Calgary's $8 BILLION Transit Plan - The RouteAhead
 

This deserves its own thread:

Council today reviewed the first cut at an $8 Billion 30 year Rapid Transit Plan. It's part of a comprehensive strategic plan for Calgary - The RouteAhead.

It's not only a network plan, it also looks at customer service, fiscal sustainability, governance and organization of Calgary Transit and service delivery objectives.

www.routeahead.ca

http://metronews.ca/uncategorized/373507/calgary-council-embarks-on-8b-transit-plan/

Here's the draft proposed RouteAhead Network Plan.

http://metronewsca.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/transit-map-web.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/joshwhit/RouteAhead2.jpg

The goal of the plan is not only to craft a new direction for the service, but also to highlight the need for a funding solution - $8 billion is a lot of money, and there's no current funding solution in partnership with the Provincial and Federal Governments. Transit represents by far the largest infrastructure need for cities.

What do you think of the routes? Discuss.

Overall, a good step. Unity in vision is prerequisite to funding, and planning around ROWs should minimize construction costs and maximize system utilization. That said, without some kind of major adjustment in access to revenue this will take a long, long time. I would argue that nearly all of the proposals are already needed in 2012.

I like that they left the routes deliberately vague, focusing more on nodes and travel direction than alignment. However, in several cases alignment will have a significant effect on cost, and on connection to the next node (ie. UofC/Foothills). I'm curious to see what becomes of the West Campus as well, as it may play a vital role. First things first, let's get a few billion so we can start SELRT.

Also, I'm glad to see SELRT/NCLRT cohesion in writing. The thought of anything else was keeping me up at night.

Why is there no cross-town route in the South, linking the future SE Line, to the South Line at Shawnessey, and then continuing on to the future area of Providence? The draft Providence ASP is planned entirely around a future BRT line running through the heart of that community, yet it does not appear here?

Discouraging to see that the subway, out of all the projects in this plan, is the one that is planned to be built furthest in the future.

Always great to see this work going ahead. Kudos to the Route Ahead team. More thoughts will be forthcoming (watch our TransitCamp blog).

What I do like, which isn't explained well in the map, is the idea of keeping things technology neutral and prioritizing "upgrades" based on a set of several criteria (ridership, operational savings, cost of infrastructure, connections to other routes etc). I honestly think both the north crosstown (16th avenue) and the south crosstown (MRU/Heritage) routes could eventually be upgraded to rail based on the number of large employment centres they serve. I wouldn't want to preclude that at all.

This may be a stupid question, but what is a transitway?

Dedicated, separate infrastructure for transit. Ideally that means regardless of the actual means, whether it's bus, LRT, tram, etc. In this case it's pretty heavily implied to mean a bus-only road, which I think is totally 'meh'.

But it is also a bus only road that can be converted easily to rail.

Here is a search for Ottawa transit way pictures to give you an idea:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=otta...og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=cZVYUJXzHaO8igKMj4CgAQ

Basically it is like 7th avenue except drop the LRT. Only the buses & police/emerg. vehicles can use the transit way.

Regarding the map, I note that the NC and SE LRT's go through downtown on the East side, which might be the best compromise (though I recognize it is just a place holder). As East Village develops, there may be more and more employment hubs on that end, and there is the free service on 7th ave anyway.

I'm happy this version of the plan doesn't have a cross-town at Shawnessey. There is just too much sprawl in the South. A station at 210ave south - unbelievable!

What is that extra red blip on airport trail? Is that because they are still considering making the LRT connection all the way across from NE to NC? I sure hope so.

What is an HOV corridor as opposed to a transit way? Are they still considering a gondola for Foothills Hospital?

It's essentially a product of falsely labelling non-BRT as BRT because they wrongly allocated the name. I can not stress enough how big of a blunder it is and will more so be in the future to have and to continue to label what isn't BRT as BRT. It may seem trivial, but all that it does is relegate a service whose original aim, for all intents and purposes, was to mimic high capacity and rapid rail services as best as possible at a lower capital cost, to that of what is effectively an express bus. The corresponding perception will follow as such and diminishes the would be (would have been) abillity for these systems to overcome the proverbial "rail bias."

The false labelling of these systems slowly lowers their credibility and level of service perception on the whole. True BRT is Bogota, Curitiba, Istanbul, Jakarta, Ahmedabad etc.

That's what I figured, thanks guys. I think a transitway is a great idea for how to phase the SELRT, buy up the land required and build the ROW with busses running on it until money is available to build the LRT.

I also agree about the sentiments about the lack of a cross town route in the south, that's something that should definitely be included IMO.

Also, what kind of connection will the LRT have to the future HSR?

What's up with the "North Crosstown" route?

