First, a bad photo of a great addition to the MUP network: everyone's favourite pedestrian bridge is paved and reopened, with the path starting to climb the hill!
The landscaping along this line is insane. comparing it to the gravel no-man's-land of the original NE line, or even the south extension of 10 years ago, the new line is doing its best to be a positive part of its context. the MUPs being added/improved, the improved sidewalks and crossings, and trees (new and replaced) give me hope for the West line that'll be running by my neighbourhood soon!
Waffling aside, I think the streetscaping and streetviews from the train will be a hidden boon of the decision to use street running in general. In the bit of travelling I've been able to do, i've relied on public transit/metros to get around the cities i'm in. To edit down a long ramble, I'll focus on Chicago. Chicago's metro uses 2 tunneled lines (including the one to the airport) and the rest are elevated, giving the system it's famed 'El' moniker. trying to navigate Chicago alone as a tourist, the elevated lines were waaayyyy better. being able to see the areas I was passing through, both good and bad, was super helpful for navigation, and i ended up seeing small extra stuff just by noticing it on the train, getting off, and proceeding to tourist. as well, the elevated lines were waaaaaayyy easier to find for someone without navigation help (too cheap for a data plan, too young and dumb to carry a map) just by following the tracks to a station. Having spent an hour hunting for a ridiculously unassuming uncovered staircase to get to a tunneled line, being able to find the Elevated train was a pleasant change.
Translating this experience to Edmonton, I think the street-level train presents a wayfinding aid; the line itself is a landmark, it highlights the street it runs down and the stations easy to find, by following the rather obvious tracks. The visibility the passing trains will offer adjacent businesses will be a boon too. Given the accessibility offered by both the train and improved pedestrian facilities, people will hopefully be more motivated to explore these neighbourhoods. The valley line, by being at grade, and conciously trying to integrate with it's surroundings, will hopefully improve accessibility and travel into these central areas. It's romantic to think that every commuter on this line will hop off the train to buy hipster foods at Bonnie Doon every day, even if say, 1 in 10 people riding this line choose to take a detour once a week, because they see, know, and feel comfortable in the area due to the train, that's an extra ~3700 people (potential customers) a day moving through local businesses. This is an example, not estimate, but you get the point. (44k daily ridership for SE leg, x 6 (weekends =.5) x 1/10, then divided out daily; I am clearly not a statistician)
Thanks for reading my story i edited this thing down it was even worse before
