Quote:
Originally Posted by DizzyEdge
Although there's always talk about whether the SETWAY or NCLRT should be first, what transit route is 3rd in line? By transit route I mean LRT or BRT with enough dedicated lanes for it to be more than just a BRT-branded express route.
|
I see three real contenders for true lines as opposed to incremental improvements in BRT routes:
An International Ave line of some form would probably make the most sense from a cost benefit perspective. It is the only logical place for a seventh radial line and the street's ROW is wide enough to easily allow for either dedicated lanes or an elevated structure that won't blanket the entire area with shadow. I'd imagine that ridership and cost would be comparable to the W LRT, if not better, if it were done as a, similarly mostly grade separated, LRT.
Some kind of western semi-circle line hitting major activity centres would probably generate the most riders but finding a cost effective ROW would be a real challenge. Connecting the S, W and NW LRTs with stations at Chinook, Rockyview Hospital, MRU, Westbrook, Foothills Hospital, West Campus/Alberta Children's Hospital, the U of C, and Brentwood, would result in a line with the kind of "employment" (counting students) numbers to rival downtown. The big negative is the lack of a decent and cheap ROW but another issue would be that none of the commutes served really have rush hour peaks so it isn't really providing an alternative to congestion.
An Airport line is probably the most likely. It really doesn't make a lot of sense to build but a lot of people like airport connections which leads to a lot of cities building them. It would likely be the cheapest option, so there is that.
Prev
Linear Mode
