Best direction for the Green line at this point?

  • Go ahead with the current option of Eau Claire to Lynbrook and phase in extensions.

    Votes: 41 60.3%

  • Re-design the whole system

    Votes: 22 32.4%

  • Cancel it altogether

    Votes: 5 7.4%
  • Total voters
    68
https://livewirecalgary.com/2023/07...owners-frustrated-by-delayed-green-line-work/

Concerns around the Eau Claire to 16th ave portion of the Green Line.

Because they break it down by stage 1 (16 Ave to Sheppard) and within that Phase 1 and 2, it's hard to understand from some articles which portion they refer to. Is there still uncertainty on whether phase 2 (Eau Claire to 16th Ave) will go ahead? It's odd they'd tunnel all the way to Eau Claire then not connect it North, considering that tunnel is probably the most costly part.
 
We should be close to finding out the actual cost of Phase 1 of Phase 1. I mean close in the timeline of this whole thing where January 2024 is tomorrow and July 2024 is next week. I assume once that's finalized, they'll see where they're at and what if any money is left. Sorry Crescent Heights, you're going to be waiting awhile for your improved public realm.

Funny things is, at the bottom of the article Live Wire is advertising an article they wrote on the city's high credit rating. One reason for that is the city resisting the urge to all UAE and just build a brand new city to spite fiscal management.
 
trtcttc said:
https://livewirecalgary.com/2023/07...owners-frustrated-by-delayed-green-line-work/

Concerns around the Eau Claire to 16th ave portion of the Green Line.

Because they break it down by stage 1 (16 Ave to Sheppard) and within that Phase 1 and 2, it's hard to understand from some articles which portion they refer to. Is there still uncertainty on whether phase 2 (Eau Claire to 16th Ave) will go ahead? It's odd they'd tunnel all the way to Eau Claire then not connect it North, considering that tunnel is probably the most costly part.
Click to expand...
It is because it is so costly why they don't know the timing. I think we will struggle to get Eau Claire to Shepard built with the budget we have, let alone the massive additional cost of crossing the river and climbing that hill.
 
MichaelS said:
It is because it is so costly why they don't know the timing. I think we will struggle to get Eau Claire to Shepard built with the budget we have, let alone the massive additional cost of crossing the river and climbing that hill.
Click to expand...
Yea looking further into it, I doubt it's possible either. The Waterloo ION stage 2, completely surface LRT in suburban areas is projected to cost 4.5 B for 18km, the same length as Phase 1 of the Green Line. Even though that Waterloo number definitely seems off but 5.5 might not even get it to Eau Claire with all the tunnelling that's required.
 
artvandelay said:
We are 3 days away from the 8 year anniversary of this project being announced. Wow!
Click to expand...
I remember that. We were getting 1.5 billion from the feds, 1.5 billion from our $52 million/year health region rebate (or whatever it was), and assuming 1.5 billion would come from the province. We wouldn't need the SETWAY - for that kind of money, we could just build the whole line as LRT, all at once. And it would open by 2026. I was super excited.
 
CalgaryTiger said:
We should be close to finding out the actual cost of Phase 1 of Phase 1. I mean close in the timeline of this whole thing where January 2024 is tomorrow and July 2024 is next week. I assume once that's finalized, they'll see where they're at and what if any money is left. Sorry Crescent Heights, you're going to be waiting awhile for your improved public realm.

Funny things is, at the bottom of the article Live Wire is advertising an article they wrote on the city's high credit rating. One reason for that is the city resisting the urge to all UAE and just build a brand new city to spite fiscal management.
Click to expand...
What improved public realm ?
By adding a bloody street car ?
 
FCC1982 said:
What improved public realm ?
By adding a bloody street car ?
Click to expand...
engage.calgary.ca

Streetscape Master Plan for Centre Street North | Green Line Stage One

We are creating a streetscape master plan for Centre Street North between 18 Avenue North to the north end of the Centre Street Bridge.
engage.calgary.ca engage.calgary.ca
GL_CSN_Streetscape_Slides_2021-04-13_Page_02.jpg
 
Oh good grief! Here we go again! 😵‍💫😳🤨 Whipping Calgarians up into a frenzy. From what I understand, significant changes to the plan would require a resubmission to the government for funds reconsideration and might risk losing what we’ve already been promised! Tinkering with the plan at this point would be risky!

Citizens group gaining momentum to 'rethink' Green Line construction​

Work is already underway this summer to relocate utilities between existing 7th Avenue lines and the Green Line's new Eau Claire Station

Eva Ferguson
Published Jul 27, 2023

Members of a citizens group demanding the city change plans on the multibillion-dollar Green Line LRT project say they’re building momentum with more than 750 supporters, a professional new website and plans for a possible petition this fall.
The Ad Hoc Citizens Committee to Rethink the Green Line fears taxpayers could end up paying more than the already massive $5.5-billion price tag, arguing that Phase 1 need not include underground tunnelling to Eau Claire, and should extend beyond Shepard to Seton, where new riders are guaranteed.

calgaryherald.com

Citizens group gaining momentum to 'rethink' Green Line construction

An adhoc citizens group, with well known philanthropists like Jim Gray and W. Brett Wilson, are demanding the city rethink the Green Line.
calgaryherald.com calgaryherald.com
 
It's a bit disingenuous to use the "5.5 billion price tag". We're footing only about $2 billion of that, and it's not like if we cancel the Green Line the federal and provincial government would simply give us those funds to do something else. These "concerned taxpayers" really ought to think of this as getting $3 billion for free. I feel like they're gearing up to put up a fight when it inevitably comes back that $5.5 billion won't be enough to get stage 1 done. Then we'll spend a long time debating it while the cost just keeps going up... like the Event Centre.
 
I just hate the Herald (Post media) keeps giving an outlet for these voices.

750 supporters is hardly worthy of a news article. But of course, the president is a former oil exec so his opinion must be upheld as being more important than elected officials, city planners, and the interest of the general population.
 
I always find it interest how easy it is to get into the Herald for this group and to have such a positive slant on their efforts.

Headline includes a non-neutral "group gaining momentum", Jim Gray is always a "philanthropist", several paragraphs are granted to a communication's "expert" who is clearly an expert in issues of transit costs, design and procurement complexities. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, just interesting which voices get regular coverage on this and which don't. This is what, the 20th article by this same group over the past 5 years?

And all this is just from the media side, their actual transit solution is terrible and does the opposite of their stated goals.

If we want to waste money on transit and relegate transit to irrelevance to more people's lives, making a lower-quality, slower, less competitive, and more prone to failure city centre section is the way to do it.
 
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I think the Herald has figured out their market is former Sun readers and tries to cater to them. Most analytical minded people have moved on from them and on to multiple types of other media.
 
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