Improved Saskatoon Transit shelters to make buses more wheelchair accessible

A new initiative from the City of Saskatoon is aimed atto make it easier for people to take the bus.

On Thursday morning, city officials unveiled a newly renovated bus shelter at Attridge Drive and Rever Road. Where before the transit stopwas a patch of grass, a new steel-and-glass enclosure has been added, along with a sidewalk to the stop.

"Undertaking improvements such as sidewalks, landing pads, ramps and shelters can mean the difference between choosing to use transit or not," said acting director of transit Mike Moellenbeck in a release. "As we work towards a Bus Rapid Transit system, transit connectivity becomes even more important."

This year, the city placed seven new transit shelters across the city. Next year, a further 14 new shelters will be built, along with 22 new concrete pads that are connected to sidewalks.

The city also said stops along Bus Rapid Transit routes will be built higher than many curbs in the city, making it easier for wheelchairs to get on the bus.

This fall, Saskatoon Transit asked riders for submissions for locations of bus stops that could be improved. Three-quarters of the submissions asked for improvements to the Attridge and Rever stop.

"We've gotten a lot of great feedback," said Moellenbeck. "Now we've caught some of these stops up based on the feedback we've gotten from our riders."

As for the Bus Rapid Transit system, the project is still in consultation phases, with public meetings to be held next week.

The entire project is expected to cost $10.6 million.