Commuting along a busy east-west corridor should be getting easier in the next few years.
On Wednesday, Transportation committee approved a new rapid transit project that will put bus lanes in the middle of Baseline Rd. The stretch from Heron station at Billings Bridge to Baseline station will be built first. An extension to the Bayshore Shopping Centre will be put in after 2031.
The total price tag for the project is $167 million. Transportation Services General Manger John Manconi calls the project a "golden opportunity."
"You've got mixed land uses, you've got residential communities, you've got commercial (properties), you've got future development opportunities that you can integrate," explains Manconi. "You're going to attract people to use that system."
An expected 10,000 OC Transpo riders are expected to use the stretech every day. From Heron to Baseline station, passengers will save six and a half minutes on their commute.
City staff say the entire design is expected to improve traffic flow not only for buses, but for vehicles and cyclists as well.
"By just running the buses down the road, we dont' have to worry about shifting lanes, you don't have to worry about mixing with traffic," says Transportation committee chair Keith Egli. "It avoids all those accidents or stops."
While the plans are moving forward, there are some concerns. The first stretch will only include 14 stops, meaning some current stops will be eliminated and the new ones put in place. Some riders will have to walk further to take the bus, a challenge for seniors, especially in the winter.
"It's the condition of the sidewalks and the intersections that comes into play," says Marjorie Shaver-Jones, the President of the Copeland Park Community Alliance. "If it's too difficult to get to a bus stop, people don't use it."
Councillor Rick Chiarelli is also concerned about the 15 homes the city needs to expropriate for the project. If Federal and Provincial funding is secured, construction could start in 2020. Chiarelli argued that some residents were told the time frame would be from five to seven years.
The project will also use a small part of the Experimental Farm. In response, staff have agreed to put in a shelterbelt to mitigate the effects of the corridor on the land.
Manconi and councillors are adamant that funding for the Baseline project will not affect stage two of the LRT. The plans will be discussed at council next week.
