A London Transit Express Route 90 bus travels uninterrupted between Masonville and White Oaks on a small section of Wellington Road. It moves along a deep red centre lane reserved for buses. This is the first look at what’s to come for the city’s Bus Rapid Transit network under construction across various parts of the city. Driver, Al Henderson sees progress down the road. “I think it’s going to be good when it’s finished,” he told CTV News. This week, London Transit began using the first completed section of centre running bus lanes. It stretches along Wellington Road between Simcoe Street and Grand Avenue. The idea is buses can continue moving through busy areas while drivers have fewer buses coming in and out of their lanes. One of the biggest changes for drivers is there are no direct left turns into driveways or some side-streets. That means advancing to the next light, then making a U-turn. Road users who have traversed this small stretch agree it’s going to take some getting used to. “Traffic flows. I like the left-hand turns they got. I enjoy it,” added Henderson. The centre lanes are equipped with new protected platforms in the middle of the road for bus riders, along with signal crossings. With Wellington Road so wide now to accommodate BRT, resident Harsha Perera wishes there were more pedestrian crossings all the way up and down the road. “When they want to cross, it’s difficult. I didn’t find many pedestrians’ crossings everywhere. So. Kind of a hassle,” he said. In the meantime, after several years of heavy construction on his corner at Wellington and Simcoe, business owner Ryan Alnajjar of Car Tech is hoping customers find their way back. “It’s better right now. But the thing is that, because construction is still going on on the street, so people are trying to avoid going through Wellington Street. But at least it’s better than the construction, where it was front of us,” Alnajjar explained. The new centre running lanes are part of the Wellington Gateway project of BRT, scheduled to begin full operations in 2029. “Motorists have to adapt to that concept of having the buses in the middle lanes,” said car passenger Chris Ginty. “I notice there isn’t any bike lanes on either side. I know they have extended sidewalks. But the emphasis is on bus rapid transit. So, it should clear up the congestion, and help commuters get from point A to point B,” he said.
