How to pay for Victoria’s proposed over priced light rail….. Don’t!…..Plan for much cheaper TramTrain on the E&N!
BC Transit is an old hand at inflating costs of LRT, so they don’t have to deal with it. In the 90’s, BC Transit increased the cost of the proposed Broadway-LougheedAi??LRT to such an extent, that there was only a 7% difference between the cost for light rail and that of SkyTrain. Sprinkled with political ignorance, back scratching and professional misconduct and viola – LRT is too expensive to build.
BC Transit seems to retreated to its bad old habits and has given a cost estimate of $950 million for aAi??building proposedAi??18 km. LRT on theAi??abandoned CNR rail line rights-of-way,Ai??with some on-street operation in Victoria. It is not expensive “greenfields” construction, rather it is using already existing railway formations.Ai??BC Transit is at it again, inflating costs forAi??LRT because they don’t want to build with light rail.
The RftV folks, greatly tired of TransLink’s, inherited from BC Transit, anti-LRT stance and inAi??association with Leewood Projects of the UK, prepared an independentAi??TramTrain study for the old BC Electric interurban line from Vancouver to Chilliwack. The economy 98 km. diesel LRT line from Scott Road Station (Expo Line) in Surrey to Chilliwack was projected to cost a mere $492 million or $5.02 million/km.!
Looking at the map of the proposed LRT, by using and operating TramTrain on the E&N rail line andAi??extrapolating the RftV/Leewood Study figures the approximately 14 km. Langford to Victoria route could cost as low as $70 million and change using diesel LRT or, about $90 million if the line was electrified!
It is clearly self evident that TransLink and BC Transit refuse to recognize the RftV/Leewood Study, because by acknowledging the study would mean building LRT could be much cheaper than what they propose, WHICH TRANSLINK AND BC TRANSIT JUST DO NOT WANT TO DO!
Why?
Building modern LRT in the Vancouver Region or any city in BC, would expose over 30 years of professional misconduct by transit plannersAi??in BC Transit, TransLink and the provincial government,Ai??with regional rapid transit transit planning and they will pull out all the stops to prevent affordable LRT to be built in BC!
Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia on Vancouver Island, is asking its residents how the local share of a proposed light rail line should be funded, The Times Colonist reports. Here’s a map of a possible LRT route for the $950 million line westward to Langford:
Here’s a rendering of how LRT might appear in Victoria:
http://tinyurl.com/88pjdya
“Residents asked for views on LRT funding
By Derek Spalding
Times Colonist
January 18, 2012Plans to outline local funding options for light rail transit in Greater Victoria have inched forward with a call for input from residents.
Identifying a range of cash-flow sources is required before a business plan is prepared to send to the federal government, which is expected to fund a large portion of the bill.
Residents can offer their opinions by completing online surveys and participating in focus groups next month, said the local funding task force set up by the Capital Regional District and B.C. Transit.
The deadline for coming up with a local funding plan was pushed back two months to May because municipal elections in November resulted in the retirement of four out of seven members of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission.
B.C. Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom will appoint the four new members by late February, his office said in a statement Wednesday.
Waiting that long for new appointments after an election is common, but delays this time around are more pronounced without a commission to continue until the appointments are made.
“It’s par for the course because we go through this every three years, but it’s obviously disappointing because you’d like them to get to it,” said Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard.
“And municipal elections are not a surprise.”
The local funding task force is continuing its work. Identifying options will complete the $3.1 million first phase of the LRT proposal.
The second phase will cost about $5 million for a detailed business case, which will include an independent review. Phase three will be construction.
Local funding options for similar transit projects typically require one-third funding with equal contributions from senior levels of government, but details will be considered during negotiations.
A long list of options include a regional sales tax, a carbon tax, a parking levy or a fuel tax.
Anyone wanting to participate in the focus groups must fill out a survey by Feb. 5.
Meetings are scheduled for Feb. 14 to 17.
The online survey can be found at
http://lrtlocalfunding.ca
Steve, if you are sitting, stand up, you know those two thngis sticking out of your body that have 10 wiggly little piggies? those are called legs and feet.I live 15 minute walk from the thursday meeting closer to warden.People CAN walk from Victoria/Huntingwood, Sheppard/Pharmacy, Finch/Pharmacy. It won’t kill you or people to walk, it is healthy, and so far the weather will be nice. 20 degrees.By the public meeting is at 6:30pm, right? well, the 169 Huntingwood buses leave Don Mills Station at :15 and :45 until 7:45.It takes 15 minutes to get to Warden and Huntingwood. So if people take the 6:15 buses, they will make it to Huntingwood & Pharmacy by 6:25.The walk is around 5 minutes.I take the 169 every day from Warden/Huntingwood to the station and back every day.So 7:45 is the last trip from Don Mills Station, remember that the meeting starts at 6:30pm?The schedule from Scarborough Town Centre is :00 and :30. So people can take the 5:30 trip or the 6:00 trip. (I have never taken the 169 from STC).Steve: Lots of people can make the walk, but not everyone can. We are supposed to be talking about new systems that are accessible, and a 15 minute walk is not friendly for many people. Yes, the weather is supposed to be good, but it could just as easily be pouring rain.There will be no bus service when the meeting lets out.If, however, you wish to volunteer your community for less frequent and less densely provided service, I am sure that the TTC will be more than happy to remove several routes for you.