Quote:
Originally Posted by speedog
Edmonton's population was around 480,000 when they opened their LRT in 1978, Calgary was around 590,000 when they opened their LRT in 1981. Winnipeg is currently at around 720,000 so one would think that LRT might be happening soon but maybe there's just not that need there yet.
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I suspect that a few factors go into the decision to go with BRT over LRT but in Winnipeg's case it's not easy to compare its situation with Calgary or Edmonton.
Alberta has been drowning in oil money for a long time. On top of that the growth rates have been astronomical for decades. Put it all together and the only option that makes any sense is LRT. They also had the advantage in planning because those cities had less old infrastructure to plow through and could build their systems to be successful.
Winnipeg's footprint is generally older and much slower growing. On top of that the cash just isn't there. Remember, we're talking about a city that was stagnant for a decade and has been hit hard by the changing realities of modern economies. Lots of reverence for the past and little thought to planning for a successful future. My biggest beef with this city has always been the lack of vision.
BRT was sold to the citizenry as an interim measure. Something like Ottawa's very successful Transitway. At the time it was first seriously proposed, we had a visionary mayor but too many people had a problem with change so we elected an old-school businessman who really didn't think the future included environmentally sound mass transit systems. His plan was a "made in Winnipeg" solution whereby we installed a few priority signals and bus lanes in selected areas because it was the cheapest solution. Now we've got a guy with a little more vision but it remains to be seen if he follows through.
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