I want to share with you a major priority for reducing traffic and improving public transit in Edmonton and ask for your support on the new Bus Rapid Transit plan.
We are planning three express bus lanes that will help people move around the city - you can see a map of the proposed routes on the back of this page. All three planned routes connect to our ward, adding an affordable, quick way of getting around the city, and reducing vehicle traffic coming in from outside our neighbourhoods. More Edmontonians than ever are using our public transit, hitting a record of over 60 million rides last year.
Through the Bus Rapid Transit plan, we would prioritize dedicated bus lanes, a proven solution used around the world to reduce traffic and shorten commute times. Even if you don’t take the bus, we all benefit when more people take transit by having less traffic, less required road maintenance, and faster, more affordable commutes for public transit users.
How can you help?
Tell Prime Minister Carney, Premier Smith and Mayor Knack: prioritize public transit funding. Use this page to quickly and easily send a message asking for their support.
Prime Minister Carney has walked back the Canada Public Transit Fund, and has put critical promised public transit funding in jeopardy (Read More)
Stay Connected:
I am taking action on many other priorities for our ward, including reducing traffic, building housing, improving public safety, and building a more affordable and financially sustainable city for everyone. Please sign up for email notifications on more issues like this at: michaeljanz.ca/newsletter.
If you would like to work on these issues or if you have any questions please reach out. My phone number is 780-288-9866 and my email is: [email protected].
Letter:
Dear Prime Minister Carney,
More and more Edmontonians are using public transit to get around our city, with 60 million trips completed in 2024 alone. Our public transit system requires funding from the federal, provincial and municipal budgets to keep pace with our growing population and the growing demand for use. I am calling on you to restore the Canada Public Transit Fund. Municipalities cannot afford to fund public transit on our own and we need all levels of government to make funding available for it. Edmonton has exciting plans to develop Bus Rapid Transit and we can’t do it without adequate funding.
Many municipalities are facing transit infrastructure deficits and without dedicated funding from the federal government, those deficits will grow. Now is not the time to reduce federal support but to grow it. It is good for the Canadian economy and the bottom lines of many families who directly rely on it. For every dollar invested into public transit, approximately $7 in social and economic benefits are provided to the surrounding community, according to a study conducted by the University of Toronto.
Public transit is great for our economy, reduces traffic, lowers climate emissions and is an important factor in the cost of living for many Canadians. We need all levels of government to come to the table with meaningful public transit dollars and commitments.
Sincerely,