However, public transit is very much a basic essential service for our city, and our LRT system is the “feeder main” equivalent for Calgary Transit. Calgarians in north central and the southeast have been forced to “live with less” from their transit service for decades. Delaying or cancelling the Green Line would be like asking some Calgarians to remain on “water restrictions” for decades, while other Calgarians continue to water their lawns and gardens.
As someone who grew up in north central Calgary, I’ve learned to “live with less” a lot. There are plenty of empty fields that local residents can point to as unfulfilled promises and missing infrastructure. The Green Line is one of those big missing pieces that community members have little hope will be built in their lifetime. We have all but resigned ourselves to living with an overloaded 301 BRT up Centre Street for the rest of our lives. One thing I know for sure is if we delay or postpone breaking ground on Stage 1, any hope of the north leg will be lost.
In 1975, Calgary invested in the essential infrastructure required to build the Bearspaw feeder main, which Calgarians have relied on for 50 years. Its recent catastrophic break has highlighted the need to ensure essential infrastructure can serve Calgarians as our city grows.
Calgary can and must invest in all essential infrastructure from feeder mains to our world-class LRT network. Every Calgarian must be able to access the same level of service across the entire city, and no one should have to “live with less.”
Andrew Yule is the north director with LRT on the Green Foundation. This year, LRT on the Green is celebrating 10 years of advocacy.