Benefits Associated with Public Transit Service
02
2010
At the October 14, 2009 City Council meeting I made an inquiry regarding the benefits of a public transportation service beyond the movement of people. The two areas that were the focus of my inquiry were the reduction that public transportation might have on Greenhouse Gases and the future costs of road construction and maintenance to accommodate personal vehicle traffic movement if we don’t investment in public transit, particularly in the city wide LRT system.
The report which was discussed at Transportation and Public Works Committee on March 2, states that if everyone who benefited from taking the LRT and buses in 2009 had instead chosen to drive that would have created an extra 46,503 tonnes of greenhouse gases. That would have meant 38% more green house gas emissions with the city of Edmonton.
The benefits in terms of savings in road costs will be felt in three ways: A high quality transit service encourages fewer roads to be constructed and maintained, potential reduction of vehicles on the roads, and a shift from single occupant vehicles to transit which also reduces the need for new or expanded roads. An immediate reduction in roadway maintenance is also felt when a new LRT line opens as there is a reduction in both bus and vehicle presence on the roads.
More detailed analysis of cost savings will be done in this area when administration develops the business case for each LRT extension. Just to give you some indication of cost savings in road construction and maintenance, city would have to build and maintain 6 additional lanes of roadways to accommodate traffic from Northeast Edmonton to Downtown and University if no LRT existed in this part of the city.
I hope this information will be considered by the Province of Alberta as it works towards reduction of overall greenhouse gases in our province and future funding for LRT construction in Edmonton.
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