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Claeren · 04-26-2005, 04:06 PM

In regards to the tunnel. The idea now is that each building that is built along that line (8th ave) has considerations at the underground level for future LRT. So when enough new buildings have been built it is only a matter of connecting the sections/stations of the new buildings. That is why that Penny Lane high rise proposal was so significant, it would be the furthest west section in the future LRT line, or in other words it would eventually be the hub for the future 'Penny Lane' station. As far as i know City Hall, the Convention Centre, Bankers Hall, and Penny Lane would all be ready to go, we just need 2-3 more stops west of that and then connections and track and stations and access and so on and you are ready to go!

On a side note about flooding, that is the explination as to why we don't have a tunnel versus Edmonton. They did it because they had stable soil and no water table to deal with. We have both problems, which we can overcome but for even more money then Edmonton spent, a VERY signifacant amount. Calgary went from DT to University for the same price as one block of underground cost in Edmonton.

LRT out to Crowfoot is dumb IMHO. It is a GREAT idea in the broad sense but by favouring that over extensions like the DT to the west westbrook extension or the new DT to SE line through Inglewood, or a new DT to NE'ish extension to the deerfoot and eventually coventry hills is misguided. The greatest value in a commuter city like Calgary for LRT is to get the most people into the core as possible. People are already willing to drive to Brentwood/Dalhousie/Stadium to fill up the parking and to fill the trains. The ONLY thing a multimillion dollar station at crowfoot does is lessen their drive 5-8km's, but still fills the trains with the same amount of people. That means that amount of pressure on the actual DT core entrance points is the exact same.

By comparison, any of the other 3 extensions i mentioned would allow for an entirely new set of drivers to drive half way to work and then take the train the rest of the way in. For example, an extension to the old Westbrook site would allow empty NE trains to take another 50,000(?) passengers a day off the last leg (the worst leg) of the downtown commute.

After understanding that rush hour is a reality in ANY city, and should be, the problems are not on the edges of the city but rather on that last leg into the core. A car taken off of the Bowtrail/9th ave stretch of the commute is a LOT more valuable then a car taken off of the Stoney Trail to Dalhousie stretch.

It is a silly but signifcant point that cities have cores in the middle of a circlular shaped city for a reason, and that the very thing that makes a core valuable is the very reason traveling through that last leg efficiently is so important.

Lastly, stations out as far as crowfoot encourage even more sprawl, more traffic, poorer transportation decisions, etc. People are even more enable to live further from the core and even better, more of them are not even tax paying citizens! So essentially, we are not building stations on our edges for Calgarians (who can drive or bus easily the first few km's to the current stations) but for the 'non-property tax'/'only occasionally gas tax' paying citizens of Cochrane, Airdrie, and Okatoks, along with all those other people outside city limits.

Just seems silly.... although admitedly winning more votes from the easy to please suburban voters...

The new North/NE line up to the area above Nosehill park is a LONG way off, probably the 6th line of the LRT. It will likely run out to the Zoo, then north along the Deerfoot, then branch out to the west and up Beddington Tr or along Country Hills and so on from there.

In regards to the above, it will also likely be most of the route for the airport extension, which is a LOT further off then most may realize. There are ZERO plans for an airport connection to the current NE route, as it will now curve east not west, and instead the airport route will follow the deerfoot south to the zoo and then into the city, making it the 6.5 route.

Cheers,
Claeren.

04-26-2005, 04:06 PM	#31
Claeren Franchise Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Section 218 Exp:	In regards to the tunnel. The idea now is that each building that is built along that line (8th ave) has considerations at the underground level for future LRT. So when enough new buildings have been built it is only a matter of connecting the sections/stations of the new buildings. That is why that Penny Lane high rise proposal was so significant, it would be the furthest west section in the future LRT line, or in other words it would eventually be the hub for the future 'Penny Lane' station. As far as i know City Hall, the Convention Centre, Bankers Hall, and Penny Lane would all be ready to go, we just need 2-3 more stops west of that and then connections and track and stations and access and so on and you are ready to go! On a side note about flooding, that is the explination as to why we don't have a tunnel versus Edmonton. They did it because they had stable soil and no water table to deal with. We have both problems, which we can overcome but for even more money then Edmonton spent, a VERY signifacant amount. Calgary went from DT to University for the same price as one block of underground cost in Edmonton. LRT out to Crowfoot is dumb IMHO. It is a GREAT idea in the broad sense but by favouring that over extensions like the DT to the west westbrook extension or the new DT to SE line through Inglewood, or a new DT to NE'ish extension to the deerfoot and eventually coventry hills is misguided. The greatest value in a commuter city like Calgary for LRT is to get the most people into the core as possible. People are already willing to drive to Brentwood/Dalhousie/Stadium to fill up the parking and to fill the trains. The ONLY thing a multimillion dollar station at crowfoot does is lessen their drive 5-8km's, but still fills the trains with the same amount of people. That means that amount of pressure on the actual DT core entrance points is the exact same. By comparison, any of the other 3 extensions i mentioned would allow for an entirely new set of drivers to drive half way to work and then take the train the rest of the way in. For example, an extension to the old Westbrook site would allow empty NE trains to take another 50,000(?) passengers a day off the last leg (the worst leg) of the downtown commute. After understanding that rush hour is a reality in ANY city, and should be, the problems are not on the edges of the city but rather on that last leg into the core. A car taken off of the Bowtrail/9th ave stretch of the commute is a LOT more valuable then a car taken off of the Stoney Trail to Dalhousie stretch. It is a silly but signifcant point that cities have cores in the middle of a circlular shaped city for a reason, and that the very thing that makes a core valuable is the very reason traveling through that last leg efficiently is so important. Lastly, stations out as far as crowfoot encourage even more sprawl, more traffic, poorer transportation decisions, etc. People are even more enable to live further from the core and even better, more of them are not even tax paying citizens! So essentially, we are not building stations on our edges for Calgarians (who can drive or bus easily the first few km's to the current stations) but for the 'non-property tax'/'only occasionally gas tax' paying citizens of Cochrane, Airdrie, and Okatoks, along with all those other people outside city limits. Just seems silly.... although admitedly winning more votes from the easy to please suburban voters... The new North/NE line up to the area above Nosehill park is a LONG way off, probably the 6th line of the LRT. It will likely run out to the Zoo, then north along the Deerfoot, then branch out to the west and up Beddington Tr or along Country Hills and so on from there. In regards to the above, it will also likely be most of the route for the airport extension, which is a LOT further off then most may realize. There are ZERO plans for an airport connection to the current NE route, as it will now curve east not west, and instead the airport route will follow the deerfoot south to the zoo and then into the city, making it the 6.5 route. Cheers, Claeren.