Subway unaffordable

High operating costs cannot be justified for light traffic on Broadway

Re: Mayor touts Broadway line on video, May 7

Broadway buses carry far too few people to justify a subway. Subways are not only expensive to build, they are notoriously expensive to maintain. Subways consume more power operating lighting, ventilation, escalators and elevators than operating the trains themselves; definitely not green when compared to light rail.

Subways are notoriously poor in attracting ridership, as forced transfers and long distances between stations make them customer unfriendly. Journey times seven kilometres or less are slower taking a subway than using surface transit.

Since 1994, the auto mode share in Metro Vancouver has remained static at 57 per cent, despite over $ 9 billion invested in SkyTrain. Building a subway would only drive up the cost of transit without reducing congestion.

Metro Vancouver has a much higher cost per revenue passenger than Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto; building a new subway will only drive up transit costs and subsidies. There is no case for a SkyTrain subway on Broadway; in fact there is barely the traffic flow to justify an at- grade light rail line. It is time for Victoria to say no to a Broadway subway and invest in more affordable and proven transit projects that will reduce congestion and gridlock. A Broadway subway will be the final financial straw that will break TransLink’s fiscal back. MALCOLM JOHNSTON Delta