It might not be as glamorous as laying new LRT track to Southgate, but revising the bus network to match is just as important.
While opening day is still three months away, a preliminary list of changes has surfaced online. I’m feeling a little underwhelmed, but it’s certainly an improvement on the tweaks we saw last April.
Service increases include an extension of hours on the 55, a new route along 119 Street to feed the LRT, and added runs for other local routes in the off-peak direction.
One of the most anticipated and hoped-for additions is express service from Mill Woods to Century Park, and I’m glad to see the 30 extended along 23 Avenue.
But to run it only during peaks — and half-hourly at that — is a huge missed opportunity. With a train every five minutes, only one out of six will line up with a bus.
One possible way to increase the frequency without adding buses would be to fold in another route. The 74 runs a similar service throughout the day and late evening, and a limited-stop combination could have a 15-minute peak frequency.
Another way to increase the frequency could be to use some of the buses made redundant by the LRT. Based on the number of cuts (three slashed and 10 trimmed), it looks like there may be some extras to play with.
Despite the 47 and 94 super-expresses from Century Park disappearing entirely, their riders should save a few to several minutes (depending on how transfers line up) and benefit from the drastic improvement in frequency and service hours provided by the LRT.
Riders of the defunct 96 from Mill Woods, on the other hand, still have to find a way to get to the train, and some riders of the 6, 44, 73, and 74 between South Campus and Southgate might miss their local service.
Other cuts include the express portions of several routes to downtown, namely the 17, 40, 41, 42, 45 and 50. Assuming that the transfers to the LRT are well co-ordinated, riders should save a couple minutes, have the option of intermediate stops, and be less likely to get stuck in traffic.
As far as service cuts go, these are pretty good. At the same time, though, it’s a lot harder to get excited about cuts than increases, especially when the cuts seem to dominate.
Here’s hoping the changes could still change a bit more.
