As you will
have heard a majority of council voted to
approve the north/south light rail proposal.
I did not support this decision.
During the debate on the proposal for north/south
light rail at council, I voted to defer the
vote until after the election to provide a
chance to find solutions to the problems with
the proposal and give voters the final say.
When council voted against delaying the final
decision, I voted against the proposal.
There are serious problems with the proposals
for north/south light rail. The cost is at
least $200 million more than what council
approved in the 2006 capital budget. To make
matters worse, after spending over $900 million
on the north/south light rail line, it will
take west end residents one third longer to
get through downtown by transit than it does
now by bus.
Even more serious is what happens if the
proposal for downtown does not work. During
the debate, even supporters of the proposal
for north/south light rail admitted that there
were potential problems. If the proposal for
the downtown route does not work, we will
see attempts to get rid of all express buses
and move to hub and spoke.
For people who rely on express routes, it
would mean more time spent commuting. This
is unacceptable.
The original vision for light rail was a
fast, comfortable, reliable, affordable rapid
transit system that would help deal with congestion
downtown. What council approved does not meet
that vision.
I am very disappointed in the vote by council.
The City now faces potential problems with
both the cost and the impact on other transit
plans. Given the difference light rail could
have made, this week’s vote is a lost
opportunity.
With the approval of the contract by a majority
of councillors, the City will be locked into
the project. However, I can assure you that
when opportunities to correct problems with
the project or reduce the costs arise, I will
be pushing for them.
Sincerely,
Peggy
Problems
with North/South Light Rail
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JULY 7, 2006
NORTH/SOUTH LIGHT RAIL: OVER $900 MILLION
FOR SLOWER SERVICE
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