A consultant hired by the City of Saskatoon has drafted seven potential locations for park-and-ride lots. (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

A consultant hired by the City of Saskatoon has drawn up a list of park-and-ride locations that could run alongside the future bus-rapid-transit (BRT) system.

Park-and-ride facilities are places, common in bigger cities like Calgary, where people park their cars and get on a bus to their ultimate destination.

HDR Corporation, the company tapped to plan Saskatoon's BRT system, says park-and-rides could help reduce the number of vehicles on congested streets like 22nd Street, Eighth Street and College Drive and shrink demand for parking spots at destination points.

They could also help extend BRT service to suburban areas of the city.

SaskTel Centre tops list

The potential costs in Saskatoon are unclear, but a 500-stall site in Calgary cost somewhere between $2.5 million and $7.5 million to build, according to HDR. (That doesn't include the price of land.)

The parking lot at the city-owned SaskTel Centre, which "is mostly empty except when there is an event at the Sasktel Centre," is the most ideal location for a park-and-ride site in Saskatoon, according to HDR.

The city owns SaskTel Centre, so that's good. (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

"SaskTel Centre is not on a BRT route but presents an opportunity for a park and ride associated with a local or express route," the company wrote in a recent report.

"As owners of the site, the City of Saskatoon could arrange to have a portion of the parking lot designated for Park and Ride use."

The city is also mulling whether to build a new downtown arena to replace SaskTel Centre.

6 other picks

Here are six other potential locations suggested by HDR, listed in order of priority.

The city has not talked to the owners of those lots yet, according to HDR.

Preston Avenue South

"Church sites are often good candidates for joint use park and ride sites as they usually have high parking demands Sunday when park and ride demand is almost non-existent," according to HDR Corporation. (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

8th Street East

"The proximity of the Centre Mall to 8th Street and Circle Drive provides easy access from many areas of the City and in particular offers an intercept location for customers from the Holmwood suburban centre area." (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

Warmand Road/Lawson Heights

"With easy access from Warman Road, it is potentially an opportunity to collect traffic from the north, as well as from the River Heights neighbourhood." (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

Blairmore

"As this is a relatively new retail development, it is likely that the property owners will be hesitant to give up stalls to park and ride. However, given the location, there is a high risk that the existing retail lots will be used as informal park and ride lots, creating enforcement issues for the site owner." (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

Confederation Mall

"The Confederation location provides easy access from Circle Drive." (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

University Heights

"This location can intercept potential customers from the northeast portion of the city with easy access from McOrmond Drive." (HDR Corporation/City of Saskatoon)

The park-and-ride ideas — along with an extended downtown bike lane network and the BRT system — will be discussed at city hall this Wednesday.

7 potential park-and-ride lots eyed in Saskatoon

SaskTel Centre leads the list of suggested sites

SaskTel Centre tops list

6 other picks

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