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LRT Expansion Planning

Came across this, the other day, helping a friend with a research for his Youtube channel. It is obviously fantasy, but there's some good ideas there. If anyone knows whose map is this, let me know so I can credit it.



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Do you think the festival line will just become BRT? After reading stantec's high level Bridge report, it seems like that line is dead.

If whyte was redesigned to be wider sidewalks, bike lane, parking, BRT dedicated, single car lane. I think that'd be awesome.
 
Sorry, I support LRT and could support BRT but 1 lane each way for traffic not going to happen.

Also why more dedicated bike lanes when there is already that on 83ave from 96 st to the uofa?
 
Do you think the festival line will just become BRT? After reading stantec's high level Bridge report, it seems like that line is dead.

If whyte was redesigned to be wider sidewalks, bike lane, parking, BRT dedicated, single car lane. I think that'd be awesome.

Whyte Ave is a crucial east-west connector in South-Central Edmonton. It directly connects to one of the few river crossings that connects major employment hubs, as well as to the Sherwood Park freeway. Get rid of any vehicle capacity on that roadway would be a hard "no" for a lot of people in the city, me included, unless they turned 76 Ave into a full arterial road by demolishing some homes and they connected it to both Saskatchewan Drive and the Sherwood Park Freeway. Any rapid transit serving the Whyte Ave corridor needs to be grade separated. And in my opinion, we should build a transit line that connects from the University to 87 Ave on the West End instead of a redundant transit line along the existing LRT river crossing.
 
the 2019 City Plan ignores the Festival Line as a future project, and instead supports a transit bridge connecting 87 ave across the river. It's all pretty long-term i think, but if anything runs down Whyte, it'll be connecting WEM to Bonnie Doon somehow, not going in a circle around downtown.
At least, I hope that's the case. every time i look at a map of the festival line, i wonder "why would we need that?"
 
As much as I understand the hesitation on reducing whyte ave lanes, I believe in induced demand. If we made those changes right now, it'd be a bit fast. But no reason in 5 years we couldn't. People will use what they are given. If theyre given a great transit network and less car roads, they'll use that. If theyre give 6 lane freeways down main streets, they'll use that to joyride their stupid Honda civics with no mufflers.

Whyte needs to become a street for people, not cars. Great BRT linked to other stations could help make that happen.

And bike lanes on whyte would still be great because bikers actually buy more than drivers. So who should have priority viewing of storefronts? Those biking to whyte to shop or drivers using it as a thoroughfare? And don't get me started on how many more shoppers could be on whyte with buses and bikes instead of cars. If we don't start prioritizing the most efficient, sustainable, cost effective forms of transportation, we will become an out of date city stuck in 20th century thinking.

Oslo gives me great hope that we can make the changes.
 
Sorry, I support LRT and could support BRT but 1 lane each way for traffic not going to happen.

Also why more dedicated bike lanes when there is already that on 83ave from 96 st to the uofa?
I agree with LRT down Whyte and moving bike lanes there and leaving the other avenues to cars only. Problem with moving LRT to 83rd Ave is after 99 Street you hit the ravine in a few blocks. With Whyte you could eat and onto the Sherwood Park Freeway.
 
I think one challenge is that Edmonton probably doesn't have capacity for bridges between Dawson Bridge and Groat Bridge, unless they''re LRT bridges.
 
One possibility for a line could be running a line down Whyte, turning at 109 Street, then onto 87 Avenue (University), continuing west to Hawrelak Park (something like Muttart Station), continuing across to the Valley Zoo, and west along 87 Avenue to Lewis Estates.
 

A collection of stories on struggles with infrastructure projects in Edmonton. It's crazy how Calgary's LTR was prioritized.

With Calgary, being such a big fan of UCP, it would be fair if they don't get funding for green line at all.
 
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As sad as the lack of funding was from the province, it seems the game changer was federal funding. It seems like the feds didn't offer any major transportation funding until after 2000.
 

A collection of stories on struggles with infrastructure projects in Edmonton. It's crazy how Calgary's LTR was prioritized.

With Calgary, being such a big fan of UCP, it would be fair if they don't get funding for green line at all.
Susan Ruttan must be a little embarrassed when she sees the trains packed to century park
 
As sad as the lack of funding was from the province, it seems the game changer was federal funding. It seems like the feds didn't offer any major transportation funding until after 2000.
Who were the PMs before Jean Chretien? Wasn't alive at the time plus none of the social textbooks talk much about our late 20th Century governments and developments past Pierre Trudeau.
 

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