Quote:
Originally Posted by fusili
While I do understand some of the sentiment about extending the LRT far from the centre of the city, I really don't think Route Ahead does that at all. There is a huge focus on crosstown routes and routes serving trips that are not just "suburbanites going downtown." There is a lot of improved service for the inner city.
Take the North Crosstown for example. The line runs east/west on 16th avenue, connecting several schools and hospitals to inner city neighbourhoods (everything around 16th avenue) and other transit lines. It definitely does not extend far out in the city. The south crosstown route does the same, connecting a university and a hospital to existing transit lines and inner city neighbourhoods (Killarney/Glenbrook/Glanmorgan, Chinook Park/Kingsland/Haysboro). The transitway for 17th Avenue SE creates better transit for Greater Forest Lawn, as do improvements on the 305 create better transit for Bowness/Montgomery/Parkdale/Hillhurst.
Also note the phasing of the SE/NC LRT. It goes to Quarry Park first, then to 16th Avenue, before going to the south hospital or northpointe. This is a massive change from Calgary Transit's previous strategy to get the LRTs out as far and fast as possible. The core of the line is built first, and then extended. That is a massive shift in priority.
I think it is a fantastic plan.
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Agree strongly with this comment. I think Calgary needs to pay more attention to ensuring that public transit infrastructure is ready for ever higher density in the city core. After all, that is the direction the rest of our urban planning is pushing. The SE/NC LRT project should, to my mind, be grade separated from day one from the beltline to 16 Av N, and a dual underground station at 2nd street and 8th Av should be built for both the SE/NC line and the ultimate grade separation of the NW/South line.
When planning this kind of long term infrastructure, we need to be thinking of a Calgary with a population of at least 2.5 million, not the Calgary of today.