Two groups are looking for new transportation solutions along Centre Street North, given further setbacks when the previous Green Line project was scrapped.

Transit advocacy group LRT on the Green, with the support of the Crescent Heights Village BIA, wants to end the rush hour lane reversals on High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane along Centre Street N between 20 Avenue North and 4 Avenue S.

Instead, they’d like to see the introduction of rush hour bus-only lanes.

“In its current form, Centre Street south of 20th Ave N is broken,” said Jeff Binks, president of LRT on the Green.

“It doesn’t serve commuters, businesses or residents well. Centre Street bus routes are some of the busiest in the city and Calgarians are tired of slowly crawling along to and from work in buses that are jammed to capacity. It’s time to prioritize moving people, not just cars.”

Camie Leard, Executive Director of the Crescent Heights Village BIA wrote in a letter of support that they’d like to see the lane reversal removed, along with having the outside lanes of Centre Street as full-width parking lanes the rest of the day, replacement of current bus “lay-bys” with bigger sidewalks for parklets, and pedestrian signaling for the east-west crossing of Centre Street.

“Given the uncertain future of the north-of-the-river leg of the Green Line, we’ve been vocal about the need for interim solutions on Centre Street and believe many of the suggestions put forth by LRT on the Green are aligned with our suggestions,” Leard wrote.

Northward route terminated when Green Line collapsed

When the provincial government backed out of the $6.25 billion Green Line deal based on the previously approved alignment, it eliminated the portion of underground track through the downtown that would have taken the route from 4 Street SE to where it turned northward to a station at Eau Claire. 

From there it would have bounced across the Bow River and found its way up Centre Street N to 16 Avenue.

Now, with no path to light rail transit along Centre Street based on the revised route from 4 Street SE to Shepard, and the province having mused about a north Calgary route along the Nose Creek Valley, Binks said, in a letter to City of Calgary Infrastructure Services GM Michael Thompson that there’s a risk to current transit improvement plans.

“Our concern is due, in part, to the fact the corridor improvements and transit investment along Centre Street N between 16th Avenue and the Bow River will no longer be delivered through the Green Line program and are not included in the existing BRT improvement plans,” Binks wrote.

The City of Calgary said they appreciated the input from LRT on the Green. They said they’re working on new bus stations along that corridor, with completion scheduled for 2024/2025.

“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. The current improvements are being made based on recommendations from the North Central BRT Functional Planning Study completed in 2021. The study provided recommendations for short-, medium-, and long-term improvements,” read an emailed statement to LiveWire Calgary.

“Council approved an additional $60 million in funding in 2023. 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.”

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who for years championed the north part of the LRT over a south alignment, and also pushed to have a dedicated BRT plan included in the 2019 approved alignment, told the Mayor and Me podcast that she’s hopeful a future LRT alignment will still go north along Centre Street.

“The ridership is in the north. The 301 is proof of that,” she said.

“So, to come back with an alignment that doesn’t allow us to connect into the north would be an absolute travesty. So, I do hope that’s not going to happen. We’ve been very clear with the province what we’re looking for – you have to give us a way to get to the north.”