Station Around 40th Avenue Should be Revisited
The dark blue circle is 400m and a 5 minute walk; the light blue is 800m or a 10 minute walk. This is the generally accepted practical walking radius for LRT. Notice that it reaches from Petrolia mall to 106 Street. It covers both high schools and a good number of older walkup apartments that could be redeveloped over time. I’ve centred it on the intersection but exact location would require further study.
[Updated Feb 7, 2012: Formal Inquiry submitted looking into this – the text of which can be accessed here.]
Council’s Transportation and Public Works committee mulled the question of adding a station between Southgate and Century Park at a meeting in 2007. The discussion focused on a station for Harry Ainlay High School and Louis St. Laurent Jr./Sr. High as well as Confederation Leisure Centre. Councillor Bryan Anderson had made an inquiry which yielded this report here, which was the basis of the discussion.
As a citizen, I marvelled and scratched my head at the lost opportunity. Knocking on doors later that same year as part of my campaign, I heard a lot of disappointment in the communities of Royal Gardens, Greenfield, Duggan and Rideau Park which make up the four corners of 111 Street and 40th Avenue.
After the election I made some inquiries about the feasibility of adding a station during construction of South LRT and while it is technically feasible, and would have been easier to do before opening, the policy of the day was to run LRT fast and far out to the suburbs and region. It was almost more of a commuter rail approach than an urban transit philosophy.
Two things have convinced me that the question of adding a station is worth revisiting:
First, the city’s philosophy on LRT has shifted considerably in the last 18 months. I wrote previously about the new ‘urban vision’ for LRT, but in essence it means stopping a bit more frequently to serve more communities it runs through, and making sure to connect major institutional centres (like, say, high schools and rec centres) and areas with redevelopment potential (like, say, Petrolia Mall at 40 Avenue and 114 Street).
The other thing that’s convinced me to look at this again is the number of people who live in these neighbourhoods that stll bring it up, knocking on doors three years later. I’ve asked people and I’d say 10 to 1 the people in these neighbourhoods would love a chance to more conveniently access the LRT.
With bus service to connect it would improve access for adjacent neighbourhoods like Aspen Gardens as well.
So, if re-elected I will push for the question of a station somewhere around 40th Avenue to be re-evaluated.
Absolutely! I don’t live in an adjacent community (as you know), but it seems totally illogical NOT to have a stop to serve the schools. I acknowledge the efficient vs convenient argument, but I think community service should trump in this case.
Agreed, our longterm goal should be to get an LRT station within 600 metres of as many neighbourhoods as possible. That said, we are heavily committed towards the high-floor commuter model on the North-South and NAIT/St.Albert spur lines.
Looking long term, it might prove worthwhile to keep the high floor lines as more commuter rail, to get from Leduc/EIA into core (U of A, downtown, MacEwan, NAIT, Muni Lands) as quickly as possible. Same goes for St. Albert, and eventually Fort Sask north east of Gorman.
If we keep the existing high-floor lines as the main trunks of the future system, we could efficiently criss-cross it with the more neighbourhood friendly low-floor “S-Bahn” style LRT.
Food for thought.
Although short of a long-term network strategy overhaul I’m in favour of more stops on our existing high floor line where there are gaps.
Between Century Park & Southgate as you’ve outlined but also between Churchill and Stadium. Think “North Quarters” at 105th Ave and 96 Street.
Thanks for fightin’ the good fight Don.
J.
Great idea! If there could be one added right where the LRT gets out of the ground towards Stadium it would service all of the highrises east of downtown as well.
GREAT idea, please move forward with this!
A station by Harry Ainley School only makes sense; there would be SO many people using that station, at least Monday to Friday. Living near the McKernan/Belgravia station, I realize how convenient it is to have a station in a “neighbourhood”. C’mon, council, make it about the people. Keep fighting for them, Don!
This would help a great deal with the parking issues, if feeders were designed properly.
And while your at it, the city needs a professional firm to evaluate the light timings along 111/114. It’s idiotic. Perhaps whoever does it for Calgary would be a better choice. I’ve never waited 5-10 minutes to turn across the C train lines.
This would be an improvement worth having! If this doesn’t make any sense in the future for us, a pedway or overpass should be addressed again as a way to alleviate the flood of students crossing 111st during busy times. There is nothing worse than being a car caught up in this and having to wait while students ignore the walk/don’t walk lights. it makes for a very dangerous and frustrating intersection.
It is not far from Southgate Station to Harry Ainlay. 2 stations taht close together makes little sense.
I suggest a ground level…plain Jane, no parking, station half way between Southgate and Century Park. 34 Ave is a more logical choice.
Harry Ainley is barely over the freeway from Southgate- it’s about a three minute bus ride from Southgate. Rather than another LRT station for Ainley:
-increased school specials from Century Park and Southgate at peak student travel times.
-an overpass or underpass to allow safe freeflow of students across 111 St. to keep students safe from LRT and traffic
Is there anything at 34 Ave and 111 St though, other that the nice bits of landscaping? Isn’t the apartment complex further up? For an LRT station to work, there has to be a place for buses to congregate or for people to meet up with their rides.
Don,
Sad to say, but on the eve of election day, you have lost votes from myself, my wife, and a few neighbours. This is the last of a number of your decisions that have made us question your vision.
Another train station is a terrible idea. The high afterthought cost of its construction, the increase of crime around the train station (look up the history in any major city), and the probability of making bad traffic in this area even worse, are just a few of the many reasons we are opposed to this.
The abandoned community signs at LRT intersections (along with the incomplete steel that is attached), and the pipes with rocks by Southgate Mall are examples of tax payer money already wasted on this otherwise great project.
Build us a sound barrier on the west side of 111th street between 40th Ave and 37th Ave, like the residents around 51st Ave received, and you may have more support in three years time.
PS – take up the offer by the Katz Group and run with it! Generosity like this does not come around often!
Bob, Dez and Brian – thanks for your comments. This is my thought based on a reasonably good sample size. However, if i get anywhere pressing this idea there will have to be considerable public consultation to evaluate it, as well as work from the transportation engineers on where best to situate it.
My preference would be a bit further south, near 40th, rather than at 43rd so as not to be too close to Southgate. It would also be my preference to build a more basic station like the one at McKernan/Belgravia. I would not locate any park and ride at the station, and the residents might desire parking restrictions on nearby blocks.
The reason I suggest 40th is that it’s a real boulevard connecting all the neighbourhoods, and it has considerable redevelopment prospects over time. The same can’t be said for 34th.
The schools are 3-4 blocks away from where the station will likely be located, should it go through. The business are 3-5 blocks away. Nothing is closer except houses and apartment buildings. AND… yet another station will only increase the wait time vehicles have at EVERY intersection along the SLRT – 5-10 minutes in some cases, and not getting any better. THAT’S not progress, no matter how you justify it!