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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
The_Cat
Senior Member
The_Cat
Senior Member
The_Cat
Senior Member
I think it's a matter of finding ways to promote LRT during key events. It's great for concerts, commuting, and academics. I'm guessing that the Valley Line could see a bump as MacEwan has a second and third stop.
IanO
Superstar
So even after a gain of 219k in the area, we will be juuuuuust eclipsing pre-COVID after opening a $2.Xb line?
trevorhayden
Active Member
It takes time for people to adopt new transportation habits
thommyjo
Senior Member
Ridership loss on the capital line for office workers has been substantial I’m sure. Basically all my friends that used to take it to the office now drive, WFH, or bike. Safety/drug use is the reason for all of them. Most of them are 5”11+ men.
“Choice riders” got decimated for downtown commuters. Really need to ensure things are better as the capital line opens and thousands of non transit riders try out the heritage valley park and ride.
I also wonder how much movement there’s been in college aged kids from more transit accessible areas to beyond the henday. My friends and I all grew up in the whitemud to henday ring. Transit to uni wasn’t awesome, but was doable in an hour. if more 18-24 year olds are now outside the henday, and that old inner ring is more empty nesters, that’ll impact transit use.
“Choice riders” got decimated for downtown commuters. Really need to ensure things are better as the capital line opens and thousands of non transit riders try out the heritage valley park and ride.
I also wonder how much movement there’s been in college aged kids from more transit accessible areas to beyond the henday. My friends and I all grew up in the whitemud to henday ring. Transit to uni wasn’t awesome, but was doable in an hour. if more 18-24 year olds are now outside the henday, and that old inner ring is more empty nesters, that’ll impact transit use.
The_Cat
Senior Member
I'll admit, I'm afraid for most of my friends and relatives riding the LRT after working hours.
inclusion
Active Member
It's not even just the trains or just the stations, it's the distance between the station and offices and all the crap you have to walk through to get to where you're going. When you drive and park, you don't have to deal with that. The state of ECC has really hurt downtown. Unfortunately, the City can't solve that problem on its own. I echo the sentiment around people who used to take the train. The video above references the lag time of improving safety and it is so true. With all the new peace officers, I'm sure it will be safer; however, the damage to LRT's credibility is done, and rebuilding credibility takes an incredible amount of time with little to no slip-ups in between, or it just resets to zero credibility again.
Kosy123
Senior Member
Heritage Valley should be a big jump for transit ridership and should also capture the college student demographic that's moved south of the Henday. Same with Lewis Farms. Fully agree that Capital Line ridership suffered the most from safety issues, but also shifting work patterns. I'm curious what the effects of all the RTO is.
You could pay for parking if you're in office 2-3 times a week, but when that becomes every day? I'm sure that's going to cause changes to people's habits.
Commute times should play a factor too at some point. You could have shitty transit perceptions, but if you're consistently spending 1 - 2 hours commuting during peak hours, you're going to start getting tempted by the LRT or transit options.
I do wish we got more detailed statistics publicly, especially on lines and stations. I understand that if you use September's VLSE numbers (288,000), you technically get 9600 riders daily which doesn't seem too impressive until you factor in for the weekday ridership effect, so for all we know we're at the 15-20k daily ridership for VLSE on the weekdays.
You could pay for parking if you're in office 2-3 times a week, but when that becomes every day? I'm sure that's going to cause changes to people's habits.
Commute times should play a factor too at some point. You could have shitty transit perceptions, but if you're consistently spending 1 - 2 hours commuting during peak hours, you're going to start getting tempted by the LRT or transit options.
I do wish we got more detailed statistics publicly, especially on lines and stations. I understand that if you use September's VLSE numbers (288,000), you technically get 9600 riders daily which doesn't seem too impressive until you factor in for the weekday ridership effect, so for all we know we're at the 15-20k daily ridership for VLSE on the weekdays.
Glenco
Senior Member
There is too much focus on the crime element. The airport is barely back to pre Covid numbers and as far as I know they never had a serious crime issue.
inclusion
Active Member
I'm not sure that is the best comparison, given that most people don't fly to work.
I think, given the rebound in car commuting, which is above pre-COVID levels, it is a better indicator relative to public transit use. In the years following the pandemic, many people chose to commute by car because the risk of infection persisted. Likewise, transit use continues to lag, and some research points to public transit's safety perception in Canada. Mind you, this isn't a problem unique to Edmonton. Violent crime has increased on most public transit systems in Canada since the pandemic, and the research seems to point to the fact that people are choosing to continue to drive instead of returning to public transit use. Why is that? So instead of infection being the only factor, some people are looking at safety as another factor, particularly women who point to harassment combined with transit reliability. This research seems to support the sentiment in this thread.
thommyjo
Senior Member
Yeah, a good note on RTO. I’ve definitely heard anecdotally that for those doing 2-3 days in office, the cost of driving (both to park and also congestion/time) is seen an ok because WFH days sorta offset. But if someone is 5 days in office, does that calculation of costs and time start to change?
Kosy123
Senior Member
I'd wager we see behaviours change. It'd make a great research study if someone were to do it, but I've heard the same anecdotes about those working 2-3 days in the office. We'll just have to see the numbers come later this year to see if there's a noticeable bump.
Glenco
Senior Member
But a lot of people do fly for work. The point being Covid was a major disruptor and people gravitated to other means when they could. Now they are realizing in some instances it wasn’t adequate. This thread was too focused on the crime and social disorder which really hasn’t changed from my experience