It seems to run along 16th Ave N as it passes through a transfer point called "16 Ave/Centre Street N", but somehow does not connect with the 305 which also runs on 16 Ave N. It also shows it going to "UofC" which is a fair distance further north. It also doesn't show connections with either of the NW or NE LRT, which seems odd.

I realize it's just a "draft", but I think the design of this route needs clarification/improvement.

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305 doesn't really run on 16th Ave N, does it?

I think the 800 lb gorrilla in the room that nobody is addressing is that regardless of the fact that you add a 4th car to the train and run them every 5 minutes, without an express system, you have major inefficiency in the system. Since the vast majority of people along the entire systems are heading to the core, the further this city sprawls, the faster and faster the trains fill up rendering them useless to commuters closer to the core.

I'm disappointed to see that despite massive public opposition over the last 20 years, they are still trying to push the "bridge over Edworthy Park" thing.

When will they realize that wrecking an important natural area is not acceptable to save 10 minutes on a commute? Attention Planners: The public does not want this. Stop!

We do not have a "rapid transit" system in Calgary. Why does this word keep getting tossed around?

Who said anything about a bridge?

Considered, but streetcars are not considered Rapid Transit (unless we decide to give them a dedicated ROW) and thus aren't part of this particular map. Doesn't mean they shouldn't/won't eventually be built however.

Supposedly. I'm very skeptical about how well this can actually be executed.

Yup. Seems ridiculous to me that extensions to the northeast, northwest, southeast and south are, according to the plan, to be built well before any substantial transit improvements in the inner city. It's just going to get worse for inner city transit users.



It's ludricrous to me that "the plan" is to build LRT stations in Seton, at 210 Ave S, at 'Northpointe' (wherever the hell that is) and to other far-flung locales that might as well be Bumfuck, Nowhere as far as I'm concerned, while someone living in Altadore has to dick around on a 45 min. long ride on the #7 or #13 bus if they want to take transit downtown.

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Overall looks good and suits the majority of the Calgarians who will rely on this service in the coming decades especially as we continue to sprawl out.
I have also pitched in my ideas to route ahead and have had several discussions with some of their transportation engineers on some key ideas.
Alot of the examples I alluded to in my argument was Portland, Oregon as many tout that as the role model of an excellent and balanced public transport system.

Things on my mind:
During the next decades, there probably should be some partnership or agreement with Okotoks, Cochrane, Chestemere and Airdrie for having services to those communities as they too will grow and become cities. I bet many living there will work in calgary and our highways will be busier, this should be looked into and see what solutions can be found.

There should also be an innercity diagram showing the beltline/downtown/surrounding areas to see how increased density will affect transit infrastructure. As our communities get crowded and our roads being able to take only so much pressure, I would really like to see what improvements are available to address the hundreds of thousands of new residents in this key area. This would be the one where tram lines and express buses or even that Gondola line can be of use for ideal solutions. Lets see what the city can come up on this front. (although I realize the purpose in this presentation is more to show how to serve the entire city and not just inner city)

Thanks for pointing this out. I mistakenly viewed what I think might be Crowchild Trail on that map as being a bridge over Edworthy, when I read about the "Shaganappi Transitway". Crisis averted.

I think that might be the talked about gondola service(?) It's too far east to be over Edworthy, and looks like it's not Crowchild.

I hope transit to the SW (Woodbine LRT) gets started soon. That area could use better transit and a decent option to not drive up 14th street.

I think improved cross-town connections will help a lot, as a number of people who come through downtown are using DT just for a transfer point. I know many in the NE that use it to get to the university via LRT. I know people who live in NC and work in Marlborough - they take the 301 to DT to take the train out to the NE. There are other options for both of these, but they are not as efficient or as appetizing. That is really the elephant in the room - the 600,000 or 750,000 total Calgary workers who do not work DT.

You clearly don't know enough to be commenting.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a bridge there. Clearly there is not unanimity in the voices.

Agreed 100%. The crosstown routes are essential. The North, East and West Crosstowns will really help serve hospitals, post-secondary institutions, office parks and industrial areas currently underserved by transit. Having riders transfer to crosstown routes also frees up capacity for riders at stations closer to the core, such as Sunnyside or Chinook.

I never said 100% of people disliked the idea. In any event, it's not being proposed at this time, so no need to debate it.

My guess it that it's just too expensive and city council has no willpower to build projects unless they see political gain in them. I really think Edmonton had the right idea in building a subway downtown right from the start. If anything can be said about Calgary projects it's "build it now, then fix it later". It's so much cheaper to just do it right in the first place. One can only hope that when they build it they'll eliminate all ground level LRT tracks downtown - but I unfortunately doubt they'll do it the way it should be done.

Calgary needs a subway downtown. It's inefficient and dangerous to have trains, people, bikes, buses, and cars all sharing the same area.

