St. Albert NAIT students will have a longer walk to class for the next two years because of a recent change to a busy bus route.
St. Albert Transit is changing the schedule and route of its Route 202 bus to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology this Feb. 4, to the consternation of some NAIT students. The change, as well as several minor schedule tweaks to five other routes, were announced on the City of St. Albert website Jan. 17.
Route 202 currently travels along St. Albert Trail before turning east onto Yellowhead Trail and south on 107 St. toward the Royal Alexandra Hospital. As of Feb. 4, it will instead turn east onto 118 Ave./Kingsway Ave. and northeast onto Princess Elizabeth Ave. before heading to the Royal Alex. Instead of stopping in the middle of the NAIT campus on 106 St., the bus will now stop southwest of the LRT station at the south end of the campus.
St. Albert NAIT student Ethan Kruhlak said he learned of the changes this week when transit officials posted notices at bus stops. He criticized the new route as inconvenient and potentially unsafe.
“You’re dropped off on the side of a really busy street with little opportunity to cross,” he said, and several blocks away from most of the NAIT buildings, in a place with no bus shelter.
“When it’s -30 C and you’re standing out there in a blizzard … that’s a major concern.”
Kruhlak said he was concerned the additional walking time could cause him to be late to class and affect his learning. He and his brother would have to catch the bus earlier and leave school later to compensate. He also questioned why St. Albert Transit didn’t simply use the loop at 106 St. and 118 Ave. as a detour as they had before.
“It’s not safe, and it can be easily corrected by something they already do now and then,” he said of the new route.
Yellowhead problems
St. Albert Transit service delivery manager Will Steblyk said he had received a handful of complaints about the changes to Route 202 in recent weeks. The changes are meant to avoid ongoing construction on Yellowhead Trail that has caused considerable traffic delays in recent months. Edmonton officials have said this construction is set to last until at least December 2025. Buses have been using a detour on 106 St. in recent months to avoid the Yellowhead, but this has added a considerable amount of travel time and affected other routes.
“We have made the decision to pull the 202 off Yellowhead Trail altogether until this is finished,” Steblyk said.
Steblyk said the new NAIT stops are about 220 m from the closest NAIT buildings. Most riders headed to NAIT will likely get off at the southern stop, which does not have a shelter, and walk to the campus. Anyone headed to St. Albert from NAIT will likely use the northern stop, which does have a shelter.
While it would mean a longer walk to class, St. Albert NAIT student Joshua De Ruiter said he was OK with the new route if it meant he would no longer have to miss his connecting bus home because of delays on the Yellowhead.
“It’s net positive.”
Questions on the route changes should go to St. Albert Transit at 780-418-6060.
