Quote:
Originally Posted by SeoulFire
I guess I lied about last post (not that there was ever any doubt).
Think small remain small and that about sums up my feelings on this. The Seoul subway was initiated in the 70s (above ground line) and expanded in the late 70's to 80's. The three expansion lines were either elevated or underground. At the time S. Korean economy was 1/10 the size of Canada. And yes, Seoul was about 10 times as big as Calgary when it began. There are now 9 lines with 5 spinoff lines - all constructed under existing roadways without shutting down traffic at a very very high cost. They considered that the investment in the infrastructure and the non-disruptive nature was well worth it in the long term.
If the city/province/country was serious about getting things done while thinking for the future the money would be allocated. Sadly we are left faced with bureaucrats who are not willing to make the difficult calls (to maintain their popularity and job security) while selling out the future. People continue to make comparisons to Edmonton but I prefer to choose a more successful model.
For the record, I was not referring to the downtown core for the traffic disruptions - it was in regards to the NE line and the S line mostly.Any more above ground and not over/underpassed is just laying the foundation for future traffic problems which the "fix" could cost more than doing it right in the first place.
If you are happy with glorified cable cars so be it. I am just happy that my job does not require that I have to use the pathetic excuse for public transit in this city. vote Nenshi It is overpriced (rider and parking) and under-serviced using 1980s technology in fare collection/management.
So after all of this I will concede that you are correct - it was not a ridiculous decision. It was merely a decision lacking in vision and ambition rationalized by budgetary constraints.
Rant over.
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Thanks for the honest reply.
I do agree. The NE part of the line is absurd. I suppose if I lived over there I would be ranting more about the lrt. I live in the NW. I think the LRT is pretty good up here. Considering I live about 5 block from the Crowfoot station.