With the Green Line in a continued state of limbo, Jeff Binks argued that reconfiguring Centre Street would reduce commuter congestion
Amid the Green Line LRT project’s uncertainty — particularly when it comes to the section north of the Bow River — a transit advocacy group is calling on the city to make Centre Street N. more bus-oriented.
LRT on the Green, which has lobbied for the multibillion-dollar CTrain project since 2014, said it wants the city to reconfigure the busy street by removing lane reversals and high-occupancy (carpool) lanes, in favour of dedicated bus lanes in both directions during the morning and afternoon rush hour.
The lanes would be in effect from 20th Avenue N. to 4th Avenue N. — a stretch that, during peak commuter times, currently allows three lanes of vehicles to flow in the peak travel direction.
Jeff Binks, president of LRT on the Green, argues that portion of Centre Street is “broken.”
“It’s gridlock traffic in the morning and afternoon, and buses are completely stuck in that gridlock,” he said. “The problem is we’ve got a small handful of cars, some of whom may not even be Calgarians, blocking traffic lanes for buses, holding up hundreds and hundreds of people trying to get home.”
The Green Line’s original alignment would have seen the future CTrain eventually extend north over the Bow River and up Centre Street, requiring the removal of two lanes to accommodate the train.
With the project in a continued state of limbo amid the province’s ongoing review of the line’s alignment, Binks argued that reconfiguring Centre Street would reduce commuter congestion by freeing up more space for some of the city’s busiest bus routes.
He pointed out that three of Calgary Transit’s 10 busiest routes travel along Centre Street, including the 301 BRT North line. According to transit statistics, that line saw ridership increase 20 per cent last year, from 7,369 average daily users in 2022 up to 8,859 in 2023.
Other busy bus routes along Centre Street are the No. 2 and No. 3 lines, which saw daily average ridership climb by 29 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively, last year.
“This solution is that final piece that has been missing in the conversation to make sure the money invested in the north for BRT doesn’t go to waste, and those improvements continue right into the downtown core for the people who take transit down Centre Street,” he said.
Centre Street city’s busiest transit corridor
The Crescent Heights Village BIA backs the plan, said Camie Leard, the association’s executive director, who said it would improve safety for pedestrians.
“Creating a BRT or transit-only lane . . . will contribute to that, as well as having a true parking lane for the rest of the day along Centre Street,” Leard said.
“The least we’d like to see is a study and a trial, to see how it would impact the bigger traffic picture.”
Representatives from the city’s infrastructure services department said Tuesday they are aware of the proposal, and noted that Centre Street is the busiest transit corridor in the city, with more than 1,000 buses travelling along it per day.
Last November, council budgeted an additional $60 million to improve public transit along Centre Street, including the installation of new bus stations.
“We’re continuing to make investments to improve mobility for communities in north central Calgary by reducing transit times and providing amenities that create a safer and more accessible experience for transit users year-round,” the city said.
“These new stations will support the future MAX route and any dedicated bus lanes that may be added in the coming years along the Centre Street corridor.”
‘Black hole of transit planning’: Advocate says city has already done analysis
Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, who serves as the area councillor for the stretch of Centre Street that LRT on the Green is focused on, said the city needs to look further at the idea before committing to any changes.
“I’m not opposed to having a study done, but I think we’ll need to have a broader consultation,” he said Tuesday, noting that taking away a lane from vehicles would potentially worsen Centre Street’s traffic congestion.
“At the end of the day, we do need to examine the volume load on there together with the traffic volume, and I’m not ready to commit until I see that.”
But Binks argues the city would have already done that analysis, considering its long-term plan was to remove two lanes from Centre Street to accommodate the Green Line.
“We know now the Green Line project collapsed and we don’t even know if it’ll reach north Calgary at all, let alone be built up to 16th Avenue in the next few years,” he said. “So we now have this black hole of transit planning south of 16th Avenue that was supposed to be taken care of by the Green Line that now isn’t going to be taken care of at all.
“This proposal is to say, let’s step in with solutions and make sure we can deliver improvements to the area, with the Green Line kind of having disappeared.”