Rapid bus route from southwest to downtown ready to go
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After a near-decade of conflict between city councillors and community members, the City of Calgary is launching its fourth bus rapid transit (BRT) line in a week’s time, connecting the southwest to the city’s core.
Though finishing touches will creep into the new year, the MAX Yellow line launches Dec. 23 and is set to carry commuters from as far south as Woodbine to the city centre, Mount Royal University, Rockyview General Hospital and other key destinations. The BRT line has seen its fair share of opposition and support since the project was pitched in 2010, but Woodcreek community member Keith Cartmell said the launch isn’t causing much of a stir.
“There was some controversy in the past; there were threats and a lot of unhappy people. But, for the people that I’ve talked to in my day-to-day now, this doesn’t even hit their radar because they’re more worried about Christmas, layoffs and other local news,” said Cartmell.
People vocally opposed to the BRT project were most concerned about poor planning, budget and feared that the community of Woodbine would become a big parking lot for commuters. The “nightmarish” construction along 14th Street that began in 2018 also caused serious opposition to the project, said Cartmell.
But now that the line will soon be operational, he’s excited to see how it will positively impact people in the community who use transit regularly. He would have appreciated MAX Yellow years ago when he used to travel downtown more often.
Where there have been opponents to the line, there have also been advocates, with some people eager to connect the southwest with the rest of the city.
Jay Nelson, president of the PBP (Palliser, Bayview, Pump Hill) Community Association, said current southwest bus routes restrict travel around the city.
“When you’re travelling downtown or to the University of Calgary from our community, you really only have one option which is to go to Heritage or Southland stations and catch a train from there,” said Nelson. “We’re hoping that it will provide more accessibility for people who work downtown or go to Rockyview hospital or Mount Royal. Generally speaking, we’re excited and eager to see how it works out.”
MAX Yellow is the fourth line in the BRT series, with MAX Purple, Teal and Orange launching in November 2018. Together, the four rapid transit lines are expected to service more than 320,000 Calgarians in every quadrant, including 32 communities.
The MAX Yellow line is meant to make better connections across the whole city and improve the overall transit experience for commuters, said city transit official Amanda Bradley.
“This provides a direct route from Woodbine to downtown which we didn’t have before, and with all the connections it makes it will connect more existing bus routes together to create a more cohesive system citywide,” said Bradley. “Our goal is to have about 30,000 passenger trips per day for all four MAX lines by 2024.”
About 20 regular bus routes in the area are changing to better complement MAX Yellow, but the city will have attendants at the BRT stops on Dec. 23 to ensure commuters understand the new system and get to their destination.
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