Kanata LRT EA - Bayshore to Palladium

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by kmcamp

It's about cost and votes. The periphery generates more bang-for-the-buck for politicians because high density areas get their votes discounted to be more "fair" to the less populated but geographically larger suburbs. At the same time, it's way cheaper to build shiny new things in the suburbs where there's empty land versus the built-up core. Likewise, if you build an expensive new subway in a place like Vanier, those same suburbs will whine about subsidizing something they will never ride on, and it's easier to swing the votes in those areas than in the inner city which has the vote dilution effect (which is why it doesn't work when inner city residents complain about road widening in Barrhaven).

How does that explain why Stittsville is getting priority over Barrhaven? Extending to Kanata and Barrhaven would result in more votes than Kanata and Stittsville.