I just don't understand what it is that makes LRT seem so great to some folks. Okay, it's nice, it's shiny, it's "big city". It might even actually cost us the same thing in the long run although somehow I doubt that.
Without even thinking about cost, what does Winnipeg need an LRT line for anyway ? I've seen it pointed out that it's the inflexibility of LRT that is one of its selling points and the logic is sound. However, that's only the case if planners refuse to utilize a BRT corridor to greatest effect. While we build up the BRT corridor and make it as self-sustaining as possible (as in, developing high-density near the stations) buses still offer the versatility that Winnipeg requires due to it's low-density nature. By the time that changes (decades away) we'll have the ROW and most of the infrastructure in place already. Better to spend that money when it's needed than to blow it all now and pay to maintain it over the course of decades while we wait for the need to arise.
Then there's this issue of quality. Okay, that one strikes me as a red herring because anybody who has ever taken a ride on BRT knows that it's hardly the same as simply riding the bus on some random route. You're speeding along, there aren't any stop lights, there's no lurching every couple of blocks on average, and unlike with LRT, chances are that you won't have to transfer before you reach your destination. Well, the chances of actually getting to your intended destination without having to transfer are much better on a bus than on a train. In any case, in terms of quality, as long as the corridor is reasonably well maintained, it's not that much different from LRT. It's alot like riding the bus along Bishop Grandin except that you don't have to worry about any other traffic and the roadway itself is smoother as a rule. Just like LRT, you have stations and with any luck, all of ours will be enclosed and heated. Hopefully anyway although somehow I wouldn't bet on that much. That would be no different than if it was LRT though.
I'm not interested in picking a fight here. This isn't some jab at LRT proponents. It's just what I say it is though and I simply don't understand why it is that people consider BRT to be such a poor option. It's not at all. For the cost difference, we're getting a hell of a lot more for our money with BRT than we would be if it was LRT. Frankly, the versatility of buses makes them far more desirable to me because it means I'll probably have less walking to do when it's -35.
At no point have I ever advocated for on-street BRT. To be honest, the thought of calling that BRT strikes me as disingenuous anyway. When I've spoken of BRT I've always assumed we were talking about a system similar to Ottawa's Busway and that system is just as good as LRT in my opinion (or , at least, the difference is negligible in my view)
LRT is great I guess but it's just not necessary by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe in twenty or thirty years we'll need something like that but right now, what with the layout of Winnipeg it just makes no sense. A rapid transit corridor along Pembina makes a ton of sense but not an LRT option.
Edit:
Needless floodway expansion ? You're kidding right ? How close do we have to get total disaster before it becomes necessary ?
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