Quote:
Originally Posted by Biff
I think fostering that way of thinking in the 80"s in Alberta has continued a can do attitude to today. They also see the value in transit initiatives, TOD, public infrastructure etc. Starting the LRT 40+ years ago gave them a history of what good transit/transportation can do for a community.
Here in WPG and MB we have the opposite. Years of lack of funding and we can't afford it attitude make thinking big and making it happen difficult. Most here don't think fancy transit will make any difference and they don't want to be taxed to try it.
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Let's not forget the fact that the cost of capital projects have skyrocketed, even after adjusting for inflation. Requirements and standards have changed since the 1980s, so building the equivalent transit system now would be significantly more expensive, even after accounting for general CPI, than it would cost in the 1980s.
I'd argue that material costs, labour, engineering studies, consultants, environmental/noise/traffic studies/economic impact reports, expropriation costs, inclusive and accessible design, and other factors making building similar projects much more expensive these days than they were 40 years ago.
That, combined with property tax increases that have barely kept up with inflation (85% of which are dedicated to fixing roads), nation-wide increase salary costs for fire/police, and general contempt for transit among the public make large projects financially and politically difficult here in Winnipeg.