Edmonton Public Transit II (October 2023)

[JSS1974]

Originally Posted by stilicho

Would you encourage your kids to use this facility unaccompanied?

No way

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by stilicho

Would you encourage your kids to use this facility unaccompanied?

Define age of 'kids'...I'm assuming 10 and older? Obviously younger then 10 won't be rolling solo on any transit except maybe a bus for a short distance.

As someone with both a 7 and 10-year old I would say no. However, 12 YO and up no problem 'depending' on where they are going and stations. Some areas are hard redlines such as Coliseum, Belvedere. They've always been rough.

But I'm sure most people would agree with this in any city considering the crime/safety issues related to transit over the past few years.

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Define age of 'kids'...I'm assuming 10 and older? Obviously younger then 10 won't be rolling solo on any transit except maybe a bus for a short distance.

As someone with both a 7 and 10-year old I would say no. However, 12 YO and up no problem 'depending' on where they are going and stations. Some areas are hard redlines such as Coliseum, Belvedere. They've always been rough.

But I'm sure most people would agree with this in any city considering the crime/safety issues related to transit over the past few years.

I'm of a different generation but I think there are two definitions of transit that need to be recognized before the question can be answered.

The answer to having a 12 year old use transit alone might well be "yes" where transit is a bus that has an operator present and "no" where lrt functions on its own with no operator in a position to exercise any real control or supervision...

[feepa]

The bus driver isn't there to supervise, and on a busy bus, I doubt the operator has much more control or insight than an LRT driver using CCTV

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by stilicho

Would you encourage your kids to use this facility unaccompanied?

Not currently since he's not even four months old lol

Once he is 13, I'd say yes, but ideally with a friend or two.

[foolworm]

New NAIT station opening Jan 20 apparently. City website just updated with the announcement.

[GenWhy?]

Cool like info I did not know:

"This summer, crews installed solar panels on the NAIT/Blatchford Market Station and Blatchford Gate Station, which will supply approximately two-thirds of the stations’ electricity needs."

[stilicho]

I often wander around towards downtown and on Saturday evening I thought I'd treat myself to a bus ride back home. I used my trusty ARC card.

I tapped.

I tapped again.

Nothing but blue lights.

The bus driver said "just forget about it".

The card was too cold to be read.

I'm not a regular transit user but I have tried to document for us the unreliability of the system as it now works. I'd guess I have ridden free 20% of the time. So that's about $2.20 a ride on average.

[stilicho]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Cool like info I did not know:

"This summer, crews installed solar panels on the NAIT/Blatchford Market Station and Blatchford Gate Station, which will supply approximately two-thirds of the stations’ electricity needs."

That's exciting news for the fifty-eight people who call Blatchford home.

For less than a third of the cost you can buy a brand new detached home in Beaumont with easy access to the Henday.

[Rocket252]

Originally Posted by stilicho

That's exciting news for the fifty-eight people who call Blatchford home.

For less than a third of the cost you can buy a brand new detached home in Beaumont with easy access to the Henday.

Does the city do a cost analysis for projects such as this? Does the upfront cost justify the long term savings over the life of the panels?
Also the claim that the project will supply two thirds of the power for the stations. Is that based on an average over the year because I doubt it would be generating that much power during the winter months.

[Coldrsx]

I would assume that they do an ROI analysis and it's likely averaged over the full year.

[Rocket252]

^ Don't assume anything when it comes to this city

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by stilicho

That's exciting news for the fifty-eight people who call Blatchford home.

For less than a third of the cost you can buy a brand new detached home in Beaumont with easy access to the Henday.

Keep in mind the Nait/Blatchford Market station will be primarily used by people going to and from NAIT - the 58 people living in Blatchford will likely continue to take transit along Kingsway unless a shared-use path directly to the new station is constructed from their homes.

[s211]

Originally Posted by Rocket252

Does the city do a cost analysis for projects such as this? Does the upfront cost justify the long term savings over the life of the panels?

You can't put a price on a virtue signal. Oh wait, perhaps the City can.

[GenWhy?]

Seeing how the comments went... I regret using the triggering words "solar panel". Would it be safe to say at least 160 people live in the new Blatchford homes? And NAIT got a bunch of funding in the Fall too if I recall which would lead to a boost to ridership here I assume.

isn't this a pretty common practice to put them on City public buildings?

