LRT: Better Overall Value

By Ryan McGreal
Published March 20, 2007

Light Rail

Today's Hamilton Spectator includes an opinion piece by your humble editor that makes a timely (I hope) case for investing in light rail transit (LRT). The article compares LRT with bus rapid transit (BRT), which the city is contemplating in its Transportation Master Plan, and attempts to argue that LRT delivers better overall value.

In summary, LRT:

Is far better at attracting riders;
Is more sustainable;
Is cheaper to operate; and
Attracts a lot more investment.

Also, be sure to read Tom Cooper's piece on the same page.

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Several of his essays have been published in the Hamilton Spectator, and he occasionally blogged for OpenFile Hamilton. Ryan also maintains a personal website and has been known to post passing thoughts on twitter.

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By jason (registered)
Posted March 20, 2007 at 11:51:24

great job Ryan.

The city needs to seriously examine this. It would create such an economic boom along that corridor like we haven't seen in decades. I believe it would lead to the construction of more lines in the future. The return on investment is so embarassingly high that cities always end up building more once they realize how great an investment it is. That's what happened in Portland - they built the first one nervously wondering what would happen...once they saw the results pouring in they went full steam ahead with many new lines and routes.

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By Ryan (registered) - website
Posted March 20, 2007 at 12:12:44

Thanks, Jason. You were an early and steady proponent of light rail in Hamilton, and your advocacy has helped lay the groundwork for today's renewed interest.

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Common sense is that which tells us the world is flat.
-- Stuart Chase

[ - ]

By nobrainer (registered)
Posted March 20, 2007 at 13:13:12

Good job! With peak oil and then global warming more and more in the news, maybe people are ready to start thinking about DOING SOMETHING about our car-obsessed culture instead of just wringing our hands as we drive through Timmys for a pick-me-up.

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Fixing Hamilton's problems is a no-brainer

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By SaveTheCore (anonymous)
Posted March 21, 2007 at 11:36:57

Great article Ryan. Fully agree. Phase 1 - Wentworth to McMaster, along Main and King. (Change Main and King to 2-way). Phase 2 - the universe, and beyond.

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