‘Poor use of taxpayer dollars’: $10M bus-only lane in south Edmonton leaves residents frustrated
Posted May 26, 2026 4:02 pm.
Is $10 million for a one-way lane dedicated to a single city bus a waste of taxpayer dollars?
That’s what some residents in south Edmonton are wondering. They are asking city officials to implement solutions to allow both bus riders and drivers to benefit from the project.
“The fact the we’re investing at least $10 million in making this roadway, that it’s going to be minimally available for people, I think it is a poor use of taxpayer funds,” said Riverbend neighborhood resident Jesse Hill.
The new dedicated bus lane connects 53 Avenue to Terwillegar Drive. The roadway will only be accessible to transit riders using bus No. 31. The route operates only on weekdays during peak commuting hours.
“I think opening this up, in addition to saving time for people that are driving, is also a sort of a safety thing where we can decrease traffic through these other communities,” Hill said.
“If you restrict access to the peak hours, I think that would alleviate those concerns.”
The project was approved before Ward pihêsiwin councillor Mike Elliott was elected. He says he’s working to get clearer answers from city officials on how the lane will be used once completed.
“I appreciate the use of a rapid bus lane, but is it the best mechanism right now for transportation?” asked Elliott.
“I’m looking at different mechanisms. If it’s high volume, so if you have taxis, Ubers, four people in a vehicle, could that be a better usage. Or what are the ramifications if you do open it to everyday traffic.”
CityNews reached out to city administration, which was unable to immediately respond.
The former councillor for the area, Tim Cartmell, tells CityNews in a statement this was meant to be part of a larger provincially mandated bus rapid transit (BRT) route from South Campus to Windermere.
“True BRT functions like an LRT on rubber tires – long vehicles with multiple doors on a dedicated right of way, featuring stations that include off-bus ticketing,” Cartmell explained. “I strongly advocated for BRT on Terwillegar Drive, instead of the West Valley Line LRT. While this lane currently serves a single route, it will permit premium transit service to southwest Edmonton in the future.
“To abandon this plan before actually putting the whole system in place would be shortsighted in my view. If transit demand does not develop, the bus lanes could easily become High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes serving buses, vehicles for hire and personal vehicles with two or more occupants.”
