the resulting shortening of route 94 to eliminate duplicated service. Route 2, 111, and MAX Teal will be unaffected by service changes.

Overall:

Overall, from our perspective, components of both plans appear strong, however the second plan appears to place a large amount of emphasis on direct service between Lakeview and downtown while reducing opportunities for expansion elsewhere. Under the original plan, a new crosstown connection between the Blue Line and Red Line was possible via Westhills and MRU, along with new services along 29th St. and from Lions Park (Red Line NW) to Marda Loop and MRU. However, we do like the extension of route 22 in the new proposed plan which allows for connections between Westhills and Marda Loop while retaining connections between Westhills and downtown, with limited impacts to travel time. Riders of route 13 who currently travel from South Calgary to MRU should keep in mind the high frequency of transfers between the 54th Ave. stop and MRU. Though riders travelling from South Calgary to Westhills will be inconvenienced by the original plan, we acknowledge the limited number of riders who do this, as well as the existence of similar retail options within the downtown core on the other end of the route.

Admittedly, in both cases, Lakeview appears to draw the short end of the stick, with reduced access to downtown and the LRT during the day (no service currently exists between Lakeview and downtown during the evening). However, under the original plan, for residents living away from NW Lakeview, strong connecting options existed at 54th Ave, a stop which will be substantially improved following station construction and bridge rehabilitation. Under the new plan, though transferless service to downtown via Crowchild is maintained, it appears to offer poor time savings for most residents with the exception of those living the NW part of Lakeview. Additionally the route is forecast to increase travel times between Lakeview and LRT stations more than exists today and more than under the original proposed plan.

To provide input on this project and indicate a preference for one proposal or the other, visit https://engage.calgary.ca/RouteReview.