SASKATOON – The City of Saskatoon is working towards reducing rail delays at six key locations, according to a report presented by its director of transportation Monday. The report highlights ongoing efforts the city is undertaking to form a “long-term plan to address delays,” said Angela Gardiner, the city’s transportation director.
She said the specific locations chosen were based on a number of factors.
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“From an emergency response, as well as whether or not it would have an impact or a benefit to our future bus rapid transit,” said Gardiner after presenting the report to the standing policy committee on transportation.
“As well as just looking at the overall travel delays and then from an economic perspective,” she added.
A group has been formed to further investigate solutions at the specific locations. They lie in various neighbourhoods, including the downtown core, Sutherland and near Montgomery Place.
Montgomery Community Association president Barb Biddle said she welcomed the news and indicated that delays caused by rail crossings near 11th Street West can last up to an hour.
“It delays teachers coming into our community to teach at our schools, it delays people going to appointments,” said Biddle, who has lived in the community for a combined 30 years.
“The big concern out here really is in an emergency situation, the access is blocked off,” she added.
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Efforts to curb delays near Montgomery Place have already been implemented, according to Gardiner’s report. Canadian National Railway has reduced back-and-forth movement on the spur line across 11th Street that leads to Viterra’s grain terminal.
“We’re trying to get those delays down to in and around ten minutes and that would be a significant decrease overall,” said Gardiner.
The move also helps the environment according to the report. It notes that idling cars “increase fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.”
“In the winter time they’re not going to turn off their vehicle to safe gasoline,” said Ward 2 City Coun. Pat Lorje, who represents the Montgomery Place neighbourhood.
“What we’ve got is a lot of unnecessary hydrocarbons going into the atmosphere and we should all be concerned about climate change,” she added.
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