The Editor:
Re: Letter: I agree — New West should speed up its bus reliability plan (July 17, 2024)
I have good news for the letter writer: the problem is fixed.
There are currently no delays to get through that problematic intersection at 6th Avenue and 20th Street aboard the 101 or 155 bus.
Every single person on those standing-room only buses is saving up to five minutes each morning, a delay produced by just one intersection just steps from the final destination.
This letter writer and bus rider is extremely happy about that.
How did this happen? Was that intersection rapidly improved by the city and the transportation? Of course not.
What did change, at least temporarily, is that 6th Avenue is currently undergoing very badly needed paving work, meaning the street is closed to through-traffic ... with the exception of buses!
Buses are cruising right down 6th Avenue with the help of traffic control people, and, most importantly, the queue of vehicles at the dreaded intersection is non-existent — there is essentially a bus-only lane or, what is actually proposed in the city's Bus Speed and Reliability Plan: a transit queue jump (a lane to ensure a bus never waits more than one red light).
Kudos to the City of New Westminster for ensuring our valuable buses are given priority during construction works.
New West really does run on buses and it's great to see them get the respect they deserve.
- Michael Hall, Uptown New Westminster resident
