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Was digging through old posts in a Facebook group and found some pics of a June 1984 system map. Figured I'd share these as full system maps from the pre-NE/NW LRT periods are hard to come by nowadays.

Check out the networks in the NE and NW quadrants. Some of the NE feeders (34, 55) were very much the same as they still are today aside from extensions, with Route "112 Blue Arrow East" essentially acting as what is now the NE CTrain leg from downtown to Whitehorn. 

The NW was pretty much 90% downtown expresses/Blue Arrows with the Market Mall area apparently being the main feeder bus hub.

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Curious... why route #90 down 22x/MacLeod instead of Deerfoot/Anderson Rd? Especially if there was no side bus stops anywhere between Anderson Station & McKenzie Lakes? Would it not be faster, especially pre-oil boom SE development, for Deerfoot/Anderson routing? Unless I'm missing parts of the route from what I gathered on the map?

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1 hour ago, armorand said:

Curious... why route #90 down 22x/MacLeod instead of Deerfoot/Anderson Rd? Especially if there was no side bus stops anywhere between Anderson Station & McKenzie Lakes? Would it not be faster, especially pre-oil boom SE development, for Deerfoot/Anderson routing? Unless I'm missing parts of the route from what I gathered on the map?

Having to enter McKenzie Lake from the south it probably made no difference time wise. 

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7 hours ago, armorand said:

Curious... why route #90 down 22x/MacLeod instead of Deerfoot/Anderson Rd? Especially if there was no side bus stops anywhere between Anderson Station & McKenzie Lakes? Would it not be faster, especially pre-oil boom SE development, for Deerfoot/Anderson routing? Unless I'm missing parts of the route from what I gathered on the map?

The 1992 system map at the Central Library did show Route 90 McKenzie using Anderson/Deerfoot but that was after the McKenzie Lake Blvd connection to Deerfoot was completed as well as Douglasdale beginning development. 

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In the mid-1990s, the 70 and 408 in Valley Ridge were introduced.  The bus served two sections of Valley Ridge; the north end, and the east end.  The east end continues to be served by the current Route 70 and 408, however not so much for the north end.

In March of 2000, the 70 and 408 were changed so that instead of the north leg being served, the west leg was served instead.  In its place, future bus zone signs were placed on the former stops.  In 2022, you are able to see the remains of 3 of the former stops.  One is a washed out future bus zone on NB Valley Ridge Blvd & Drive, another washed out future bus zone at NB Valley Ridge Blvd and Valley Ridge Point (pictured) and a bus bench located on the other side of the street from the second stop mentioned.

 

Attached to this post is an era appropriate 70 route map as well as one of the washed away future zone signs.

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, downbeat said:

This seems like a problem … not the first time this has been brought up.

As an operator myself, Quite bluntly, if operators don’t use the ample resources provided, and don’t prepare themselves for their work, it is an operator problem. Operators are trainee how to study their routes, have access to ample resources, including written turn by turn instructions.


It is unfortunate that the consequences of an operator that doesn’t prepare for their work are significant impacts to service. To blame anyone but the operator is preposterous.

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  • 1 month later...

I recently acquired a December 1987 CT system map so I thought I would discuss some of the oddities/fun facts about the system, more specially in the NW during this time period.

1 - during off peak periods the 1 would actually head north on 29 St, loop around at Foothills Medical Centre and head back down 29 St where it would continue its normal route.

10 - in the northern section going northbound, the 10 would go westbound on 20 Ave NW, northbound on 22a St and EB on 24 Ave NW where it would continue its regular route.  It would loop around going back the other way via WB Morley Trail, EB Charleswood Drive and SB 24 St.  The stops along 22a Street remain unserved today.

40 - The 40, which was a new route at the time, still served Lions Park, but instead went straight on 16 Avenue (did not serve FMC) and terminated at Home Road.

59 - The 59 Greenbriar served most of the Bowness portion that is served by Route 40 today.  It didnt do a full loop around Greenwood, and it also terminated at Home Road.  More than likely this route was designed to feed into the 1/105 at the time.

