222 replies to this topic

[m0nkyman]

It would be cool if someone else wanted to come up with their own ideal routings for LRT in the Capital. Any takers?

Sure, why not:
Here's why I start assembling the ROW's now. To be useful it actually has to go somewhere that the E&N doesn't..... where the people are.

Red line is a classic commuter, both directions. Initially I picture it going just to where the two lines meet in the western communities, but it will eventually go out to Sooke, maybe 2057, maybe later. Plan now for it, and our grandkids will thank us for it. Between the initial build and the building the Sooke run, take it out to the ferry and the airport (forgot to draw in that loop.

The Blue line, I picture as a combo commuter and crosstown run. Build the crosstown first from the western communities station to the University Station, then build it out to a park and ride on the other side of the malahat for the folks up north that commute in. Again, our kids will thank us for it

[ressen]

Perfect. Those are pretty close to the lines that I would have drawn. (only i haven't quite figured out how to do that)

[G-Man]

MS Paint!

That looks pretty good there monkeyman!

I like how you used the Esquimalt harbour route!

[m0nkyman]

MS Paint!

Bite your tongue. GraphicConverter. No MS crap on my beautiful new Macbook Pro.

8)

[aastra]

How about this? My only regret is that I left Hillside Mall out of the mix.

[G-Man]

You could easily extend the red line from what I assume is Royal Jubilee up to Hillside and then Uni Heights where it could link up with the pink line. Might want to throw in Shelbourne plaza there too.

[renthefinn]

How about this? My only regret is that I left Hillside Mall out of the mix.

You could throw in a few more stations, it's not supposed to be skytrain is it?

I like your routing, but would add more stations. Park and rides are better than everyone driving, but they're not very pedestrian friendly, and don't really consider high density urban forms. It should all be about the city the suburbs can get their due once they've densified to the level of the core.

[aastra]

I only included a few stations because if it's not rapid then people won't ride it, right? That was my thinking.

Local bus service would remain but the LRT would focus on getting people between the major nodes as quickly as possible. And I didn't want to gum up narrow high-traffic streets (like Shelbourne) so I confined the LRT to existing rail right-of-ways or the medians of wide streets/highways.

[Icebergalley]

10 years ago, a study by ND Lea and Cityspaces concluded that an LRT system was viable...

On the basis of that work, the local and regional governments have reserved a corridor from the Westshore to Downtown Victoria for it...

5 years ago, Todd Litman's study on the economic feasability of LRT here concluded...

http://www.islandtra...rg/pages/05.php

Conclusions

The comprehensive analysis used in this study indicates that LRT is justified now, because it recognizes additional benefits from improved transit service and reduced automobile use, and the potential for increased transit rider ship if the RGS transportation and land use policies are implemented.
We can choose our future now, but we need to choose wisely and with vision to protect and enhance our precious quality of life.

I usually don't subscribe to "build it and they will come" but, in this instance I have to...

My thinking has also changed on phasing in LRT by building busways...

Ottawa tried it.. and is stuck with it.. a fixed route busway.... The selling point 25 years ago was that it could be converted to electrified rail when the demand rose to a "magical" point...

However, once you build it you're stuck with it... How do you shut it down to rebuild? That sentiment also was applied to the diesel driven cars that tested the demand going by Carleton U by those who successfully opposed the ready to go North South LRT in Ottawa...

Better to go with the real thing first..

PS... it would be interesting to see the map of peak hour traffic combined with Aastra's routing to emphasise how much of the congestion in the system would be alleviated...

[G-Man]

The shift from BRT to rapid transit seems to be working in Vancouver.

[Icebergalley]

^ But Vancouver's is not in a fixed guideway like Ottawa's is it..?

Ottawa took many of the former rail ROW's build a guideway and now they are stuck with having diesel (or what ever hybryd is being tested) busses on what could have been an electric lrt system..

[G-Man]

Well it was sort of down No. 3 road in Richmond.

[ressen]

The green line starts at Sooke Lake road at the Malahat station where South bound passengers transfer from the train on to LRT and goes all the way to UVIC and loops to University heights Shopping center. The red line is a tram that runs from Six mile Rd. to Royal Bay via Royal roads.(who knew the West Shore was so Regal?)


This route has many areas of potential and existing density nodes.

[G-Man]

Pretty good! There may be too many stops on the Oak Bay Shellbourne area but apart form that I would take it all the time.

[aastra]

Is Shelbourne wide enough and how to you get onto Shelbourne? Left turn at Bay and then a right at Shelbourne?

Might be better to stay off Shelbourne altogether and go up Foul Bay right past Camosun and up to UVic.

[G-Man]

No put the LRT up Johnson to where it turns into Shellbourne no Left turn necessary.

[Mike K.]

I don't think LRT would fit on our roads. Trams are the only alternative within the city, and even then limited to the widest roads (Victoria doesn't use articulated buses because some intersections are too tight for easy maneuvering).

[aastra]

Making it fit is a problem, as is making it work. Frequent stops would defeat the purpose, in my opinion. The streets would be extra clogged because of the presence of the train and yet the people riding the train wouldn't be getting anywhere any faster than if they were riding the bus. So what's the incentive?

I think the rail right-of-way has to be exploited. I also think local stops in Esquimalt would be next to useless. Folks in Esquimalt aren't creating traffic problems, it's the folks driving through Esquimalt that are creating traffic problems.

Get people between the burbs and the city as fast as you can and Victorians might embrace something like this. A fast link between the burbs and UVic would also be good.

There's no need for fast links between UVic and downtown or any other destination in the city. It's plenty fast as it is now.

[Baro]

What about a simple light monorail type thing. I'm not talking skytrain, that's not a monorail, it's just an elevated train. A true monorail can have TINY tracks and is way cheaper than trams, subways, or elevated rail. There's a few models of light monorails that could easily just run above the roads and cause little to no shadow problems (won't turn the streets into tunnels).

The page is pretty pro-monorail, but some interesting info on this page.

http://www.monorails...ges/MonoVs.html

imagine a simple gracefull metal A frame type structrure with foundations in the sidewalks holding up a 2 track monorail, or center-lane supports. Monorails are extremely flexible and can fit pretty much anywhere.

[aastra]

Monorail!