West LRT | 7 Stations | 8.0 KM | In Service

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

As someone who commutes on the soon-to-be world's biggest subway system ( ) I agree with this sentiment. Putting seats only along the walls of the train is far more efficient than having them perpendicular to the walls, and significantly increases capacity - a standing person takes up significantly less space than a sitting person does. It's no wonder that pretty much every large metro system in the world uses this form of seating, and not the perpendicular seating found on many LRT systems.

As someone who regularly commuted (up until a month ago) on one of the world's most underdeveloped subway systems, I concur.

[O-tacular]

Question: is the new Ernest Manning highschool being built by Ambrose college? off 69th St?

[PPAR]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Question: is the new Ernest Manning highschool being built by Ambrose college? off 69th St?

Yes. The new Ernest Manning is going up west of 69th street just south of 17 Av. It will be just south of the 69 St. Station. The parkade discussed above is in fact partly for school parking (as well as park and ride).

That area is going to have a big student population: Ambrose, Earnest Manning, and Rundle College are all on the same field, Not to mention West Side Rec. across the street.

[O-tacular]

Thanks. I was wondering. That'll be quite the campus with the college right next door and a new LRT station.

[Innersoul1]

Just a random question. Down the road when the West LRT goes beyond 69th will the tracks jog to be in the median of 17th or stay trenched on the south side of 17th. I am pretty sure that it is to be trenched along 17th until it goes beyond 85th but how will they deal with the parking lot at Rundle college?

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[mersar]

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

Just a random question. Down the road when the West LRT goes beyond 69th will the tracks jog to be in the median of 17th or stay trenched on the south side of 17th. I am pretty sure that it is to be trenched along 17th until it goes beyond 85th but how will they deal with the parking lot at Rundle college?

It probably wouldn't affect the parking lot too much as there does look to be a bit of space plus they could also realign the road, at most if it does stay trenched (which by all indications I think it will since technically the end of the tracks for this phase actually is just before 73rd Street and its still trenched at the west end of the parkade as the site plans show an entrance to the parkade passing over the tracks) they'd just have to build a road over the tracks. Past there in the next extension I'd expect that the tracks will probably switch back to the north side of 17th, as the preliminary alignments I've seen for Aspen Hills has the station north of 17th into the community somewhat.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by Wooster

As someone who regularly commuted (up until a month ago) on one of the world's most underdeveloped subway systems, I concur.

As someone who commutes on the oldest subway system in the world, I agree as well. After I first started riding metros in Europe, every time I took the CTrain during rush hour I wondered why CT didn't go with parallel/bench seating. Nice to see them finally heading this way and really nice to seem them actually modifying some of the existing rolling stock.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

This should be one of the next "short" line extensions. NW is done for the foreseeable future after Tuscany Station, the NE line will pretty much be at the end of existing development in 2012. The next South line extension will probably be done as 2 stations, and there isn't much development on the south end of that extension (212th Ave.).

This is pretty much spot on, except if you were using the Dutch model. Maybe rapid transit should now start to precede, or at least coincide with, development... How many North American cities are in a similar situation where existing rapid transit lines have caught up to, or kept pace with, development?

[mersar]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Regarding the next extension to Aspen Woods. I could see it being done within 5 years of the completion of WLRT to 69th Street. That is, unless they lump it in with the next station to the west, around 101st Street.

I personally can't see any stations beyond Aspen Woods for quite a while, easily 20+ years as resistance to development from Springbank will prevent any major communities past 101st in my view. Even then, if the Aspen Woods station is where Frinkprof indicated (roughly the west side of 93rd), the next station would be west of 101st, which is also going to be on the other side of Stoney.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Wooster]

Yeah, most of the existing lines go or are going very soon to as far as they need to at the urban edge for the foreseeable future. It's time to quickly catch up the the swaths of Calgary that don't have LRT - the SE and North Central. Then longer term the East Corridor along 17th ave SE and the Bow Valley Corridor (west hillhurst, parkdale, montgomery, Bowness etc) as well as a circle route to start to connect these spokes together. Comprehensive coverage of Calgary's geography is needed for truly effective rapid transit and the ability to live day to day life without a car.

[Innersoul1]

Originally Posted by mersar

I personally can't see any stations beyond Aspen Woods for quite a while, easily 20+ years as resistance to development from Springbank will prevent any major communities past 101st in my view. Even then, if the Aspen Woods station is where Frinkprof indicated (roughly the west side of 93rd), the next station would be west of 101st, which is also going to be on the other side of Stoney.

Yeah, I live right in Aspen Hills on 93rd St. I welcome the proximity of the station running in the community. Howere, Mersar makes a very valid point that the likelihood of the LRT going beyond that will take quite some time. In fact, it almost makes sense to have the LRT run toward the ring road and then follow the circle route as the ring road is likely to be completed before any further dense development to the west.

Thank you all for your answers about Rundle College above.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by Wooster

Yeah, most of the existing lines go or are going very soon to as far as they need to at the urban edge for the foreseeable future. It's time to quickly catch up the the swaths of Calgary that don't have LRT - the SE and North Central. Then longer term the East Corridor along 17th ave SE and the Bow Valley Corridor (west hillhurst, parkdale, montgomery, Bowness etc) as well as a circle route to start to connect these spokes together. Comprehensive coverage of Calgary's geography is needed for truly effective rapid transit and the ability to live day to day life without a car.

While I do believe it is important to provide LRT service in areas that are currently not serviced by LRT lines, it would be a shame to let development in the NE and South get ahead of rapid transit again; there needs to be a balance. One of the ways I think the City could go about funding the extensions in the NE and South is to copy the Section 106 method used in the UK. Basically, the City could attempt to recoup 75% of the cost of servicing new developments through Development Levies and make up the remaining 25%, or even get an additional 25%, through Section 106 agreements that would result in developers providing transportation infrastructure (i.e. LRT stations and facilities). The newest station on the London Overground, Imperial Wharf, was partially funded by a Section 106 agreement. Here is an article briefly describing it.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[PPAR]

Originally Posted by mersar

I personally can't see any stations beyond Aspen Woods for quite a while, easily 20+ years as resistance to development from Springbank will prevent any major communities past 101st in my view. Even then, if the Aspen Woods station is where Frinkprof indicated (roughly the west side of 93rd), the next station would be west of 101st, which is also going to be on the other side of Stoney.

Springbank will not really need to 'resist' given they have spent the last ten years building low density acreages (1 or 2 acre lots) all along the west side of the city. It is one of the great regional planning crimes of Calgary- the ability to increase density on the west side will be hamstrung by all the small single family lots out there.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by PPAR

Springbank will not really need to 'resist' given they have spent the last ten years building low density acreages (1 or 2 acre lots) all along the west side of the city. It is one of the great regional planning crimes of Calgary- the ability to increase density on the west side will be hamstrung by all the small single family lots out there.

Which isn't a terrible thing. The West, North and South sides are far too overbuilt with residential, hence the terrible West-East traffic problem in this city. Maybe this will make development in the East more viable.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.