NW expresses - Before Brentwood opened in 1990, many of the NW suburbs had express routes.  There was:

60 - Ranchlands South Express

61 - Ranchlands North Express

62 - Hawkwood Ridge Express (most of current 76 Hawkwood in the community up until Hawkstone Terminal)

65 - Edgemont Express (west edgemont, served Edgedale Drive and Edgepark Blvd)

66 - Edgemont Pointe Express (east edgemont, served Edgemont Blvd, Edenwold Drive and Edgebrook Drive)

67 - Dalhousie Express (served south half of Dalton Drive, Dalhousie Drive, 53 St and Edgemont Hill)

69 - Dalhousie Express (essentially modern day 422 routing)

70 - Varsity Acres Express (Varsity Driive and Varsity Estates area)

CS - The community shuttle pilot project was brand new at this time, and none of the routes had official route numbers on the maps.  The CS routes listed are North Hill (evolved into the 404), Shawnessy/Millrise (evening 52 service), and Taradale/Martindale.

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New Stampede Route has been funded and announced last minute.

507 - Mckenzie Towne to Stampede via Ogden Road. Essentially a 302 that goes to Stampede instead of Downtown. 15 minute headway. Appears to stop at several, but not all, 302 stops.

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7 minutes ago, Gsgeek540 said:

New Stampede Route has been funded and announced last minute.

507 - Mckenzie Towne to Stampede via Ogden Road. Essentially a 302 that goes to Stampede instead of Downtown. 15 minute headway. Appears to stop at several, but not all, 302 stops.

This route will run throughout the entire duration of stampede (and perhaps maybe sneak a peak too), correct? 

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1 hour ago, R. Meu said:

This route will run throughout the entire duration of stampede (and perhaps maybe sneak a peak too), correct? 

Yes. Roughly every 15 minutes. Including sneek a peek and starts after the parade on the friday.

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  • 3 weeks later...

507 took me about 35 minutes from Erlton to McKenzie Towne terminal this afternoon, outbound trip takes southbound Macleod and 42 Ave to Ogden Road. Saw the inbound 507 coming in on 25 Ave from the east so logically I assume it comes in via the Dartmouth Road roundabout.

I’m quite disappointed to say the least at how under-advertised this route was however and as a result severely under-utilized. I realize it was a very last minute implementation but at the very least they could have made some better onsite signage in the short time they had. While there is a stampede express sign at McKenzie Towne, I only recall seeing a sign advertising the North express (504) at Erlton, none specifying a southeast route (if there is actually some there, then the fact that I didn’t see them means they weren’t clearly visible enough) and the buses I saw don’t even display anything useful on the destination sign. Hopefully if/when this route does come back next year this’ll all be improved.

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1 hour ago, Nick B said:

I’m quite disappointed to say the least at how under-advertised this route was however and as a result severely under-utilized. I realize it was a very last minute implementation but at the very least they could have made some better onsite signage in the short time they had. 

I would be very peeved if lack of ridership is cited as a reason why this route isn’t brought back next year. 

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Unfortunately, the route and schedule weren't added into the online system either. Unless you were someone that read through the Stampede service page, it's like the route doesn't exist at all. For anyone relying on any kind of trip planning tool, the 507 wouldn't have appeared as an option.

Even the PDF "schedule" they have on the Stampede page is kind of a letdown. They list the first departure time from McKenzie Towne and Douglas Glen terminals as well as the frequency and that's it. If you're boarding at one of those two stops, you could kind of do some mental math to figure out when the bus will show up (assuming it's running on time). If you're getting on elsewhere, good luck.

I don't think i've read a single tweet about it either since Stampede started. Plenty of advertising for the discounted day passes and 24 hour train service though.

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Route 131 is only about 11 months old, but despite the line’s relative novelty, the southbound departure I just got a look at from downtown was very well used, with all seats pretty much taken after riders boarded at Suncor Energy Centre. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ive noticed that there is a 147 stop by 57 Street and 61 Avenue SE (#9526) that is not listed on the transit app, and not listed as a stop for the route on Next Ride or Plan a trip on the CT website. I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed this for awhile, but I’d figure I’d point it out since there’s a permanent stop, which was in one of the photos I took of 7904 yesterday.

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14 hours ago, R. Meu said:

Ive noticed that there is a 147 stop by 57 Street and 61 Avenue SE (#9526) that is not listed on the transit app, and not listed as a stop for the route on Next Ride or Plan a trip on the CT website. I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed this for awhile, but I’d figure I’d point it out since there’s a permanent stop, which was in one of the photos I took of 7904 yesterday.

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It was originally put up during the short-lived 23 detour after the floods, when there was a temporary shelter camp around there. When the 147 became a thing it was reinstated but they didn't put it on any lists 

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