update re: production way bus loop

Greetings!

The concern about the imminent closure of the bus loop at Production Way only came to my attention yesterday, and I’m sorry we didn’t get to speak with The Peak reporters before they ran with the story, because the bottom line is, there will be a shelter at the bus stop on Lougheed Highway, which will be no more nor less exposed to the elements than the one at Production Way. The following points are from a note I’ve just sent up to The Peak, which should clarify things.

* Firstly, there will be shelters at the bus stops when the change is made. They may not be erected from Day One, but they will be set up. (We don’t have a firm closure date yet from the developers. We’re hoping it won’t be until after the current semester, so we can get everything in place in time for September, but that’s out of our hands right now.)
* The smaller shelters, which stand back-to-back at the loop, will be split up. One will go onto Production Way southbound to serve the #110. The other will go onto Thunderbird for the #136.
* The #145 will move to Lougheed Highway, and we’re working with the City of Burnaby to get all the spaces set aside for that stop and the shelter. The existing larger shelter is too big to go there, so we’re arranging for a new one.
* We also need to discuss how much we can encroach on the greenway parallel to the sidewalk.
* We also have to work out logistics regarding crowd management. As you know, we have an “all door loading” system at PW, which increases the efficiency and allows us to run buses frequently, so that means we have to manage three queues. The UBC General Services loop, where the 99 B-Line begins its eastbound trip, could give you an idea of a shelter and boarding arrangement which runs the length of the bus, the way it would have to along a sidewalk.
* In essence, we’re turning back the clock to the days before there was a loop at PW and the bus stopped on Lougheed Highway. There’s one difference this time, though: there’s one fewer service using the terminal now than there was then.

Hope this helps. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions.

Cheers!

Drew Snider
Media Relations - Transit Operations,
TransLink
(604) 453-3054