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Calgary Transit

I don't even understand how 18 minutes could be called "peak" service of any kind. Some small towns in the east have transit service more frequent than that. I thought it was 12 minutes which was bad enough, but 18 minutes? Holy man...
 
I don't even understand how 18 minutes could be called "peak" service of any kind. Some small towns in the east have transit service more frequent than that. I thought it was 12 minutes which was bad enough, but 18 minutes? Holy man...

We gotta start somewhere right? Frequency can be increased once the city gets data on ridership.

I'm planning to take November 19 off work and ride all three BRT lines. :cool:
 
I live walking distance from the western terminus of the north crosstown, so maybe I'll do the same after class.
 
Wednesday last week shots of the BRT Bridge over the irrigation canal. Progress, but they have a long way to got to be open for mid November. I'm thinking they may open it to bus traffic by then, but the pedestrian part will wait until spring?

From the south:

BRT Irrigation Canal Bridge IMG_2536
by ferreth, on Flickr

From the north:

BRT Irrigation Canal Bridge IMG_2550
by ferreth, on Flickr

Looking east:

BRT Irrigation Canal Bridge IMG_2549
by ferreth, on Flickr

Few more on my Flickr page if you wander over there.
 
Despite how unimpressed I am by the low frequency, I still love maps :)

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Edit: Now thissss is a map! The Calgary Primary Transit Network.

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Looks good! Thanks for posting.

Once the Greenline opens it'll be nice if the city built another BRT MAX line on 52nd street from Saddletowne to the Seton Hospital.
 
The 52nd Street BRT is being looked at I think (timing is of course the big question). Why would the shoulder lanes on Crowchild / Glenmore be limited to 50km/h? I feel I should know this answer, but am drawing a blank. Only thing I can think of is they are a bit narrower. Can anyone confirm?
 
Looks good! Thanks for posting.

Once the Greenline opens it'll be nice if the city built another BRT MAX line on 52nd street from Saddletowne to the Seton Hospital.
52nd Street has been identified as a key BRT route way back in the original RouteAhead plan, the redesigned Route 23 will take 52nd straight from one end of the city to the other at reasonably good frequency - 12 minute peak, 20/30 offpeak between Saddletowne & Mackenzie Towne (perhaps we can call it the Unnecessary "e" MAX Line).

Route 23 is a good precursor to an eventual 52nd BRT:
  • connecting multiple industrial areas, residential areas,
  • mulitple LRT/BRT mainlines (eventually Green, MAX Purple, Blue),
  • multiple community hubs (Genesis Centre, Family Leisure Centre)
  • 5 high schools
  • a straight line route with no ridership-killing deviations (a rare treat thanks to Calgary transit route / road network design !!!)
  • Only thing that is missing is transit-supportive density (a city-wide issue, not exclusive to this route)
 
SE BRT update. I had a bit of extra time so rode up the hill to at least peek at the progress on 17th Ave SE. I was surprised, not even pavement yet on some of the bus lane areas - they want to start training November 1st for bus drivers, so they better hustle!

BRT Bridge Pano:

BRT Bridge Irrigation Canal S2574-2576
by ferreth, on Flickr

North side, looking east:

BRT Irrigation Canal Bridge IMG_2577
by ferreth, on Flickr
They sprayed "grass" so they are done - but it doesn't look done to me - too steep in places. Perhaps "done for now" is the correct term.

From the east side of the irrigation canal, shooting through the construction fence:

BRT Irrigation Canal Bridge IMG_2579
by ferreth, on Flickr

BRT 26St. Station:

BRT Station Construction IMG_2582
by ferreth, on Flickr

17th Ave at 28th St. looking east - no pavement yet on the bus lanes:

BRT 17thAve Construction IMG_2588
by ferreth, on Flickr

We will see, but there is a lot of work left, even just to get to the point the bus can ride down the centre all the way on Nov. 1st.
 