Our weather should be factored into design decisions for stations (even underground - but never is). Look at most stations. Even the ones with heated areas are designed so you can't even stand in them while waiting for a train. You have to stand outside. And the brochures and plans never show the frozen commuters during a -30 blizzard. The plans always show nice sunny summer days. :shrug:

I rather liked the methodology used for Portland's fairly recent High Capacity Transit plan (link here; there's a brightly coloured map to look at, and the detailed technical report is near the bottom of the right column). They identified a large universe of corridors, then whittled it down to a manageable list of 13 corridors (as well as looking separately at a downtown tunnel and bypass). The corridors were then evaluated and ranked against each other, with tiers of priority identified.

Here, we have more of a holistic dump of a bunch of lines, take it or leave it. The technologies for the corridors are identified already, and some are clearly intended to be second-tier forever, I suppose. BRT pretty much just means adding a bus route, as far as CT is concerned. Pardon me if I don't pee myself with excitement over that.

Yes it is being proposed at this time. I just proposed it.

Agreed. They only show ever smiling pedestrians walking to work!

^^^ The report is mostly technology neutral - but does set out potential mode progressions based on forecast demand. The plan takes the philosophy that we assign the appropriate technology based on need - and somewhat on cost. For instance 17th Avenue SE is a transitway in this plan - a median dedicated busway for the immediate future, but convertable to LRT if necessary or desired in the future. We'll have 6 to 8 legs of LRT when all is said and done, there's no way that say the 52nd street route will require LRT in this kind of timeframe. Buses at high frequency and with particular advantages like dedicated lanes and signal priority can be integral to a transit network and highly valued by riders.

I freely admit that north of Country Hills Blvd., west of 69th St W and south of Marquis of Lorne Tr. are so far from where I live and work that they might as well be Red Deer, Cochrane and Fort Macleod, respectively.

Despite my inflammatory language surely even you can glean from it my frustration with "the boonies" being provided with more transit infrastructure than well-established, denser, mixed-use neighbourhoods in the inner city. You know, old neighbourhoods where people would probably use transit for all sorts of trips?

Let's face it: outside of going to and from downtown Calgary Transit provides very poor service. It doesn't really go anywhere else. This plan exacerbates the problems the system already has.


Worse yet are the comments I've read on the Herald's website (I know, I know, it's the Herald website: what else would I expect?) clamouring for LRT to Cochrane, Airdrie and Okotoks to alleviate traffic 'problems' on Hwys 1A & 2. THAT is just nuts...

Seriously though, what the hell is 'Northpointe'? Coventry Hills? Something north of Stoney?

Speaking of stations, I've often been curious what the lifetime cost of aboveground stations due to environmental wear and tear + maintenance is compared to an underground one. Being that most of the underground station is protected from the elements, does it end up be a lot more expensive in the end?

North Pointe is one block from country hills. It has been the reserve for the north terminus for the NC LRT for perhaps two decades (give or take). In rush hour, even with service ever five minutes, the 301 accordion buses are full right from North Pointe. To put a time-distance on it, BRT from North Pointe to DT take 25 minutes (usually).

To put it in perspective of the South, Country Hills is 112 Ave north (so North Point maybe 115), and the south station you mentioned was 210 Ave north. I'm always insulted when the north sprawl is equated with the south sprawl. There is really no comparison.

Sprawl's sprawl, baby. I don't like any of it.

A few comments:

"Hubalta Rd" transfer - where is that intended? The actual Hubalta Rd is a side street that parallels the CN rail. It meets 17th Ave SE EAST of 52nd St. The Connection point is more along the 36th St. line.

There is an unlabeled Connection on the north line - intended for Airport connection?

Why switch to BRT for one stop from Keystone to Northpointe? I'd think people would not like the two transfer possibility to get downtown from the end point if LRT is not extended to the end of the city. Similar for 17th Ave SE, although that could be a BRT moving onto a transitway without any transfer required.

I would concur with others who have stated that hopefully some priority will be given to the inner city as well. The lack of priority for 8th Ave subway suggests otherwise at this point. If TOD development is to work, you actually have to be able to get on the LRT when you need to go to work - something that is getting harder all the time for anyone closer into the core. 4 car trains will help (should have come before the current line extensions) but I think 8th Ave subway and the frequency increases possible with it will be required in the 30 year time frame to accommodate TOD increased use AND expansions further out.

Northpointe has been built up for pushing 20 years now, and the population is very much geared towards LRT usage (very heavy BRT usage). Keystone is a field of prairie grass *beyond* Stoney trail. It would be inappropriate to build out to it, including a massively expensive bridge over stoney, within the next 40 years.

Your push to keystone seems counter-intuitive to this latter comment. You can't balance out expensive additional extensions with massive bridges, with the addition of an expensive tunnel at the same time. Arithmetic doesn't work that way.

