Calgary councillor seeing red over the Green Line LRT project
Posted Mar 21, 2019 7:46 am.
Last Updated Mar 21, 2019 2:29 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – There are some people upset with the direction of the Green Line in Calgary.
Ward 3 Councillor Jyoti Gondek is furious the city is not looking at extending the line north for the second phase.
Gondek argues failing to get funding in place now will continue to have repercussions.
“The exact reason people that continue to say we are not serious about the Green Line north. Unless we put that money away and we start assembling those lands, we will not get a track going up to places like north-central Calgary.”
She believes there needs to be more conversation about the future of this project.
“It can’t be about cost per kilometre alone. There is so much more to it. How could we even contemplate creating communities 30 years ago with a big sign that says future LRT park and ride and then say ‘well maybe not.'”
Ward 12 Councillor Shane Keating contends other areas have been waiting for this line too.
“We can’t just go off saying ‘I have been waiting for 30 years’ because in all honesty the south, ward 12, has been waiting for more than 30 years.”
Gondek points to one factor to determine where this line should go.
“Ridership, ridership, ridership. It has been demonstrated, proven over time in north-central Calgary, yet it gets overlooked.”
Yet Keating believes there is more to this debate.
“Ridership is one character, one qualifier. It’s not the only one because it can’t be the only one. You have to look at a multitude of things before you make your decision.”
Shovels could be in the ground at some point next year for the start of the first phase of the project.
With files from City News
