Transportation plan addresses Regina traffic congestion

A comprehensive transportation plan will overhaul Regina’s methods of transportation and hopefully clear up traffic congestion in the streets. Over the years, the growing number of daily commuters has contributed to the slowing down of traffic around the city, creating a drag to the pace of urban life. In response, the City has drawn up the Transportation Master Plan, a “comprehensive and multi-modal transportation policy and planning document that will guide the City’s policies and strategies for all modes of transportation […] over the next 25 years.” Its focus is changing how Regina citizens get around, from now until 2039.

The endeavour is to keep up with Regina’s growth as a true urban city. As the city becomes more urbanized, residents are looking for walkable neighbourhoods and roadways that cut down their commute times. Other modes of transportation need to considered, and that’s why Geoff Brown, manager of the City’s Infrastructure Planning Branch, says diversification is the Master Plan’s main focus.

“The plan provides high level policies […] which will be refined through subsequent projects,” he says. This includes “35 items specific to elevating the role of public transit, 34 items specific to promoting active transportation which include cycling and pedestrian networks… [and] another 28 of which pertain to offering a range of sustainable transportation choices for all citizens.”

This focus will help the roadways last longer, and move people around more easily. Currently, 85 per cent of Regina residents use their cars to get to work in the morning, with only 3 per cent using public transit. Comparatively, notoriously congested Toronto sits at about 71 per cent cars, with as much as 22 per cent of the population regularly using Toronto’s public transit. The Master Plan is aimed at increasing all alternatives to cars, but the City still predicts only a modest drop of 5 per cent by 2039. Even that five percent decrease, however, will double the number of people using Regina Transit and significantly increase the “active transportation” community, namely bikers and walkers.

Regina’s Transportation Master Plan is still awaiting approval, which could happen in October according to Mr. Brown. If passed, Regina’s transportation future could look very different from its current state.

Photos by: Soupehe, Explore Regina