(06-25-2024, 05:25 PM)Bytor Wrote: The people think that 7 years before Stage construction starts is too long, could you please tell me what you know about what the ridership on the 302 and the 206 are and how fast they are increasing, and what the threshold is for where an LRT becomes cheaper to operate on a cost per ride basis than a bus route of the same numbers?
You're approaching this logically, for a subject where there isn't a lot of logic. The ION extension is purely politics, the costs of operating a bus service couldn't matter less to the politics.
This is actually true of phase 1 too. The cost of operating 7/200 were not remotely a factor in a decision to proceed with stage 1. Redirecting development to the core, and protecting the countryside line, were the driving factors. The fact it moved people was just the mechanism of action, but was in no way the root cause.
If you really want to focus on ridership, I'd suggest re-framing your arguments in terms of whether ION phase 2 would deliver the same urban growth benefits due to low ridership. See if you can find data on the connection between ridership and denser built form.