Posted Nov 5, 2009, 6:15 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 911
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Some interesting and thoughtful discussion happening on both sides of the coin. Just some comments on some of the topics being raised...
In regards to the land adjacent to Nose Creek:
For me the best way to tell if development will succeed along a Nose Creek valley alignment is to turn to the South LRT. The south LRT runs along a CPR right of way for most of its alignment. The adjacent land is mainly the same kind of light industrial/commercial development that exists along the Nose Creek Valley. In the 20+ years that that South LRT has been in operation we have seen very limited redevelopment along this stretch. The City is trying to focus on area plans for a few of the stations along the South LRT but even if those plans are successful, we will still see limited change along a large portion of the line. I can't imagine redevelopment along Nose Creek would be any different. As far as using the vacant land for new large density projects, I don't think that it would be all that successfull of a venture either. From my perspective, Calgarians have shown a large amount of opposition to high density developments in any area besides downtown or the beltline. Add in the fact that these developments would be built in a green belt like Nose Creek, and tell residents of adjacent communities that the traffic will be directed onto the limited (and already clogged) east/west arteries in the area and I just don't think the prospect stands much of a chance.
In regards to regional rail limiting TOD in Nose Creek:
Now having just said all that, let's assume for a second that I'm wrong. That the Nose Creek Valley lives up to its full potential for development. Why do we need the LRT there at all? As mentioned, the proposed regional rail network would follow the exact same alignment as a Nose Creek LRT. Now I will agree that the 'traditional' style of regional rail we have seen here in Canada has limited potential in promoting TOD. By traditional, I'm refering to the model we've seen in Toronto with GoTransit. These trains share the tracks with other trains and as a result frequency is limited but the trains that do run offer a lot of capacity. However in Calgary, there is no reason that we need to follow this model. As somebody has already mentioned, I have no doubt that a future regional rail network will have its own right of way. If the City believes that the land exists in Nose Creek for 2 LRT tracks, construction of a Centre Street alignment means that that land will still be there for 2 regional rail tracks. I think that a regional rail network, consisting of 3 or 4 car train-sets, running every 20 to 30 minutes would be more than capable of meeting the TOD needs of any future development in Nose Creek.
In regards to a Centre Street tram:
I too think that a tram system will be very useful in a city like Calgary. However, I think that a tram is best used to serve the mobility needs with-in a certain region and not to link regions together. For example, I think 17th Ave SW would be perfect for some sort of tram. I also think that once Centre Street develops into a proper urban corridor, it would also benefit from a tram system to serve peoples needs as they travel back and forth along the corridor. However, I don't think that it will stimulate the same level of redevelopment along Centre Street as an LRT line would. The biggest selling feature for any redevelopment along Centre Street would be quick and easy access to/from downtown. Since it shares its right of way with traffic, a tram would offer very limited improvement to the travel times to/from downtown. Now of course, the other option is to create a right of way for the tram that is seperate from traffic and adding priority signals as well. I agree that this would do wonders to provide quick travel times to/from downtown as well as the additonal hop on/hop off benefits that a tram offers. However when it comes to Centre Street, this type of construction would mean that traffic would be limited to one lane in each direction with narrow side-walks and no on-street parking. To me, this would negate any benefits created by a tram system. An underground LRT line avoids these problems.
In regards to construction chaos:
Yes, I agree that any method used to create a Centre Street subway is going to cause head-aches for residents. However, I don't think that this means that the project isn't viable. If you were to go to a resident and ask how they'd like to listen to 5 years of construction, they might hesitate. But what if instead, you were to ask that resident if they'd be willing to put up with 5 years of construction in order to add an extra $20,000 to the value of their home? I think you might get a different response. And while having Centre Street closed in various parts for a few years to accomodate construction will cause some traffic chaos, it isn't completely un-familiar territory. When the Centre Street Bridge was closed for renovations, commuters still found a way to get downtown. When Centre Street was closed at 16th Ave to accomodate the 16th Ave widening project, commuters still found a way around that too. Granted that this project would take a lot longer than either of those, but I think that in the end, commuters will find a way.
Once again, I'd like to say how much I appreciate all the discussion (for and against) going on. Please keep it coming!!!
Cheers,
outoftheice
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