McMaster University continues its collaborative discussions with the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) and City of Hamilton in advance of revised trucking rules that will impact the campus.

A city amendment that temporarily allowed limited truck traffic through the Sterling entrance ends January 31, which means all trucks will have to move through the centre of campus.

As a result of this increased truck traffic, the University requires a re-routing of 25 buses a day from the centre of campus without impacting service levels. This will help balance the levels of truck and bus traffic. Currently there are 460 HSR bus trips through campus each day.

“Pedestrian safety is the University's primary priority,” says Roger Trull, vice-president, University Advancement. “We are pleased to work with HSR and the City to ensure their plans reflect this priority without impacting rider convenience. We also look forward to reviewing the HSR plans to ensure the safety of all HSR riders who use the service to access campus.”

The HSR says its two-stage plan to meet University goals will be implemented beginning in April.

“The HSR is confident it can effectively meet the University's requirements for safety without impacting service levels,” says Don Hull, director of transit, City of Hamilton Public Works. “We look forward to sharing these plans with riders as our implementation date nears.”

“McMaster students look forward to a plan from the HSR that ensures a pedestrian-priority campus without causing significant inconvenience to student riders,” says Ryan Moran, president, McMaster Students Union.

Discussions are also evolving on a longer term transit strategy for campus. The McMaster Campus Plan of 2002 calls for a pedestrian-priority central campus. The plan was reached in consultation and collaboration with various stakeholders including the City of Hamilton, local community groups, the MSU and HSR. The University will consult with these groups as it considers its longer term needs.