ION Stage I: what would you do differently?

[ijmorlan]

Are you saying that there wouldn't have been provincial/federal money for BRT? That's not how I remember things.

I actually don't recall myself, but with the extra money it would make sense we jumped on developing an LRT over BRT at the time if the region wasn't going to be paying a whole lot for it.

I’m pretty sure the funding was available for either.

That being said, BRT is only cheap if it isn’t full BRT. Full BRT is almost as expensive to build as LRT but doesn’t provide the reduction in operating expense (specifically, to staff the vehicles) at higher traffic levels. This is because full BRT basically means the same design as the LRT but with slightly wider dedicated lanes (more expense) due to the vehicles not being constrained by tracks, and with no need for rail infrastructure (less expense).

If you ever hear about BRT being way cheaper, I guarantee it’s watered down BRT, maybe with dedicated lanes only in a few areas or reserved lanes separated only by paint from the rest of traffic. This is actually one of the advantages of LRT: it’s less likely to be watered down. Still technically possible, because part of the line could be built as a streetcar, but it’s more obviously a dumb idea. Similarly, the inflexibility of tracks embedded in the pavement is part of why LRT is more attractive to property buyers: it’s pretty clear the LRT is unlikely to move. Buses are sometimes sold as more flexible because routes can be changed whenever, but this means people don’t count on them staying around, even though the important routes tend to be pretty stable. How long did Route 7 make the same trip between Fairview Mall and UW?