Edmonton Minute: Beleaguered LRT, Funding Shortfall, and Fare Gates Quashed

Edmonton Minute: Beleaguered LRT, Funding Shortfall, and Fare Gates Quashed

 

Edmonton Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Edmonton politics

 

This Week In Edmonton:

  • There will be a meeting of the Community and Public Services Committee at 9:30 am this morning. The Committee will discuss a private report pertaining to “Event Sponsorships”. On Tuesday, at 8:30 am, there will be an Agenda Review Committee meeting, and at 9:30 am there will be an Urban Planning Committee meeting. At the latter meeting, the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy will be discussed, with an eye on making the area more pedestrian friendly.

  • On Wednesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a meeting of the Executive Committee. On the agenda is a discussion about designating the Crawford Residence as a Municipal Historic Resource, and a plan to address transit service needs for the city’s growing population including fleet renewal, fleet growth, and facility plans. The Committee will also discuss a Capital and Operating Funding Shortfall Analysis - the document shows that only 57.5% of the City’s ideal renewal needs are funded in the 2023 to 2026 budget cycle. Finally, on Friday, there will be a meeting of the Utility Committee at 9:30 am. The Committee will discuss and potentially approve EPCOR Water Services Inc.'s Performance Based Regulation rate application for Wastewater Services for the 2025-2027 period. This rate application, if approved, will set wastewater utility rates for customers from April 1st, 2025 to December 31st, 2027.

  • PACE (the Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton), a new municipal political party launched in response to the Province's passing of Bill 20, is hosting a series of information sessions. The events take place at various locations around the city throughout October and November, and at them, PACE will share how they plan to build a team, seek common sense candidates, and prepare for the next municipal election. Their next upcoming info session takes place tomorrow, at 7:30pm, at the SE Edmonton Seniors Center. A full list of events is available online.

 


 

Last Week In Edmonton:

  • Council has decided not to proceed with a pilot project for fare gates at the Churchill and Belvedere LRT stations, citing technical feasibility issues and a cost of $7.2 million for implementation and ongoing staffing. Although fare gates could help reduce fare evasion and potentially improve perceptions of safety, Council members expressed doubts about their actual impact on crime reduction. Instead, Council plans to reallocate funds for increased peace officer patrols in the transit system and explore the possibility of granting those officers more authority to address certain offenses. The discussion on transit safety will continue during the upcoming budget talks, with a potential revisit of fare gates depending on public feedback regarding safety improvements.

  • Problems continued to plague the Valley Line LRT. Residents living near it have expressed frustration over the persistent noise from passing trains, describing it like "fingernails on a chalkboard." Many report that the screeching has become more pronounced since the line's launch, disrupting their daily lives and sleep. While City officials acknowledged the complaints and are working with TransEd to address the issue by applying additional grease to the tracks, residents feel their concerns are being overlooked, particularly as they were promised a quieter system. The City also decided to remove the sliding doors from shelters at all Valley Line LRT stops due to ongoing vandalism and social disorder. The automatic doors were intended to enhance accessibility and provide protection from the elements; however, they frequently malfunctioned, making the shelters difficult to use and were often tampered with, leading to costly repairs and maintenance. Ultimately, 152 doors were removed from 76 shelters.

  • Council approved a ban on the sale of knives in convenience stores, creating a new business license category for these establishments. However, full implementation of the new regulations may take years, as changes can only be made when licenses are up for renewal. Enforcement of the new regulations will rely partly on complaints from the public. Some Council members expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the ban, others, like Councillor Ashley Salvador, emphasized the importance of reducing impulsive purchases of these items.

 

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  • Common Sense Edmonton
    published this page in News 2024-10-06 15:36:57 -0600