Buses will be travelling along Cambridge St. next week, despite pleas from residents, who claim that another route for the new University of Manitoba-Polo Park service is possible.
It has been suggested that Metro choose an alternate River Heights route . . . possibly Waverley St. or Kenaston Blvd.
But none of these roads would serve the corporation's purpose.
Because the roads are too narrow, in poor condition, or because there are insufficient persons in the Waverley st-Kenaston Ave. areas who would use the ...
Metro traffic experts spend hours studying the "ideal" streets for bus routes.
And Cambridge St. is listed as one such thorofare.
Several protests have been lodged at Metro and Winnipeg city council meetings by Cambridge St. residents.
It's selfish, but who wants bus or truck traffic churning by, making noise at all hours?
The resident's spokesman Charles A. Foster, of 614 Cambridge St., says the new bus route will devalue homes.
But Metro Councillor Lorne Leech says:
"If anything, a regular bus service close to home, will increase the property value."
Mr. Leech is Metro streets and transit committee chairman.
About 120 homes in a two-block area are affected on Cambridge St.
I took a ride along the new bus route on Wednesday.
From Polo Park, the new route will cross the St. James Bridge and along Kenaston and Corydon Aves southbound Cambridge to Grant Ave. and along Grant Ave. to Waverley St., then down Bison Dr. in Fort Garry, and along Matheson Rd. to the U of M campus.
The route is quick and serves more than an adequate number of prospective passengers — which is Transit Tom's first objective.
Mr. Leech says buses on this route could use any number of other streets to shorten the trip.
"But that's not the point," he said.
"We want the new service for those persons going to and from Polo Park and the university and — at the same time — for those people in the highly-populated areas around Grant Ave. and Cambridge St."
Waverley St. — one of the alternate routes proposed by Mr. Foster — seemed to me to be too narrow for a bus.
When I drove along the street there were many cars parked along and it took some tricky manoeuvering to prevent scrap-
Another point:
The intersection of the street where it meets Corydon Ave. is so small I can hardly imagine a 52-seat Metro bus making that turn without some difficulty.
Riding the sidewalk for a while, perhaps.
The entrance on to Cambridge St. is not much better. But there's obviously more room and with a rounding of the curb it should be easier for any bus driver.
There are single-family homes on Waverley St. But, at the corner of Cambridge St. and Grant Ave., stands the 12-storey, 12-suite Cambridge Towers.
Neighbouring the towers are other multi-storey apartment buildings and across the street is the Pan-Am Pool and the Grant Park Shopping Plaza.
Further along Cambridge St., across Grant Ave., is a new apartment development — good possibilities for more bus riders.
It's easy to understand Metro's views. If the new route went down Waverley St., which is a few blocks away from were the "bus population" is, it would mean more walking for passengers. Kenaston Blvd., another suggested route, is even further away.
Suggestions that Waverley St. had been planned as a major artery have been denied by Metro Chairman Jack Willis, who says the street is not wide enough in the Academy Rd. area to handle heavy traffic.
Winnipeg traffic commission has endorsed the new route. But at a recent public works committee meeting, City Engineer William Hurst said Cambridge St. doesn't meet modern standards for bus and truck traffic.
He said if Cambridge St. became a bus-route thoroughfare, major repairs and reconstruction would be necessary before very long.
Metro Transit Director William Finnbogason had this to say in a report to streets and traffic committee July 17:
". . . the proposed routing on Corydon Ave. between Kenaston Blvd. and Cambridge St. and on Cambridge St. between Corydon Ave. and Grant Ave., is — in the opinion of this division . . . method of providing improved alternate service to the majority of student body at the university campus."
He gave these reasons for the new route:
Said Mr. Finnbogason:
"The recommended routing meets these requirements and in addition provides a more direct service to the Pan-Am Pool for the people of the western section of Greater Winnipeg."
Cambridge St. residents' requests that Grant Ave. be utilized between Kenaston Blvd. and Waveryley St. rather than Corydon Ave. were not considered acceptable.
"This route," said Mr Finnbogason, "bisects the southerly half of River Heights and cannot be expected to serve the area north of Corydon Ave.
"Intending passengers cannot logically be expected to reverse direction of travel by utilizing the existing services on Academy Rd. to Corydon Ave. to proceed west to transfer to the university service at Kenaston Blvd. and to reverse the procedure on the return trip."
Residents also suggested a service on Corydon Ave. east to Stafford St. and south on Stafford St. to Grant Ave., west on Grant Ave. to Waverley St.
Said Mr. Finnbogason:
"This route requires additonal mileage which adds to the cost of operation and, in fact, duplicates a service on Stafford St. which now provides a connecting service to Pembina Highway.
The additional mileage," he added, "and doubling back of service would greatly diminish the attractiveness of the new service to the transit riders."