CityLINK Transit making adjustments
By Trevor Busch - Lethbridge Herald on November 17, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtbusch@lethbridgeherald.com People haven’t been silent about their concerns and issues with the new CityLINK Transit System rolled out earlier in 2021, and Lethbridge Transit has kept their ear to the ground.Starting today, the service is implementing new adjustments intended to improve transit in the community. Service level adjustments occur quarterly and aim to ensure the best possible service for transit users.
Since launching the CityLINK network in August, the service has been collecting feedback, analyzing system performance, and making changes. Routes 51 and 52 will now have offset times when travelling along Columbia Boulevard to give customers between McMaster Boulevard and University Drive 15 minute service to and from the University, Monday to Saturday.
“A lot of the changes that we’ve been making are really designed in order to improve the reliability and performance of the transit system,” said Tim Sanderson, general manager of Lethbridge Transit, speaking to media inside the downtown Park ‘n’ Ride Transit Terminal on Tuesday afternoon. “So one of the big changes that we’re making is we’re switching the schedules on 51 and 52, over on the west side and that really allows for more possibilities and more alternatives for people living in those areas.”
Route 4A/B will become 4 cityLINK Orange and will travel in only one direction along the original 4A pattern. This change is aimed at eliminating confusion as to where the bus stops and will help avoid missed pickups.
“It isn’t the public saying ‘oh you need to do this in order to do that’ it was more ‘hey, we’re having issues with this. This is impacting our ability to travel, what can you do Lethbridge Transit?’ said Sanderson. “And these are our solutions.”
Route 52 Columbia — University Station has added an early trip option at 6:20 a.m. to allow for more connection options at University Station. Route 62 departure time has been shifted five minutes later to provide better connection at City Centre. This also adds more time for Lethbridge College students with late classes to catch the last bus which will now be at 9:10 p.m.
ATB Centre has been added as a hub station for Demand Response Zones 101 and 102. Customers can now choose between two hubs within each zone to travel to, 101 West Highlands Stn. and ATB Centre or 102 Sunridge Stn. and ATB Centre.
Sanderson said despite an initial backlash when the transit system was rolled out, things have now shifted in a largely positive direction.
“What we’re starting to see now is there’s a lot more positivity come from it as people become more familiar with the system and are really taking advantage of some of the core things that we really want to do, about really speeding up the service, providing direct service and eliminating the need for transfers on many trips. So we’re really hearing a lot of positive feedback about that. That being said, there are some people that cityLINK does not work as well for, and when people are dependent on the transit system, that’s a big impact — I would never want to minimize that.”
Shelters are also being added to all hub stations offering riders shelter from the elements during the winter months.
For residents looking to plan their new route, information is available online at http://www.Lethbridge.ca/transit or on the myRide app available in the Apple and Google app stores. 3
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