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APR 2019
Bus Rapid Transit Update
It’s been several years in the making – last night’s decision at City Council to establish the Bus Rapid Transit Routes was a significant accomplishment in the journey of building a great modern prairie city.
The Growth Plan that we have been talking so much about is becoming a reality. This is our opportunity to learn from the successes and failures of other prairie cities and get it right – before we become to sprawling and congested.
Council’s decision establishes a 38km Rapid Transit Network, including the First Avenue Corridor and the Broadway Corridor. This will shape future planning for all new neighbourhood growth on the edges of the City, for an Entertainment District in the downtown, and to stimulate strategic infill growth along the BRT routes such as 8th St, 22nd St, Idylwyld, College Drive and 25th St.
These corridors will shape the City for generations to come.
I want to thank all of the staff of the City who worked very hard to develop and evaluate the options to bring to City Council, and to the thousands of Saskatoon residents and stakeholder groups in the community who took time out of your busy lives to participate in the process.
The outcome was the result of much debate and serious consideration of the many perspectives that have been brought to this process. It reflects the aspirations of a changing city.
Make no mistake, there is still much work now to take the next steps in design and implementation of these corridors, and there will be many conversations to come. It is good to celebrate milestones along the way and yesterday’s Council meeting was definitely one of those.