I would like to comment on the disadvantages of LRT over SkyTrain:
• LRT is much slower than SkyTrain as it runs on the surface and has to stop at the traffic lights.
• LRT will increase congestion. It will share roadways with other vehicles. Thus it will make rush-hour worse and will slow traffic and waste time
• LRT stops won’t attract development as much as SkyTrain stations do.
• LRT will have fewer riders as compared with SkyTrain. Thus the loss of revenue to TransLink would be worth billions of dollars over the next 100 years or so.
• SkyTrain will make thousands of drivers get out of their cars whereas the LRT won’t be able to do that.
• SkyTrain takes less travel time than LRT. The value of the time savings would run into billions of dollars over its life.
• Because SkyTrain will generate more ticket revenues and offer huge time savings, SkyTrain is much cheaper than LRT.
All other cities in the Lower Mainland – Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster and Coquitlam – have made the smart choice by choosing SkyTrain as their cities’ rapid transit system. Even Broadway-UBC line is being planned as a SkyTrain line.
Why Surrey is insisting on having LRT, I don’t understand.
Kuldip Pelia
