Approved by city council in 2008, the plan has a C-Train line running up the Nose Hill Creek corridor (along the CP Rail right of way) from Zoo Station to Harvest Hills (96th Ave.) and then north-westward towards Coventry Hills, Panorama Hills and, eventually, Airdrie.
There are many concerns with the plan. The most glaring shortcoming is that nobody south of 96th Avenue lives anywhere near the proposed alignment, limiting access (especially in winter) and opportunities for social and economic spinoff benefits. There were other major concerns as well. One is that Seventh Avenue is already overtaxed and cannot handle more LRT traffic without becoming hopelessly mired. This means that to do the NCLRT the tunnel beneath 8th Avenue would have to be built — not a bad thing — but it would significantly affect costs.
In response to the growing chorus of voices expressing concern about NCLRT, last spring Calgary Transit held a series of open houses and hosted an online survey asking Calgarians for their thoughts on the transit future of north central Calgary.
More than 2,000 Calgarians responded in person and online, giving an overwhelming thumbs-up to the idea of revisiting the current alignment while expressing intense interest in learning from the experience of other cities about potential alternatives.
For the complete FFWD article by EVDS Assistant Professor Noel Keough and Urban Studies teacher Geoff Ghitter, click here.