Edmonton Public Transit

[Coldrsx]

I would disagree. We want LRT to all corners of the city and the NW is included in the plan. It makes sense to connect St.Albert as well.

[itom 987]

Bite the bullet and build the northwest extension first, the south already has LRT access, there is no need to give them more when others have none.

[Black Star]

Originally Posted by itom 987

Bite the bullet and build the northwest extension first, the south already has LRT access, there is no need to give them more when others have none.

Agree......

[foolworm]

A priority list is always contentious since whoever isn't at the top will have grievances. It's understandable that the Northwest will complain that they're being left out, but what about Centre LRT and the extension to Capilano / Ottewell? Wasn't that just as 'equal' as the other two projects Esslinger quoted?

I think the timing is rather sudden, given Covid and the City's dire financial straits. Recall that Capital Line South was mentioned as a possible stimulus project in the letter that the Mayor supposedly sent to the Premier a couple months back, and beyond the Park'n'Ride is a big chunk of provincial land that justifies them pitching in. I could see Northwest going to Castle Downs but that's about it - no sense going all the way to Campbell Road unless St. Albert is willing to pitch in? Or perhaps it's a matter for the ballyhooed Regional Transit Commission, if and when it's actually formed?

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by foolworm

A priority list is always contentious since whoever isn't at the top will have grievances. It's understandable that the Northwest will complain that they're being left out, but what about Centre LRT and the extension to Capilano / Ottewell? Wasn't that just as 'equal' as the other two projects Esslinger quoted?

I think the timing is rather sudden, given Covid and the City's dire financial straits. Recall that Capital Line South was mentioned as a possible stimulus project in the letter that the Mayor supposedly sent to the Premier a couple months back, and beyond the Park'n'Ride is a big chunk of provincial land that justifies them pitching in. I could see Northwest going to Castle Downs but that's about it - no sense going all the way to Campbell Road unless St. Albert is willing to pitch in? Or perhaps it's a matter for the ballyhooed Regional Transit Commission, if and when it's actually formed?

The Centre LRT is likely never going ahead, as the new City Plan does not contemplate rapid transit down Whyte Ave (the most we'd get is BRT I believe). As for the 'Energy Line' extension to Ottewell area and east to Sherwood Park, who knows, as there hasn't been any concept plans developer for that yet. Capital Line South and Metro Line Northwest are by far the furthest along in the design-development process.

[Coldrsx]

Agree. Whyte does not want it.

I'd love to see a simply heritage style trolley car go there. UofA to Bonnie Doon on 5-7mins frequencies.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Besides this new trolley line, build a new LRT line from the new Bonnie Doon LRT station to Sherwood Park, following Whyte Ave and the Sherwood Park Freeway and at least one stop in Refinery Row.

Conversely, build a new LRT line from the new Muttart LRT station to Sherwood Park along 98 Ave and Baseline Road with stops at 75 St, Capilano Mall and Refinery Row.

[_Citizen_Dane_]

Originally Posted by s211

If St. Albert wants it, it can pony up for it. Little benefit for Edmonton to go NW?

As someone who lived in the northwest for twenty years, near where the proposed line is going, I can say there’d be plenty of benefit for it to go through. That whole quadrant of the city is a transit dead zone and delaying an expansion into it will only continue to make things worse. If we count 97th Street as the divide between west and east Edmonton, that leaves 127th Street as the only major corridor in and out of the majority of the northwest, and to get downtown from 127th you literally have one bus, the 12, to get you there directly — or Kingsway ninety percent of the time as downtown travel is only available at peak hours. It’s a slow meandering route that cuts through Rosslyn, Wellington, Dunvegan, and Athlone, and can take upwards of forty-five minutes to get there, where in a car you could get there more directly in what, ten or fifteen? It’s ridiculous. If a train were to run through up 113A Street, it could get you there in comparable time.

Originally Posted by foolworm

It's understandable that the Northwest will complain that they're being left out, but what about Centre LRT and the extension to Capilano / Ottewell? Wasn't that just as 'equal' as the other two projects Esslinger quoted?

I’d argue that the Energy and Centre Lines aren’t equal to the Metro expansion, at least right now, for the simple fact that they serve areas already well served by transit. When the Valley Line opens sometime next year (hopefully) it will be within a relatively easy reach for most to at least bus to on the southeast, while the Centre is planned to run down Whyte and Downtown, two areas that are already exceedingly well served with transit options. The northwest isn’t. As I mentioned above, it really lacks any quick bus routes to the core — you have the 12 or you have to transfer at Northgate to the 9 to take you there — and any route that does take you directly to the LRT, like the 137, has to take you to Clareview station, which for most is located on the literal opposite end of the city.

[foolworm]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Agree. Whyte does not want it.

I'd love to see a simply heritage style trolley car go there. UofA to Bonnie Doon on 5-7mins frequencies.

Would Whyte want that? My impression was that the heritage streetcar was welcome in its current state, but any suggestion of occupying road space would be rejected out of hand.

Originally Posted by _Citizen_Dane_

As someone who lived in the northwest for twenty years, near where the proposed line is going, I can say there’d be plenty of benefit for it to go through. That whole quadrant of the city is a transit dead zone and delaying an expansion into it will only continue to make things worse. If we count 97th Street as the divide between west and east Edmonton, that leaves 127th Street as the only major corridor in and out of the majority of the northwest, and to get downtown from 127th you literally have one bus, the 12, to get you there directly — or Kingsway ninety percent of the time as downtown travel is only available at peak hours. It’s a slow meandering route that cuts through Rosslyn, Wellington, Dunvegan, and Athlone, and can take upwards of forty-five minutes to get there, where in a car you could get there more directly in what, ten or fifteen? It’s ridiculous. If a train were to run through up 113A Street, it could get you there in comparable time.

