May 2023
Given the latest issues surrounding the trouble-plagued Eglington Crosstown LRT line, over-budget and years behind on its construction schedule, can someone remind me why it’s a good idea to build a dedicated LRT line, instead of dedicated bus lanes?
The benefits of having lanes dedicated exclusively to transit vehicles are quite obvious, but when dedicated bus lanes can require as little construction as some sort of physical barrier to keep not-transit vehicles out of the lane to, at most, the construction of a new curb lane to accommodate the transit vehicles. If you designate the curb lane as the bus lane, you wouldn’t even need to construct platforms to allow passengers to get on and off the buses. All existing bus stops could continue to be used.
In light of the boondoggle-in-the-making that is the Eglington Crosstown, I’m not feeling over-confident to the success of the proposed Hamilton LRT project. It might not be too late Hamilton.
Sources: Eglinton Crosstown plagued by 260 quality control issues, including improperly laid track: Metrolinx CEO | CBC News, There’s no ‘credible plan’ to complete the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, confidential documents say | CBC News.
