SaskatoonChanges to the transit system downtown would see First Avenue reduced to one regular traffic lane in each direction, with station platforms located in the centre of the road from 20th Street to 24th Street. Bus-only lanes proposed for downtown would eliminate some traffic lanes, parkingPhil Tank · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2025 5:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesAn artist’s rendering shows what First Avenue might look like once bus-only lanes are built as part of the Link transit overhaul. (City of Saskatoon)Lila Wagner wishes Saskatoon Transit had stuck to its original plan for bus-only lanes downtown.But she’s happy overall to see the $250-million Link transit transformation moving forward, including the plan for bus-only lanes as part of a significant redesign of First Avenue.Wagner, who belongs to the transit advocacy group Bus Riders of Saskatoon, attended an open house Thursday that included renderings of the proposed roadway after traffic lanes and parking spaces are eliminated to make way for the bus expressways in both directions.“I think [Third Avenue] would have been a better option, but that’s what they’ve done,” Wagner said Thursday. “So that’s where we’re going, is with First Avenue.”City hall had originally proposed bus-only lanes on Third Avenue, but opposition from downtown businesses convinced the city to move the lanes to First Avenue.First Avenue currently features two lanes of traffic in both directions as well as left-hand turn lanes in the centre and parking on both sides of the street. The reconfigured street would be reduced to one regular traffic lane in each direction and station platforms located in the centre, from 20th Street to 24th Street.The changes would eliminate 61 parking spots, but a study by the city showed the supply of on-street parking exceeds demand during peak periods.The City of Saskatoon is hosting open houses to get feedback on its transit transformation plans. (CBC News)Parking concerns remainThe city’s special projects manager Rob Dudiak acknowledged some businesses remain concerned about removing parking stalls.“It’s obviously mixed,” Dudiak said of reaction to the changes in store for First Avenue. “It depends on your point of view and your perspective. [There’s] lots of curiosity about what it’s actually going to look like and what the implications are.”In addition to the move to First Avenue from Third, the bus lanes have also been changed so that they run in the same direction as adjacent traffic lanes instead of the original plan for bus lanes running in the opposite direction.As a result of the changes to First Avenue, motorists heading south on First will not be able to turn left onto 21st Street, so the city has decided to remove the concrete barrier at the intersection of Second Avenue and 21st to improve traffic flow.Dudiak said the Link revamp has been developed through public consultation and represents a lot of work, so the opportunity for substantial changes now is minimal.The new bus system, designed in line with bus rapid transit principles, is set to debut in 2028. Construction on First Avenue is scheduled to start in 2027. Only First Avenue and College Drive would feature bus-only lanes requiring major alterations of the streets.But the city also hopes to finish building 44 station platforms by the end of the year.Wagner, who said she relies solely on the bus for transportation in the city, said the new transit system holds implications for those who are not riding the bus at the moment.She described herself as “very poor” and shared that she lives in subsidized housing downtown with her husband.“I don’t think people realize that once the price of gasoline gets out of reach for most people, they’re going to be on the bus,” she said. “So you want to have a good, very frequent bus system going.”
Saskatoon First Avenue bus conversion gets mixed reception at open house
