First Ave. Link bus system pause: Downtown BID, councillor hopeful for 'clear, practical' clarification

By Olivia Grandy of Saskatoon StarPhoenix 

Some in Saskatoon’s downtown business community are hopeful that a pause in approving concept plans for the Link Bus Rapid Transit system’s operation along First Avenue will lead to a more merchant-friendly outcome.

The pause comes after hours of discussion and a series of votes at Wednesday’s city council meeting on updated plans that would have buses flowing in the same direction as traffic, rather than the previously proposed plans that had them flowing in the opposite direction.

After a defeated vote on a motion to defer approving the plan for up to a year to gather more information brought forward by Coun. Robert Pearce (5 to 6), followed by another defeated vote on approving the updated plan as-is (5 to 6), the council directed staff to report back with more high-level planning details.

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The city defines Link’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system as a “reliable, efficient system” that “helps reduce congestion, lower maintenance costs, and cut emissions.

According to its website, “Link will provide frequent, reliable service through three dedicated rapid transit lines, supported by local feeder routes and transit priority measures.”

The laundry list of sticking points raised in the discussion included accessibility, the elimination of 61 parking spots (a drop from 308 to 247), snow removal, emergency service access and the shipping and receiving needs of businesses along First Avenue.

“We’re very thankful that the councillors understood some of the challenges that we have. They also saw that there were challenges … that we weren’t even bringing up as well,” Shawna Nelson, the executive director of the Downtown Saskatoon BID, said in an interview with the StarPhoenix the day after the meeting.

The struck-down concept plan had implications that would restrict some businesses from continuing to be successful, Nelson said. She noted how the Capitol Music Club, located on First Avenue, would be negatively affected by the removal of parking out front, as it frequently transports large live entertainment equipment through its front door for events.

“They do not have the ability to load in through an alley or a side of the building,” Nelson said.

“There really wasn’t anything fruitfully provided to us to see that (the administration was) working on overcoming this huge barrier for success; this would basically put (Capitol Music Club) out of business.”

However, Michael Mehak, representing Midtown Plaza, said his main priority was ensuring that plans for the bus system to run in front of the mall remain in place.

Mehak has supported multiple iterations of the plan over the years.

“Pretty much all shopping centres have been an anchor point for rapid bus, which eventually leads to other multimodal forms of transportation,” he said in an interview.

Around the council table, there was general support for the vision of a BRT system for downtown Saskatoon, but the finer points sparked debate.

“I get the sense that nobody wants to necessarily kill the whole plan here today; they want some time,” said Mayor Cynthia Block, who voted in favour of approving the plan and against Pearce’s motion.

The City of Saskatoon will be on the hook for about 27 per cent of the cost for the Link BRT system, while the provincial and federal governments will cover the other 73 per cent of the cost.

According to the city’s website, this money cannot be used for any other purposes.

Speaking to the StarPhoenix after the vote, Coun. Scott Ford, who voted against the concept plans at both the committee and council levels, said he is hopeful First Avenue businesses will receive answers.

“I’m glad that everybody’s taking their time to take a second look at this, come back with more information, to make a decision,” he said.

Along with confidence in operations, safety and service delivery, Ford emphasized that the administration’s update should provide “practical plans on how (businesses are) going to handle shipping and receiving.”

“Sometimes it’s better to halt the process and come up and get the information you need so you can make the best decision possible for the community,” he said.

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