I strongly recommend Edmonton retain its trolley infrastructure and the transit authority should buy a new fleet of trolley buses while the City plants trees to improve street aesthetics. (Seriously, where are the trees?)
As I see it the main point of contention for trolley buses is the perception by some that their overhead wires are visually undesirable and that a street would be nicer without them. I vigorously disagree with this position. The visual pollution, as some call it, is subjective at best and car-centric NIMBYism at worst. Plant some street trees along the trolley bus corridors, actually plant them everywhere. Trees improve the aesthetic of a street and visually block a great deal of the overhead wire infrastructure for pedestrians while simultaneously providing shade and creating a more bucolic people-oriented streetscape that benefits businesses. The streets featured in these images are severely lacking in pedestrian-oriented aesthetics and street trees and is, frankly, like looking back at archival photos. I applaud the neighbourhood association’s efforts to redesign the street but plant some trees first and lobby the city to up-zone the whole area and attract multi-storey mixed-use development that will invigorate the street and diminish the visual significance of the overhead wire infrastructure. Also, re-imagine what the overhead wires represent and internalize the fact that trolley infrastructure equals quieter streets.
While the visual aesthetic of overhead transit wires is subjective and up for debate, the fact that diesel buses are noisy and electric trolleys are virtually silent is not. Trolley buses promote a more pedestrian-oriented street while diesel buses are noisy and a significant impediment to a vibrant high-street. Trolley buses are also less expensive to operate, have a longer life-span, and are now able to be offered in low-floor models that are fully accessible, which is a major plus for transit systems that are endeavouring to meet the needs of an aging population.
Regarding the appearance of trolley buses, Vancouver is in the process of taking delivery of a new fleet of 227 trolley buses from New Flyer. One fifth of these will be high-capacity articulated models. They continue to feature the regenerative breaking technology of the fleet from the 1980s that they are replacing and again have the ability to exit an intersection on battery power if they derail. They are low-floor and can accommodate two wheelchair patrons and have a bike rack in front for two bikes. They are bright and spacious inside and offer significantly more legroom than the buses they are replacing. The trolley body is standard New Flyer and maintenance should be simplified by having one standardized chassis for all future New Flyer buses, including the several hundred diesel and natural gas buses that are on order and in the process of being delivered.
The new New Flyer trolley buses (standard 40ft and articulated 60ft)
And typical Vancouver streetscapes with overhead trolley infrastructure. (‘sure doesn’t ruin the view in my opinion)
(that's the tail end of an example of our old early-1980s New Flyer fleet)
Prev
Linear Mode
