By rdnewsNOW staff

City In Motion

Red Deerians invited to provide feedback on new transit routes launching August 23

Aug 7, 2020 | 3:04 PM

Red Deer residents are invited to start planning their trip with the new transit routes and schedules, now available online.

City officials say a new transit network, developed based on public feedback, is set to launch Aug. 23 and will offer more direct service and improved connections throughout the city. The full schedules and maps are now available on The City’s website.

“We have been working with the community to redefine our transit service and are excited to officially launch the new routes on August 23,” said George Penny, Red Deer Transit Manager, in a press release. “This is only the beginning and we want our citizens to continue to take an active role in shaping the new transit service as it moves forward. We have additional resources to help passengers plan their trips ahead of the service start and we’ll continue to collect public feedback so we can continue to improve the service in future.”

An online public survey is available at reddeer.ca/cityinmotion to collect ongoing feedback from current and future transit riders to facilitate ongoing review of the new routes. Printed surveys will be available at Sorensen Station for those without internet access. Rather than “one size fits all,” the route realignment features different kinds of routes to meet different kinds of passenger needs.

“We heard overwhelmingly from residents and passengers that they wanted to see routes that were more direct and more frequent,” said Penny. “At the same time, we’ve also heard from many existing users that it is important to retain some stops within neighbourhoods to keep service close to home, especially in areas with higher numbers of seniors and people with disabilities. The new structure aims to strike that ‘Made in Red Deer’ balance, with a network of neighbourhood routes that maintain coverage within residential areas and a complementing series of Rapid Bus and Core routes that make it fast and easy to connect across the city.”

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Beside the suite of routes serving many of the system’s existing neighbourhood stops, the route realignment features a new Gaetz Avenue Rapid Bus, which will run the full length of the Gaetz Avenue corridor, new Core routes connecting the highest ridership stops and destinations, and commuter routes. Two new transit hubs at Bower Place (along Bennett Street and Gaetz Avenue) and Kingston Drive (west of Gaetz Avenue) will provide connection points in the north and south end, reducing the need for riders to transfer downtown. Action Bus service also continues to be available to meet different passenger needs.

Red Deer Transit will continue to offer service to local school boards with no changes planned.

The new transit routes will launch at the current service level, with hours of service similar to what has been offered throughout COVID-19. However, the new network enables the system to increase the frequencies of key routes serving higher ridership areas and times. As the impacts of the pandemic lessen and demand for transit increases, Red Deer’s new transit network will offer additional frequency and longer hours of service.

“This has been a collaborative process all along and feedback heard since last fall has continued to shape the routes and schedules that we are launching August 23,” said Penny. “By posting the new schedules and feedback form online, we’re inviting Red Deerians to continue to be a part of shaping Red Deer Transit for the future. The ongoing feedback we collect during the launch from passengers, transit staff and the public via the survey will enable us to further refine the service as full levels then ramp up and resume.”

The new schedules, detailed route maps showing stops, and online feedback survey are now available at reddeer.ca/cityinmotion. Customers can also access one-on-one help in planning their trip by contacting Transit’s Customer Information at 403-342-8225 or Transit@reddeer.ca.