Calgarians for BRT wants to tell stories of citizens who support southwest transitway

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There’s a new voice in the ongoing saga surrounding a controversial plan for two dedicated bus lanes and new bus stations in southwest Calgary.

The recently launched Calgarians for BRT is using social media to share photos and quotes from citizens who support the contentious southwest transitway and bus rapid transit (BRT) project.

Approved by council in 2011, the 22-kilometre transitway would ferry riders from downtown to Mount Royal University, Rockyview General Hospital and Woodlands and see two new bus-only travel lanes installed on the west side of 14th Street.

It’s a project that has recently seen fierce opposition. In February, Mayor Naheed Nenshi announced face-to-face citizen engagement would be halted following allegations of verbal and physical assault of city staff.

The mayor and a lobby group of residents called Ready to Engage have sparred publicly over the project and in April, a city committee agreed to seek answers for 60 questions raised by opponents following a 15-hour meeting.

The southwest transitway was initially pegged at $40-million, though city officials have recently said it could cost $57 million to $65.5 million.

Concerned about the conversation surrounding the project, a group of Calgarians with diverse work backgrounds gathered at a Bridgeland coffee shop on Father’s Day to brainstorm how they could publicly support the plan.

“We hear so much from the opposition but we don’t hear a voice of support because for a lot of people it’s a no-brainer,” said Calgarians for BRT co-organizer Charlene Wilcock.

By the end of the mid-June meeting, the group had a name and concept, which is inspired by the Calgarians for Cycle Tracks campaign that launched in 2014 to promote the approval of the cycle track network.

Calgarians for BRT will use a street team to gather photos and quotes from Calgarians who want the project to go ahead and they’ll share those photos on social media using the hashtag #YYC4BRT.

“Putting a face to a cause, putting a face to something people believe in, it drives that message home,” Wilcock said.

The concept comes after an advocacy group called I Love YYC Transit formed in the spring to offer a counternarrative highlighting the positives of the southwest transitway.

Wilcock said it’s hoped both groups can collaborate when it comes to spreading the message that some Calgarians are strongly in favour of the transit line.

Calgarians for BRT is hoping to rally supporters to attend a transportation and transit committee meeting on July 20 in which the project is slated to be discussed again following the 15-hour meeting in April.

aklingbeil@postmedia.com