[Coldrsx]

NAIT/Blatchford Market Station opens ahead of schedule
January 16, 2024

The City of Edmonton is pleased to announce Phase 1 of the Metro Line Northwest LRT extension has been completed on budget and more than a year ahead of schedule. On January 20, the new NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station will open for passenger service, and the temporary NAIT LRT station will close.

Phase 1 construction was originally anticipated to be complete in 2025, but was completed in December 2023.

“Completing Phase 1 of the Metro Line Northwest LRT extension ahead of schedule is a significant infrastructure milestone to serve our growing needs,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “This extension further strengthens our LRT network and provides the north side of Edmonton with greater access to transit service.”

The NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station will serve as a critical mass-transit connection into the city’s downtown core for the 30,000 future Edmontonians living in Blatchford, the adjacent Westwood community and the growing student population at NAIT.

The new NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station is approximately 300 metres west of the temporary NAIT station and has a longer platform to accommodate ridership growth. The added service capacity provides the option of using up to five-car trains on the Metro Line to better serve students and residents travelling to and from the area. Service frequency and bus service to the new station will remain unchanged compared to service to the temporary NAIT station. Salvaging of materials and other demolition activities will commence at the temporary NAIT station in the coming weeks.

“It is with great pleasure to see the first phase of the Edmonton Metro Line LRT Expansion completed, and with it, the official opening of the new, permanent NAIT/Blatchford Market station,” said the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities of Canada. “The larger station will benefit students of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, future residents of the Blatchford neighbourhood and bring this LRT network one step closer to connecting communities for Edmontonians.”

“Alberta’s government remains committed to supporting transit in this province. We are pleased to see this significant step forward in the Metro Line Northwest LRT with the opening of the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station ahead of schedule and on budget,” said Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors.

At each stage of the project, the Metro Line Northwest extension applied an urban LRT design philosophy, focusing on sustainability and seamless integration of LRT with the adjacent land, including Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).

The design features fewer barriers and focuses on improved access to LRT infrastructure for all transit users. A shared-use path runs along the full length of the extension and connects to shared-use paths at 118 Avenue and 123 Avenue, providing safer access to the City’s active transportation network to the east along 106 Street. Finally, the NAIT/Blatchford Market station is equipped with solar panels to supply up to two-thirds of the station’s electricity needs, contributing to the City’s green building initiatives.

The newly built Blatchford Gate LRT station is located further north along the alignment. It will open for service when the criteria for the City’s Transit Service Standards—which recommend how and when to add more service—is met.

The total budget for Metro Line Phase 1 is approximately $291 million. The construction is funded with the following contributions: Government of Canada, through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program ($103 million); Government of Alberta ($107 million); and City of Edmonton ($58 million). The planning and design phases were previously completed with contributions by all three levels of government.

LRT projects such as the Metro Line extension are critical as the City gradually shifts Edmonton’s mobility network to provide a variety of more sustainable travel options as Edmonton grows into a city of two million people.


For more information:
edmonton.ca/metrolinenw

Media contact:
Alastair Lillico
Communications Coordinator
Integrated Infrastructure Services
780-289-2110

[Coldrsx]

Valley Line West: Bridge Girder Installation over Anthony Henday Drive
January 17, 2024

News media are invited to join Brad Baumle, Construction Manager, Marigold Infrastructure Partners, for details about the upcoming installation of bridge girders over Anthony Henday Drive for the new Valley Line West LRT bridge.

Date: Thursday, January 18
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Media Room, Main floor, City Hall

Please RSVP to Sheila Keenan at sheila.keenan@edmonton.ca. News media will have the opportunity to ask questions.


For more information:
Construction Bulletin
edmonton.ca/valleylinewest

Media contact:
Sheila Keenan
Communications Advisor
Integrated Infrastructure Services
780-886-6415

[foolworm]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Seeing how the comments went... I regret using the triggering words "solar panel". Would it be safe to say at least 160 people live in the new Blatchford homes? And NAIT got a bunch of funding in the Fall too if I recall which would lead to a boost to ridership here I assume.

isn't this a pretty common practice to put them on City public buildings?

It's a sad day when solar panels are a contentious issue... but expected given the ad blitz the UCP has mounted against renewables.

[EdmTrekker]

Originally Posted by foolworm

It's a sad day when solar panels are a contentious issue... but expected given the ad blitz the UCP has mounted against renewables.

[Rocket252]

Solar cells can be constructed to work in any conditions as illustrated above. My question is because of the lack of consistent power coming from these devices a storage component is required namely batteries. Is the city incorporating some form of storage technology when it does these deployments?