Major housing boosts in Calgary will require smart transit planning, says national transit association
The report suggests the federal and provincial governments should cover the majority of operating costs during the first years of Calgary’s Green Line LRT
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A national urban transit association is calling for a stronger relationship between transit and housing developments in cities such as Calgary that are receiving major housing boosts from the federal government.
A report by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) lays out several recommendations to ensure rising density is met with strong transit planning and is appropriately funded — particularly from the province and Ottawa.
“Housing and transit are often planned separately, resulting in new housing developments with little to no transit services, or new transit projects without the residential density to increase ridership,” CUTA president Marco D’Angelo said in a news release. “This disjointed approach leads to longer commutes, increased transit operating costs and reduced progress on other policy goals.”
CUTA encourages Ottawa, province to fund operating cost in first years of Green Line LRT
Calgary recently received $228 million from the federal government’s $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund, which will require the city to build 6,825 housing units by 2027 and 35,950 over the next 10 years.
The report suggests the federal and provincial governments should cover the majority of operating costs for the first years of Calgary’s Green Line LRT until ridership matures — an estimated $38 million in annual operating costs, according to CUTA.
It said ridership can take years to mature while housing is built around new transit — but high levels of transit service are still required in the interim to ensure the new stations succeed.
Calgary’s office conversion program will also increase levels of density that require adequate transit options, CUTA said in the release.
The report also notes municipalities’ limited financial resources, and says federal and provincial governments must play significant roles when it comes to funding for housing and transit projects.
CUTA is also advocating for the federal government to bump the start date of the Permanent Public Transit Fund to next year. The planned federal transit fund, which would distribute $3 billion annually, is billed to start in 2026. It would be the first-ever federal public transit fund. (The City of Calgary recently participated in a round of public engagement on the fund.)
Green line funding approved last week during city budget deliberations
During last week’s budget deliberations, city council approved a number of public-transit funding measures, including $60 million over the next three years for the North Central BRT Route 301.
That money will go toward a new transit way north of Beddington Trail N., which will require heated shelters and traffic priority investments.
“This strategic investment ensures that the city is ready for funding opportunities from other orders of government and potential partnership with the Canada Infrastructure Bank,” read the budget recommendation, adding it will provide a convertible mobility corridor ahead of the Green Line north LRT extension.
The budget includes an annual $8-million investment in the Green Line.
That annual investment will be used to acquire land that supports interim and future transit projects, supporting a co-ordination team integrating city services with the Green Line and introducing new bus services feeding through the future LRT line.
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