I've taken the Valley Line SE several times now and the rose-tinted glasses are off.
Taking 95 Ave and 85 Street instead of Connor's Road was a huge mistake that easily adds 5 minutes to the journey time.
Muttart to Bonnie Doon takes ~10 minutes (vs 4 minutes by car). This is for an area with lower transit ridership than Mill Woods and lower population density than our new suburbs.
From
the city's concept plan from 2010:
> Connors Road – Remaining north of Connors Road in order to target 95 Avenue and avoiding the major commuter route with reversible lanes
The Valley Line absolutely prioritizes motorists and home owners over actual transit users and it shows.
Trips like Clareview - WEM, Mill Woods - University and Mill Woods - WEM via LRT will be comparable in duration to a cross-town bus. We've taken a shotgun to the network effects we get from intersecting LRT lines.