With the introduction of the new budget, some bus routes have been modified to keep up with changes with the Calgary transit system. One of these changes is to the Route 20, which is one of two buses that services the Mount Royal University Campus. With the new changes, the bus will no longer directly serve the campus and will require students to wait on Richards Road, a main roadway that runs near the campus. 

Another change is the retiring of the Route 18. The Route 18 will be replaced by the Route 66. This bus route will not enter campus, the closest stop from the East Gate Entrance is 1 km away on Sarcee Rd meaning a long walk to and from campus to anyone who rely on this bus route. 

Not only will this inconvenience students by making their morning commute longer, but it will also make it more dangerous, by having students walk off campus and across a main roads in order to reach these routes, rather than the safety of campus. This will be especially dangerous come winter when the roads are darker and pedestrians are harder to spot with slippery, icy sidewalks. 

 

See the changes here:

Route 20: http://www.calgarytransit.com/sites/default/files/route/020_dec_2019.pdf

Route 66: http://www.calgarytransit.com/sites/default/files/route/066_dec_2019_r1.pdf

More information available here. 

http://www.calgarytransit.com/news/2020-transit-network

 

The goal of this petition is as follows:

1. Keep service to the Mount Royal Campus. Mt. Royal has only two bus routes serving it directly, versus the five routes that service University of Calgary. If this change happens, these routes will be eliminated or moved off campus.

2. Keep the current routes as is, or modify the Route 66. The new plans are to allow the bus to also service the foothills hospital. Presently, the route 20 serves two major schools in Calgary. During peak hours, this bus is already extremely full, so full that sometimes the needs of handicapped or mobility-impaired commuters cannot be met. By adding a hospital to this route, I feel this will not allow for easy access to the hospital for people, but an inconvenient route that will often be overlooked because of previous demand. The Route 66 will be replacing the 18 in serving the downtown area and providing a link from the train system. However, the closest stop being 500-1 km away from the main campus makes it unrealistic for students, especially those with mobility issues. 

3. To keep students safe. At peak demand when people are leaving school in between 2pm and 6pm, there can be as many as 100 people waiting at the bus stop. The shelter on Richard's road or Sarcee cannot safely accommodate that many people. The shelter on campus is not heated, but students have the options of waiting inside the buildings without chancing missing their route. This option will no longer be viable if this route changes. During the mornings, there will be more pedestrian traffic on Richards with students entering campus. With the Route 66, there will be more pedestrian traffic on Sarcee Road. This increases the risk of pedestrian/vehicle accidents and increases the chance of students being hurt. 

 

Thank you for your support in this cause. Lets keep the bus service on campus.