After a week of adjusting to the closure of Groat Road in Edmonton, bus commuters appear to be taking the inconvenience in stride.
St. Albert Transit Director Bob McDonald said the addition of up to two buses on routes 203 and 204 has helped ensure the buses are still leaving on schedule. Little can be done to reduce the travel time, which is an extra 10 to 15 minutes because of the detour.
“It’s been helpful in maintaining a schedule. That was our goal,” he said. “At this point we’re monitoring and hoping that Edmonton can, in fact, open Groat Road on April 7 as they were suggesting,” he said.
Groat Road, a major commuter route to the south side of Edmonton, has been closed since March 16, when girders on the 102 Avenue bridge project failed, forcing the road to close for safety reasons.
McDonald said there are typically about 1,750 riders each day on the routes from St. Albert to the university, and the delays mean hundreds of extra person-hours each day that St. Albertans are spending on the bus.
The extra buses and drivers are costing the city approximately $1,000 more per day to operate the service.
On route 203 on Thursday morning, just after rush hour, students heading to the university were busy studying, chatting or trying to catch a nap before class. Several said while they have had to change their routine, the delays aren’t too big a deal.
Education student John Colquhoun said his trip to school is typically 20 or 30 minutes, and the detour hasn’t caused him much aggravation.
“It’s about another 15 to 20 minutes,” he said. “It’s not such a big deal. I still get to class on time.”
Economics student Josh Hillaby said he has to catch an earlier bus to make it to his morning class, but isn’t too worried about it.
“It’s not totally inconvenient, but it would be nice to get back on schedule,” he said.
He added the trip can take a lot longer in the afternoons during rush hours, so it’s worthwhile to try to get away a little early and beat the rush.
For Deanna Marler, who studies nutrition, the detour doesn’t cause much aggravation on the way to school, but she’s spent more time than she’d like on the bus in the afternoon.
“I think it really depends on what time you take it,” she said. “I caught it at the university at 5 p.m. one day, and we were stuck in traffic for 45 minutes.”
At this point, students didn’t seem too worried about the delays affecting their education, but Marler hopes it’s cleared up by exam time next month.
McDonald said while frustrations do exist, most people making inquiries to St. Albert Transit about the situation have understood.
“People are more interested in what they can expect rather than complain, because it’s pretty clear to everyone what the issues are here,” he said.
The transit system will stay the course over the next few weeks with extra buses until the road is reopened.
For more information about route scheduling visit www.ridestat.ca or phone 780-418-6060.
