Changes are coming to several St. Albert bus routes into Edmonton in response to changes to that city’s road network.
St. Albert transit director Bob McDonald said the system will switch to its usual summer hours on April 27 following the end of the university term, there are also some minor route changes required because of new LRT lines.
He said the city has negotiated with the City of Edmonton to maintain service as best as possible but routing decisions ultimately rest with city staff.
“They do a lot to try to accommodate our needs, but it’s their streets and they’ll meet their needs first,” he said. “We work with what they give us.”
One significant change is that routes passing through the downtown core will no longer be able to use 102 Avenue because construction of the Valley Line in the coming years is expected to close that road to car traffic entirely.
Instead, routes will go along Jasper Avenue, a decision McDonald said was the most convenient alternative for the majority of riders heading into downtown.
Another significant change is with the routing around the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the adjacent Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Routes have been altered and disrupted since 2011 when construction began in the area near 107 Street and Kingsway Avenue.
With the Metro LRT line to NAIT expected to open this summer, McDonald said none of St. Albert’s buses would be allowed to stop along Kingsway Avenue, although they will still be able to use that corridor.
“They’ve made an exception for us to operate, but not stop,” he said. “The stop is on 101 Street southbound, just south of Kingsway. That’s probably the closest stop now to the Royal Alex.”
He acknowledged the increased distance – approximately 300 to 400 metres – from that stop to the hospital may pose some inconvenience, but ultimately those decisions rest with Edmonton.
This change doesn’t sit well with St. Albert resident Shirley Slater, a retired nurse who now volunteers at the Royal Alex three mornings a week. She takes route 201 to get to and from the hospital, and said she and many of the other riders are unhappy about the extra walk.
“A lot of people who can’t walk very far can’t do those distances,” she said. “There’s one girl who’s pregnant, so she’s not looking forward to the long walks.”
McDonald noted that while the route 201 will no longer stop on 111 Avenue right by the door to the hospital, there are other routes such as route 211 that will continue to stop there during peak hours. He said while the changes may cause some inconvenience for some riders, on the whole the changes are positive.
“The majority of passengers going to downtown Edmonton, we’re trying to improve their service with this and we see this as positive for them, both in terms of travel time and reliability,” he said, adding any riders with specific concerns can contact the transit information line at 780-418-6060.
Slater said she hasn’t been pleased with the response she’s had in dealing with St. Albert Transit about this issue, and doesn’t think the changes are ultimately for the best.
“It’s very poorly thought out,” she said.
For more information about the route changes visit www.ridestat.ca.
