The City of New Westminster is tackling concerns about bus service in the downtown as it works its way through feedback on the new Agnes Street Greenway.
Downtown resident Jim Kennedy is urging the city to do what it can to restore 105 shuttle bus service on Agnes Street.
“We need that bus back on Agnes so we can get uptown with the 105 bus,” he told council. “That is my big concern.”
The first phase of the greenway includes a two-way protected bicycle lane for cyclists on Agnes Street, starting at Dufferin Street in the east and connecting south onto Lorne Street before terminating at Carnarvon Street. As part of the project, the 103 (Victoria Hill) and 105 (to Canada Games Pool and uptown) bus routes have been adjusted.
Kennedy, who spoke to council by telephone at its Feb. 1 meeting, expressed concern about the impacts the new 105 route is having on local transit users.
“This is a work in progress that we are working toward,” said Jim Lowrie, the city’s director of engineering. “We are very well aware of the issue that has resulted out of the need to reroute the 103 and the 105 community shuttle routes.”
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said he has spoken to a couple of seniors in the area who have expressed concern about the lack of engagement before changes were made to the bus routes. He’s concerned about how the route changes have impacted people with mobility challenges.
“One woman told me that she had moved there and did an analysis of the bus stops in advance of purchasing in that area,” he said. “To have that carpet pulled out from under her, I am concerned with that. I certainly would like to see a solution.”
Lisa Leblanc, the city’s transportation manager, said the city is actively working with TransLink and the Coast Mountain bus company to find a rerouting solution, particularly in regards to the 105 on the east section of Agnes Street.
“What we have heard since the buses have been rerouted is that the people on the east end of Agnes are particularly impacted by these changes,” she said. “What we are doing is trying to find a solution that balances accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities with directness and efficiency of service.”
According to Leblanc, the data shows relatively low numbers of boardings on the bus, with fewer than 10 people boarding daily during the week and a few more on weekends.
“What we’ve heard is that those people have the biggest concerns. They are people that have a lot of accessibility issues, that may be elderly or may otherwise find it challenging to board at the bus stops that we have moved around,” she said. “What we are doing is looking for solutions that probably skew more toward serving the people who need the service most, who are kind of disproportionately affected. What it’s going to result in is a less direct route, but more of the stops restored further east on Agnes Street.”
Engagement underway
Engagement about the Agnes Street Greenway is ongoing, Leblanc said.
“What we have done is put in a temporary or interim treatment that we were prepared to adjust based on feedback received. So we are actively working with the individuals that have drawn to our attention the impacts that they are experiencing,” she said. “We are in contact with individuals, and working to resolve the issues to the best of our ability – keeping in mind that we are going to keep the bike lanes in place, we are going to maintain the one-way routing for motor vehicle traffic on Agnes Street for now.”
Phase 1 of the greenway has been built using temporary design elements, with permanent design planned for the summer. (Phase 2, which will extend the greenway to the New Westminster SkyTrain station and the Fraser River esplanade, is a few years off.)
“This is the engagement process. Rather than having people look at a design on paper, we are using an approach whereby they experience it in real life and we work to resolve the issues as they arise,” Leblanc said. “Having said that, it is a big change. We knew that a change like this would result in a change in how people get around, how they access their parked motor vehicles on the street, how they access taxis. It’s definitely our intention to work, particularly, with seniors and people with disabilities who are disproportionately impacted.”
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