City transit planners may slash a major hub on its southeast Bus Rapid Transit line to quell angry riders whose commute times have soared.
Three weeks after implementing what the city touted as a speedier transit alternative for long-suffering southeast commuters, administration is now considering going back to the drawing board to address concerns over increased travel times.
And that may include the city axing one of the route’s 12 stops — the Quarry Park hub — in an effort to reduce how long it takes for the high capacity shuttles to get downtown.
“We’ve looked at bypassing Quarry Park and that could probably save about four minutes and may provide some relief,” said Neil McKendrick, the city’s manager of transit planning, who admits his office has been inundated by calls from vexed riders — some spending up to an extra 40 minutes on their commute.
“We’re trying to do our best to improve travel times and we may have to make some changes.”
Quarry Park is a major industrial and residential development that when completed will have as many as 9,000 workers and 2,000 homes.
Southeast Ald. Ric McIver said he’s also been getting an earful from transit users and has been demanding administration come up with solutions to the problem.
“There is big-time unhappiness and I consider this an extremely high priority,” he said.
“Who wants to give up an extra 40 minutes a day?”
McKendrick said the primary cause of increased transit times is because express buses no longer use Deerfoot Trail as the primary artery to the downtown core.