As an FYI on Calgary Transit's older consideration of LRT service to Mount Royal back in 2007, report C2007-78 West LRT Alignment, Budget and Project.
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For more:
1.0 Foreword


At the 2007 November 06 Special Meeting of City Council the following motion was approved in relation to West LRT:


“4. Direct the Administration to prepare a report to the 2007 November 21 Proposed Strategic Planning meeting of Council for approval of the functional design, budget and design/build implementation strategy for the West LRT including servicing options to Mount Royal College and other potential major land uses in the west sector, e.g. Tsuu T’ina Nation lands and Westhills;”. (emphasis added)


This report documents the comparison of servicing options to Mount Royal College and other potential major land uses in the west sector, including the Tsuu T’ina Nation lands and the Westhills shopping centre.


This report is intended as a companion to the 2007 West LRT Report. Descriptions of the service area, the approved alignment, and other aspects of the project can be found in the 2007 West LRT Report.


2.0 Serving Mount Royal College


Mount Royal College is a post secondary institution with approximately 8,300 full time students, about 2,000 faculty and staff and various part time or occasional students located on the southern edge of the West LRT service area. Currently, the Mount Royal College campus is served by eight bus routes, including two express routes that provide downtown and city-wide connections including five LRT stations. Approximately 33% of full-time student travel to and from Mount Royal College by transit (compared to 36% at SAIT and 27% at the University of Calgary).


With the implementation of West LRT, the proposed feeder bus network will see a total of nine bus routes serving Mount Royal College. Route 72 / 73 operating along 37 Street SW will provide frequent service during all time periods with less than 10 minutes travel time to / from the Westbrook station and 20 minutes to / from the Chinook station on South LRT. In the longer term, Mount Royal College would be served by an additional cross-town BRT service.


While direct LRT service to this facility would be attractive in principle, an LRT line through Mount Royal College would not effectively serve the majority of southwest Calgary and is not recommended. As part of the 1983 West LRT study, several alternatives were evaluated for a possible north / south spur line to serve Mount Royal College and Lincoln Park. Routings along Crowchild Trail / Richmond Road, 29 Street and 37 Street SW were not recommended for the following reasons which are still valid today:


· Difficulty and cost to create a Crowchild Trail connection / alignment

· Disruption to local roads and communities

· The ability of conventional bus routes to effectively serve Mount Royal College / Lincoln Park


If the main West LRT alignment was shifted to serve this area the route would be located too far south to provide an attractive service for the majority of the West LRT service area. Such a route would involve longer, less direct travel for most trips generated within the service area. Nevertheless, detailed analysis of West LRT alignment options that would provide direct service to Mount Royal College were prepared as described below.


West LRT Alignment Options to Serve Mount Royal College


Three options were explored to determine if the West LRT alignment should be redirected from the approved routing to provide direct LRT service to Mount Royal College and the Westhills Shopping Centre. A high level evaluation matrix has been developed to compare these options with the approved alignment and is provided at the end of this report. It should be cautioned that the technical feasibility of these options has not been verified based on current LRT Design Guidelines.


These options are described below and shown on Figure 1.


Option 1: Crowchild Trail


The alignment would deviate from the approved routing by heading south immediately after crossing Crowchild Trail. The LRT tracks would be on an elevated structure located on the west side of Crowchild Trail with potential station locations at 17 Avenue, 33 Avenue, and 50 Avenue. This routing would require the reconstruction of the current interchanges and bridges over Crowchild Trail. The line would then proceed west along Richard Road and Richardson Way with an at-grade station located on the west side of the Mount Royal College campus. The line would continue south and west on underground and at-grade sections running parallel to Glenmore Trail with a station at 45 Street SW before proceeding west and then north to a terminal station at Westhills Shopping Centre on Richmond Road.

