SkyTrain too costly – A letter to the Editor
It not often that a sensible letter about light rail is printed in local papers.
SkyTrain too costly
In his coloum, Grant Granger argued that SkyTrain is a key symbol to the Lower Mainland and a tourist attraction. While this may be true, the trains come at a cost that far outweighs their symbolism.
Granger suggested that we need a greater SkyTrain system with more trains running more frequently to expand ridership. But SkyTrain is part of the problem, not the solution.
SkyTrain has often been promoted as a necessary technology to ferry Vancouverites from one place to the next. Granger’s view is not far off from the governments’ and other pundits’ view that without the SkyTrain Vancouver’s transit needs would be severely underserved.
This argument misses one crucial point. If there was not SkyTrain some transit system would likely be in place.
The cost of using SkyTrain technology is prohibitive. A ground tramline could have been built at a fraction of the cost. Public transportation should be a priority for any government but public transit should be delivered at a lower cost when possible. Vancouverites do not need the latest technologies. Vancouverites need the best system possible to travel around Vancouver.
Another misconception is that SkyTrain is faster. The SkyTrain can travel to about 90 kilometers an hour. Modern trams can travel at a top speed of roughly 90 kilometers an hour or slightly above that mark.
Since trams can be built at a fraction of the cost and travel as fast as SkyTrain, we could have had essentially the same transit system we have today years ago. The cheaper cost of a tram system at grade would have enabled governments to build more lines and trains sooner.
What Vancouver needs is not more SkyTrain, but a realistic idea of what the public purse can afford. By spending taxpayer money wisely, Vancouver’s system could be greatly enhanced in future projects and taxpayer money could go further towards building a top-notch transit system for the locals who ride it on a daily basis.
Matthew Steinbach
Burnabyhttp://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/burnabynewsleader/opinion/letters/129462173.html
The Gough coloum
http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/burnabynewsleader/opinion/128021128.html
