Mayoralty candidate Don Atchison says, the proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) system needs much more investigation before proceeding. Atchison says, “I’ve done some of that research, and you don’t need to look much farther than Mississauga or London, Ontario.” He quotes an article in the London Free Press in 2018 estimating their BRT would cost $500 million, and that, he says, is before operating costs. The Mississauga News stated the cost of their 18-kilometre project has reached at least $528 million. Atchison says the original estimated cost for Saskatoon’s BRT was between $44 million and $66 million, and then it went to $150 million. He says, “You can bet that figure is still way too low.”

In addition, Atchison says he’s concerned about the disruption to existing traffic. He says, “The vast majority of people in Saskatoon still prefer to use their own vehicles for commuting to work and elsewhere.” he wonders what happens, especially during the peak commuting times, when you start removing two lanes for the BRT on both the University and Broadway bridges. He says the plan would also be taking away parking stalls on a street like Third Avenue, at a time, he says, when people are still complaining about the lack of parking, especially downtown.
Atchison says, if the BRT runs along Broadway Avenue, you’ll have to remove the trees, meridian and other improvements.
Atchison emphasizes he is in favour of promoting greater use of public transportation and other alternatives to using private vehicles in Saskatoon, but he says the city has to be realistic when doing so. For example, Atchison says he would remove the bike lanes on 3rd Avenue while ensuring cyclists have their dedicated lane on Spadina Crescent.