Is there any improvement in service with the bus network redesign? Not to say that's a substitute, but even if Metro line got the green light today it would be years before LRT trains run over the Yellowhead.

[s211]

Originally Posted by _Citizen_Dane_

As someone who lived in the northwest for twenty years, near where the proposed line is going, I can say there’d be plenty of benefit for it to go through. That whole quadrant of the city is a transit dead zone and delaying an expansion into it will only continue to make things worse.

I hear what you're saying, but for the dead zone, was it chicken or egg? Or put another way, if the area is surviving without extensive and/or frequent transit service, then it begs the question why go all-in with the most expensive transit solution?

Genuinely curious what the varying service level needs are for the various suburban communities. Not meaning to be argumentative.

[_Citizen_Dane_]

Originally Posted by foolworm

Would Whyte want that? My impression was that the heritage streetcar was welcome in its current state, but any suggestion of occupying road space would be rejected out of hand.

Is there any improvement in service with the bus network redesign? Not to say that's a substitute, but even if Metro line got the green light today it would be years before LRT trains run over the Yellowhead.

Yeah, I’ll be really interested to see how it helps, or doesn't. Looking at this City map it still seems like they’re ignoring the direct route down 127th and Kingsway for the most part, with only a local and peak hours routes, which is a shame because a direct route straight down and over would be a quick and easy solution. But then again, I don’t know the ridership numbers are there to support that — whenever I took the 12, even in the late morning or early afternoon, to and from Kingsway it seemed a fairly busy route.

Originally Posted by s211

I hear what you're saying, but for the dead zone, was it chicken or egg? Or put another way, if the area is surviving without extensive and/or frequent transit service, then it begs the question why go all-in with the most expensive transit solution?

Genuinely curious what the varying service level needs are for the various suburban communities. Not meaning to be argumentative.

No, you’re not at all and that's a fair point — I guess a little bit of hyperbole on my part is to blame. It's not so much that transit within that entire quadrant’s bad, there are genuinely a lot of routes, but almost none (as far as I know) head directly downtown, with the exception of the 12 and that’s more so what I was trying to get at, rather long windedly, I’ll admit. I think the big problem is the CN yard and the Yellowhead, which bottlenecks traffic either down 127th or 97th, and given that there’s the Northgate Transit Centre at 97th, it seems like ETS is just content with directing buses there, then forcing people to transfer if they want to head downtown. And I can see the logic behind that, but as I mentioned in the reply just above, it seems to me that the best direct route for those in the northwest, west of 113A, would be straight down 127th and onto Kingsway, and barring that happening a more direct LRT route would do wonders.

[Glenco]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

Besides this new trolley line, build a new LRT line from the new Bonnie Doon LRT station to Sherwood Park, following Whyte Ave and the Sherwood Park Freeway and at least one stop in Refinery Row.

Conversely, build a new LRT line from the new Muttart LRT station to Sherwood Park along 98 Ave and Baseline Road with stops at 75 St, Capilano Mall and Refinery Row.

Why would the city of Edmonton build an LRT to Sherwood Park when the county of Strathcona have shown absolutely no interest in cooperating in a regional transit system?

[Coldrsx]

Exactly.

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Natasha Riebe
@natashariebe
· 37m
Edmonton city council agrees to extend Capital Line south to Ellerslie ahead of Metro Line extension north to Castle Downs. Vote 8 to 5. @CityofEdmonton #yegcc #yeg #yegtransit

[Coldrsx]

New Connors Road Bridge.


https://twitter.com/MarkConnollyCBC/status/1267524535277912064

[s211]

Originally Posted by Glenco

Why would the city of Edmonton build an LRT to Sherwood Park when the county of Strathcona have shown absolutely no interest in cooperating in a regional transit system?

Strathcona is a leech, gaming the provincial system for decades. Sherwood Park a hamlet? How is that permitted to continue uncontested?

https://www.strathcona.ca/council-county/facts-stats-and-forecasts/communities/sherwood-park/

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Exactly.

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Natasha Riebe
@natashariebe
· 37m
Edmonton city council agrees to extend Capital Line south to Ellerslie ahead of Metro Line extension north to Castle Downs. Vote 8 to 5. @CityofEdmonton #yegcc #yeg #yegtransit

I'm looking ahead to the next election, so which councilors voted against?

[B.ike]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

I'm looking ahead to the next election, so which councilors voted against?

Bev Esslinger, Jon Dziadyk, Mike Nickel, Aaron Paquette and Moe Banga

It was a given Esslinger and Dziadyk would be against expediting the SLRT as the NW LRT directly benefits their wards.

[Coldrsx]

Capital Line Extension:


https://i.cbc.ca/1.5594281.1591056458!/f...rivatives/original_1180/capital-line.jpg


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-city-council-1.5594234

[Harrison]

I was shocked to hear that this 2-station extension would cost around $1 billion, but then I thought about the bridges over Whitemud Creek and the Henday, as well as the Operations and Maintenance Facility, which definitely contribute to a higher cost.

Also. this is my 1,000th post, a full 13.5 years since I first signed up for a SSP account. Took me long enough to get here!

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by Harrison

I was shocked to hear that this 2-station extension would cost around $1 billion, but then I thought about the bridges over Whitemud Creek and the Henday, as well as the Operations and Maintenance Facility, which definitely contribute to a higher cost.

Also. this is my 1,000th post, a full 13.5 years since I first signed up for a SSP account. Took me long enough to get here!

congratulations!

noting that, for perspective, if Coldrsx stopped posting as of right now, it would only take you another 739.44 years to reach his post count so you might have to step things up. i would add an emoticon but i'm not sure which one is the most fitting...