Green Cities: Light-rail transit in Edmonton...

Cities are going to lead the 21st century in innovative policies that are pro-active in addressing social, economic and sustainable environmental goals. As I have blogged about before, city transit initiatives are an excellent way to bring about all of the aforementioned goals. What we need to vigorously research and explore is light-rail transit.

Light-rail transit is a “public transit option that has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems but higher capacity and higher speed than street-running tram systems.” They are very similar to street cars in the sense that they operate mostly in private rights-of-way separated from other traffic. However, depending on the city, LRTs are sometimes mixed with other traffic on city streets.

Light-rail transit is taking off in the city of Edmonton. This city has realized that because the internationally accepted value for the cost of a subway per kilometre is $100 million, such infrastructural investments are not financially viable. Light right provides a less expensive transit system and is highly efficient with high ridership. One of the biggest cited examples of an LRT advantage is the fact that it reduces traffic congestion. More importantly however, it reduces future road construction because one commuter train can replace up to “15 lanes of traffic at peak periods.”

There are two more categories that the LRT sufficiently meets. One is community, the other, the environment. In short, and similar to Curitiba’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) model, an LRT can help in bringing about greater social cohesion and creating a more diverse and inclusive city. Because of its efficiency and reliability, an LRT usually discourages automobility in the inner city. This reduces traffic congestion and provides an incentive for citizens to explore other alternatives like walking and biking. It contributes to the livability of the space.

Also, as LRT systems become more efficient, urban amenities concomitantly became more commonplace with a push towards urban intensity and density. More and more citizens become attracted to the urban centre because of the numerous urban amenities available to them such as good transit options like LRTs. This creates a sense of community because of shared interests among the city’s populace. As demonstrated in Edmonton, an LRT system “reduces air pollution, contributing to the quality of our health and our environment, because it emits significantly fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases.” Also, “A transit rider creates 65% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than an auto user for the same trip.”

Key message: LRT systems as demonstrated in San Francisco, Edmonton, Manchester, Luas and Sydney are remarkably efficient, effective and energy smart. They cost significantly less than a subway and create a better sense of civic cohesion.