Edmonton resident near $10M bus-only lane appeals to province

An Edmonton resident is demanding the city allow motorists on the $10-million bus-only lane.

Calling the project a “waste of taxpayer dollars” because only one bus line would run on the route, Riverbend resident Jesse Hill is asking the city to allow both bus riders and drivers to benefit from the project that connects 53 Avenue to Terwillegar Drive.

Hill, who first raised the issue, says he spoke with the Ministry of Transportation about the funding of the project.

“I got a call back from their office on June 9 where they outlined to me that the language was that the funding needed to be, is for a transit-oriented lane, not that it needed to be bus-only,” Hill said.

The new bus lane, which is funded in part by the provincial government, will only be accessible to transit using bus number 31 when it opens next Monday. That bus line only runs weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Instead, Hill wants the lane open to more drivers.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation encouraged the City of Edmonton to consider how to use the road to reduce congestion.

“When we invest taxpayer dollars into transportation infrastructure, Albertans expect improvements in mobility and the greatest possible benefit for the people who rely on these roads every day,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) defended the project, saying the bus lane is planned to benefit more people in future.

“Route 31 will eventually evolve into an important future bus rapid transit (BRT) route that runs from Ambleside towards the University Transit Centre via Terwillegar Drive, with dedicated lanes and transit priority measures that help buses move faster,” said Sarah Feldman, director of transit planning, ridership and revenue at ETS.

“We expect the span and frequency of service on this lane will be increased as additional resources become available.”

Feldman added that constructing the bus lane as part of the Terwillegar Drive Expressway was “more cost-effective” due to available partner funding and compared to retrofitting in the future.

She acknowledged that while some Terwillegar residents may be unhappy with the ETS decision, the bus lane was a proactive measure for current and future bus services.

“If the lane is open to all vehicle traffic during weekday peak hours, buses would be unable to advance due to congestion, which effectively eliminates the purpose of the lane,” Feldman said.

The councillor for Ward pihêsiwin, Mike Elliot, says he wants to wait to see how the bus lane is used before making further suggestions.

“If it’s running well and new bus lanes are going to be added to it, I take a position that I wanted to stay with a bus lane,” Elliot said. “But if it’s not being increased to additional bus lanes, I want to open it up to other vehicles, say taxis, if you’re taking an Uber, vehicles with three people inside.”

However, the talk of opening up the lane to more traffic is not sitting well with one resident.

“Enough. Like it would be very, very unpleasant to have it suddenly open various times of day and all the problems that would cause,” said Lita Bablitz.

Her home is one of many homes in the area that has a six-foot sound wall in their backyard because of the new lane. She says after three years of construction and noise, she’s hoping for some peace and not more traffic.

“We’ve given up, the Whitemud has come very close to the homes. The fact that was going to be transit only — we reiterated every step of the way — to change that would be very impactful,” Bablitz said.