A light rail transit line linking downtown Edmonton to the West Edmonton Mall is still up for debate, as councillors discussed the merits of extending the line or putting in bus rapid transit (BRT) Monday.
Council had set the western leg of the Valley Line LRT and Metro Line northwest from NAIT to Blatchford as its next transit priorities, but they will have to approve details and funding in the coming months and years to make the design a reality.
Mayor Don Iveson said people living along the route are counting on it.
“[We want to] give confidence to those neighbourhoods in the west who we’ve been talking about LRT to in pretty firm terms for almost ten years now,” Iveson said Monday.
“I have no interest in changing the routes,” Coun. Bev Esslinger said at an executive committee meeting Monday.
Esslinger noted that people have bought homes in the west and northwest in part because the LRT would eventually go through that part of the city.
“They are big decisions,” said Adam Laughlin, manager of integrated infrastructure services, told the executive committee meeting Monday.
One decision is whether to separate the train from traffic with elevated platforms.
Iveson said that’s one reason the line is now up for debate again.
“Should we make the investment to separate the train at a few more strategic places?” he said.
Knack said the city is about six months away from solidifying the deal on the the western leg of the Valley Line to Lewis Estates.
The province has given Calgary $1.3 billion to expand its transit system, and Knack said Edmonton is expecting a similar gesture.
BRT vs. LRT
Coun. Mike Nickel is a fan of bus rapid transit and suggested exploring that option more. However, he said reports seem to lean in favour of LRT.
“It seemed that it’s rather dogmatic, like it’s LRT or nothing,” Nickel said.
Laughlin said that’s not the case and that the city will be looking at areas to put in buses.
Nickel believes the city should consider buses to make sure the western part of the city has reliable transit.
“I don’t want that happening in the west end if the money runs out.”
Even LRT advocates like Iveson say the city needs both LRT and buses.
“Places where you know you can’t justify building the train for another 10 or 20 years, or 30 years, then you would want to look at putting in precursor bus rapid transit.”
“We can do both,” Iveson said.
Initial estimates to build bus rapid transit is about 20 per cent cheaper than the LRT in the long term, Laughlin said.
“Buses are important for moving people but they don’t change the DNA of the city the way rail does.”
Reports outlining growth in the southwest and possible measures to address the transit needs there are expected in March.