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Option 2: 33 Street SW


This option would proceed southward along 33 Street SW from an underground station located on 33 Street on the east side of Westbrook Mall. From here the line would proceed southward in a long tunnel under 33 Street SW which is a residential street. This routing was explored since it provides the most direct link from a station at Westbrook to Mount Royal College. A station is possible at Richmond Road SW before the line enters Mount Royal College via 44 Avenue. An at-grade station would be located at Mount Royal College in the same location as proposed in Option 1. From here, the alignment is the same as Option 1 with stations at Glenmore Trail and 45 Street and at Westhills Shopping Centre.
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Option 3: 37 Street SW


This option would divert from the approved alignment at Westbrook Mall and head south along 37 Street SW either at-grade or in a tunnel. A station would be located at Richmond Road before the line enters Mount Royal College via 44 Avenue with an at-grade station on the west side of the Mount Royal College campus as described in Option 2. From here, the alignment and station locations are identical to Options 1 and 2.

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Table 1 highlights some of the differences between the recommended alignment and these three options.
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3.0 Serving Tsuu T’ina Nation and Westhills Areas


The West LRT alignment at Sarcee Trail and 17 Avenue provides an opportunity to reserve the potential for a future LRT spur line to serve destinations south of the main east / west alignment (shown in Figure 1). A spur line could depart from the primary alignment in the vicinity of the 17 Avenue / Sarcee Trail crossing and utilize a portion of the Sarcee Trail right of way to serve the Westhills centre and, potentially, the proposed Tsuu T’ina developments south of Glenmore Trail. Both areas are optimally served by a spur line along Sarcee Trail off the recommended alignment, rather than by an extension of Options 1, 2 or 3.


For the foreseeable future, transit service to the Westhills centre and, potentially, to developments on the Tsuu T’ina Nation will be a combination of the following:

· feeder bus routes running between the developments and LRT stations,

· community shuttle routes serving adjacent communities, and

· potential future cross-town BRT routes.



4.0 Conclusions


This report examined several West LRT alignment options to provide direct LRT service to Mount Royal College, Westhills Centre and the Tsuu T'ina lands. It is concluded that these options do not provide sufficient benefits to warrant further consideration at this time. The recommended alignment along Bow Trail and 17 Avenue SW provides service to the greatest area and will attract higher ridership at lower cost. The Mount Royal College campus, which has a high transit mode share today, will have improved transit travel times when the recommended alignment and corresponding bus network is implemented.


The design for the recommended West LRT alignment will include the potential for a spur line to travel south in the Sarcee Trail right of way to provide a connection to Westhills Centre and the potential to serve development proposed on the Tsuu T'ina land south of Glenmore Trail.


The recommended alignment is reflected in the 2007 West LRT Report.
 

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Good find, too rarely do we go back and revisit our planning decisions. Looks like the ridership estimate was fairly reasonable (I have heard 25 - 35K per day on WLRT average, although may be reduced due to office recession).

What I find most questionable - with my 20/20 history glasses on of course - is the project team's assessment of TOD. Both the as-built option and the 33rd MRU option had Westbrook TOD so that is equal TOD potential. MRU had the Currie Barracks, whose plans were unknown in 2007, however Currie has always been far more certain to eventual development at transit-supportive densities than Westhills or Tsuu T'ina which remain effectively infinitely far into the future. It's worth noting, both Westbrook and T'suu T'ina are equally these options being possible regardless of MRU or as-built alignment. Seems like a big miss to not mention 200 acres of inner city land on a former military base surrounding by redeveloping and gentrifying communities (even in 2007). But I guess that only gets you a "moderate" TOD potential?

Easy or me to criticize of course, looking back in time. But they even came up with a random, never-discussed and never in any long-range plan document "Sarcee spur line", so obviously they weren't lacking imagination. Also weird that you wouldn't consider your second-best alignment for a future spur, instead mention this complete fantasy "Sarcee Spur" ;)
 
I found this map showing what the original plans were for rapid transit in Calgary from the 1960s. The new central library has a ton of old transit and highway plans, it's pretty interesting to see what could've been!
 

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There's some more detailed plans that I didn't get any pictures of, but it looks like the old plan would've serviced the inner city neighbourhoods a bit better. On the flip side, the highway network that was planned at the same time would've ended up cutting through the beltline and along the river, and demolishing significant chunks of our inner neighbouehoods.
 

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