Bus service for commuters in River Heights will begin a regular run on Grosvenor Ave. within the next week, ending a prolonged dispute over routing of the service.
City council voted 14-3 Monday night in favor of routing the bus on Grosvenor Ave., and the Winnipeg Electric Co. announced today the new route would be put in operation as soon as possible, likely within the next week.
It will necessitate widening of Grosvenor Ave. to permit two-way bus traffic but this may not be carried out until next year's road construction program starts.
Argument concerning the bus route raged in City Council and transporation committee for the past six months.
Ald. G. Sharpe, chairman of safety committee, speaking before more than 100 interested River Heights residents, upheld his committee's previous decision. He maintained every consideration had been given to which way the new route should go through the district.
Aldermen had been shown the problem at first hand by two conducted tours, and a route via Corydon Ave. and Osborne St. (as proposed by town-planners) had been ruled out because it would aggravate the Osborne St. bottleneck.
Replying to a question, he said traffic counts had been taken on both Grosvenor and Corydon and it had been found that there was twice much traffic on Grosvenor as on the other arterial highway.
He did not think the addition of buses would seriously devalue property and that widening of the street would probably improve Grosvenor.
H. P. Blackwood spoke for the 11,000 persons in west River Heights who would be served by the proposed route. He said many of these people had to walk from one quarter to one mile for a bus at the present time.
"Some people in Winnipeg are laboring under the illusion that they have a vested interest in the streets. It is a selfish attitude and can only stop progress," he added.
Mr. White also thought the town-planners route (via Corydon and Thurso to Haskins) should be given a trial. He said it was only one quarter mile longer by this route than via Grosvenor and that it would go to Portage Ave.
"Ward 1," declared Al. J. Blumberg, "is a mighty hard ward to please." He said the residents wanted a bridge across the Assiniboine as long as its approach "wasn't on our street," a college (United College) as long as it wasn't "on our street," and bus service as long as the buses didn't run "on our street".
He claimed the town-planners' recommendation should be accepted because if "we are to continually repudiate the town planning commission we may as well throw it out."
Ald. H. B. Scott suggested the bus should run on Grosvenor for a six months trial but this was thrown out by council without a decision.
Ald. H. V. McKelvey objected to Ald. Blumberg's claim, that the town planners weren't being used. He pointed out the city had many advisory bodies and often didn't agree with them. Recommendation of the town planners had been accepted in many instances, he added.
Ald. J. Black supported the Grosvenor bus because it provided a good service for C.N.R. employees, many of whom live in River Heights, and because the district had been neglected as far as transportation was concerned, for many years.
Ald. E. Brotman opposed the Grosvenor route because it bisected rather than by-passed a residential district.
Voting for the Grosvenor route were:
Against:
Alds.