Bridgwater Lakes – My Comments On New Bus Routes – Please Share Yours

Apr 3, 2019

RESIDENTS OF BRIDGWATER LAKES

TODAY Transit starts a series of ‘public engagements’ regarding the PROPOSED bus route changes to connect to the new Southwest Transitway opening in 2020. These public engagements will take place in a converted BUS – find the ‘Ideas in Motion Bus’ at a variety of locations THIS week and NEXT week – see complete list of locations: Bus Routes Are Changing In Southwest Winnipeg

TODAY the bus will be at U of Manitoba – University Station between 12:00 – 2:30

SATURDAY the bus will be in Bridgwater Centre on Centre Street @ Northtown Road 2:00 – 4:00 PM

I have had a chance to review in detail and speak with transit staff on the proposed routes. Overall, I believe the proposed route changes will dramatically improve transit Southwest Winnipeg. Buses will run on a much higher frequency in the neighbourhood and essentially ‘shuttle’ you to the main line – the Blue Line.

BUT – there are some challenges for transit users in Bridgewater Lakes.

ROADS BUILT FOR BUSES:

Buses travel on ‘collector’ roads – they do not travel on residential streets because residential streets are too narrow and are not constructed to withstand constant bus traffic.

AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:

Transit staff are using the distance of 400 meters to be the average person’s maximum walking distance to a bus stop.

When planning routes – transit staff take into consideration distance to transit stops, user counts at existing stops, location of collector roads, density (apts), and public facilities (schools, community centres, etc.)

CHALLENGES IN BRIDGWATER LAKES:

The distance to catching a bus on a collector street is greater than 400 meters for SOME houses on the following streets:
– Creekside Road
– Willow Brook Road
– Springwater Road
– Pebblecreek Gate
– Bluemeadow Road
– Brookfield Crescent
– Eagleview Road
– Appleford Gate in Lakes

For some homes on these streets, the distance to walk to catch a bus – which will shuttle you to the transit corridor – is greater than 400 meters. I have spoken with transit, and regrettably – there is no way to get transit any closer than what is being proposed.

Please look the routes over closely in the below images. I have included distances (transit route is in red). Note that on Eagleview Road, there are some opportunities to use the pathway network to ‘short cut’ to transit. Note too that finally funding for clearing of all pathways has been secured and ALL pathways will be cleared 24 x 7 starting this winter (November 2019):