It could easily be argued that connecting the inner city is why we have so many spokes to the core, so am happy there is some attention being placed on the silent majority with the addition of cross-town links.

Here are a few specific concerns I've come up with:
Putting the south-central hub at Heritage station rather than Chinook. I know it's easier for CT, and it may reduce travel times slightly -- although Google maps suggests otherwise -- but the clear urban node in south-central Calgary is Chinook. The Heritage TOD plan has 435K sq. ft. of space. The Chinook plan supports 7,900K sq. ft. of space -- and that's not including the mall (the largest retail node in Calgary) which has 1300K sq ft and is talking about adding another 1000K. It makes no sense to put the major east-west connection in the south one stop away from the largest node in the area. (For comparison, a built out Chinook TOD + expanded mall would have twice the floorspace of the airport, Mount Royal University and South Health Campus... combined.)

No east-west connections in the northwest. The radial lines shown go 10-14 km out from downtown, but the only major connection between them is 16th Ave, which is 2-4 km from downtown. And the 16th Ave connector isn't much; just a limited-stop bus. The same is true in the far south.

SW BRT does not connect to 52nd St E BRT. Surely some of the jobs in the SE industrial area are held by people from west of the Deerfoot, yet there is no connection made here.

8th Ave Subway deprioritized. I've played devil's advocate on this one, but this is one of the most important projects in terms of maintaining capacity. I think a big master plan like this one needs to shuffle the less sexy projects forward on the timeline, because nobody will care about this plan in 30 years when it's time to build the thing -- just like we don't care about the studies from the 80s. There will always be a constituency for expanding to another suburban lobe or adding a good crosstown service, but the 8th Ave subway doesn't have that constituency -- putting it in with all of the other lines will build that support, but once the other services get built, this support will evaporate. It needs to get built soon.

Phasing/design of NCLRT. The plan shows a "transitway to 78th Ave". That means surface running transit has been chosen -- the point of a transitway as precursor to LRT is that it's easy to change over, and we don't have the electric buses you would need for tunnel operations. Very subtle way of determining the technology before even determining the corridor.

This about sums it up for me. The specifics can always be argued (I'm sure the case can be made for some extensions)... but, I'm definitely of the opinion that the existing lines are generally long enough, and that improving inner city service should take priority for a while. Is someone in the new, deep south/far north community of Eagleglenfalconview Castle Pointe on the Greene really going to be taking transit? Is it really reasonable of them to move to the middle of nowhere and expect stellar transit service? The existing network in the "inner city" (I'm using the term fairly loosely), has some rather gaping holes in it. And, indeed, the 8th avenue subway really needs to happen.

As for the rest... I'm not fully convinced on the transitway idea. It seems like the kind of idea where people say "Ok, we ultimately want LRT or something here. Let's build a dedicated road thingie for it first, then build the tracks later"... but then they never actually build the tracks later.

What is the 'other technology' for the campus line? (I'm from Vancouver, and haven't heard about it) Are we talking some kind of small system like trams, people mover, or even monorails that you see at a large airport?

I've thought about this one too. Going to Chinook is incredibly hard because there is no road connection east or west that goes anywhere without using Glenmore. As well, going to Chinook misses Rockyview Hospital completely. Large developments can be served as non-transfer stations. Requiring one transfer from the SW BRT to get to Chinook isn't as bad as completely missing Rockyview Hospital or having nowhere to go after getting to Chinook. The decision is less about importance than it is about geography.

Agreed partially. In reality, Nose Hill prevents any connector north of John Laurie (which may be an option). I think a connection between the NW line and NC line north of Nose Hill is an option, as is a E/W connection slightly north of 16th, using a Northmount/40th/32nd alignment. That would be more of a limited stop service than dedicated lanes.

Plus, I think the 16th avenue corridor could very well see something more than limited stop service. I mean 3 hospitals and 2 post secondaries is nothing to sneeze at.

Agreed 100%. I think the 52nd ST E BRT should go to Quarry Park. Sure it requires a transfer to NE residents going to the South Hospital, but it makes that crucial connection for both people west of Deerfoot going to Foothills Industrial and those in the NE going to Quarry Park.

I'm calling Gondola.

To the bolded part, yes. It is people living in the new suburbs commuting into downtown on the train (or the multiple buses on Centre Street)that have helped make the C-Train one of the most successful LRT's in North America.

Is one to interpret the Airport Rail is not necessarily LRT? It is red, but every other plotted line is described as LRT while it is described as "rail"

And naturally... if it is LRT will it interline with the NE LRT? (smirk)

Of course they (suburbanites) are the ones who've "made the C-train successful": they're the ones with most of the C-train infrastructure.