Living outside the downtown core can provide your family with a better quality of life and give you the space that your growing family needs. One of the main reasons that most families prefer to live further away from the city centre is not only for safety reasons with young children playing on busy roads, but also how much more affordable the homes are with larger spaces for living.
And thanks to a growing public transportation network in Calgary, you don’t need to give up a convenient commute. A new home built by Broadview Homes in the Beacon Heights, Evanston and Redstone communities offers the piece of mind of quality new construction for every stage of life; all with easy access to the many public transportation options provided by Calgary’s Transit.
Commuting to Downtown Made Easy
Broadview Homes chose to build in the community of Beacon Heights, Evanston, and Redstone not only because of their location and amenities, but also with their access to public transit in mind. All three of these neighbourhoods are in close proximity to bus and C-Train stations as well as park and ride lots, which means you have direct access to an affordable and stress-free commute.
Getting There By Bus
Each of the three communities mentioned above are all conveniently located on one of Calgary Transit’s 160 bus routes with over 1,100 buses. Beacon Height’s residents have a short walk to the Sherwood Place stop, with bus service available approximately every fifteen minutes during rush hour. From Evanston, residents can catch a bus at the Evanscrest stop on Evanston Drive, where buses stop approximately every twenty minutes during rush hour. Redstone residents are within a short walking distance of the bus stop at Redstone Parade, with pick-ups every twenty minutes during rush hour.
From there, your commute continues downtown, or to any of Calgary’s outlying areas. To reduce commute times, Calgary Transit even features five Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes or express routes that average a higher speed and stop at fewer stops, getting you where you need to go even faster.
By C-Train
Calgary Transit features two light rail lines, commonly referred to as the C-Train. The Red Line runs Northwest to Southeast starting in Tuscany and ending in Somerset-Bridlewood, while the Blue Line runs Northeast to Southwest from the Saddletowne to the 69th Street station. Further expansion of the rail line is planned which is good news for Redstone residents! The community is just steps away from the expansion site of the future Blue Line light rail station; located at 96 Avenue North in the Country Hills neighbourhood.
Until Calgary Transit’s expansion of the Blue Line is complete, Redstone residents can easily access the light rail at the Saddletowne Station, which is either a bus ride or a short drive from the Redstone community. From the Saddletowne Station, it takes less than thirty minutes to reach the 4th Street stop in the centre of downtown. Both the Beacon Heights and Evanston developments are a short bus transfer or drive to the Tuscany C-Train Station, where it is a short train ride to the downtown core.
Park and Ride Stations
Calgary Transit offers thirty-three park and ride stations with combinations of free and reserved parking. Stalls may be reserved on a monthly basis for $85.00 per month. You can even register up to five cars under one parking reservation and easily sign up online through Calgary Transit’s website.
Several park and ride stations also feature bike lockers, allowing you to build some exercise into your commute. Additionally, most park and ride stations include plug-ins, which automatically turn on when the temperature drops below -20 degrees.
The nearest park and ride station for Beacon Heights and Evanston residents is the Tuscany Station. This location contains 572 total parking stalls, of which 286 stalls are free and 286 stalls may be reserved on a monthly basis. From here, the Red Line takes just over thirty minutes to get to the centre of downtown.
Commuting from Redstone is also made easy by accessing the nearby Saddletowne park and ride station, which includes 65 free parking stalls and 65 parking stalls that can be reserved on a monthly basis. From the Saddletowne park and ride station, you have a short train ride to downtown via the Blue Line.
Costs and Fares
Calgary Transit offers several convenient options for purchasing tickets. Adult bus and light rail tickets cost $3.15 for a one-time use ticket or $31.50 for a book of ten tickets. Day passes are $9.50 for a full day of service and monthly passes are $99.00 each. Monthly passes are valid for one calendar month and can be used for either buses or trains.
Riders can also make use of transit to the airport for $9.50. You can even bring your pets on board for free as long as they are leashed or are in a carrier or cage. If you only need transit in the downtown district, the C-Train features a free fare zone on 7th Avenue, where no fare is charged for riders between the Downtown West/Kerby and the City Hall stations.
Future Expansion
Calgary Transit continues to expand its routes with plans to extend the Blue Line C-Train an additional 7.5 kilometres to 96 Avenue North, Country Hills, adjacent to Broadview’s Redstone community as we mentioned earlier.
In addition, Calgary Transit will add another forty kilometres of track to the existing fifty-nine kilometres of track to connect the Northern Hills and Seton communities to downtown. Named the Green Line, the track will run North to South with a stop at 96 Avenue North, offering Redstone residents an additional route downtown.
As Calgary continues to grow, Broadview Homes will be there offering communities to fit every lifestyle and stage of life. There are many options – from move-in ready to pre-construction – located in a variety of popular locations in and around the city. If you and your family are in need of more space or want the quiet and solitude that only a planned residential community can offer, consider stepping outside of the downtown area and exploring newly built neighbourhoods with all the same conveniences.
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