Calgary Public Transit Discussion Thread

[CapnCrunch]

Does anyone know of any resources into regards of train stations and property values?

My house in Rocky Ridge backs onto Crowchild right behind the planned Rocky Ridge/Tuscanny station. I'm on 0.6 of an acre. Just curious whether I'm in for a bump in value or a drop.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
Does anyone know of any resources into regards of train stations and property values?

My house in Rocky Ridge backs onto Crowchild right behind the planned Rocky Ridge/Tuscanny station. I'm on 0.6 of an acre. Just curious whether I'm in for a bump in value or a drop.

Huge drop. Look at any of the properties beside a train station and they're usually crap after a short time. Easy access by drug dealers, homeless etc.. means more crime, and accordingly lower property values.

Or I could just be talking out of my ass here.

[sputnik]

Nothing would be worse than being able to quickly walk to a train station.

I predict that the back fence of his house would be used to construct homeless shanty/tent villages within days of the LRT being completed.

[TimG]

i'd be more concerned with hearing the crossing bells every few minutes than shady people in your backyard.

edit:

if your house already backs onto crowchild, i guess you're not going to be concerned about noise.

[ZenOps]

Residential within three blocks or so - decrease in residential value.

Commercial within three blocks or so - possible strong increase in value.

Residential past five blocks or so - possible increase in value.

Given a scale of about a million people. Five million or so - expand the zones.

[CapnCrunch]

Im thinking more along the line as selling to a high density residential developer. My house and 3 others are zoned as urban reserve due to the citys plan to have high density residential surrounding the stations.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by codetrap


Huge drop. Look at any of the properties beside a train station and they're usually crap after a short time. Easy access by drug dealers, homeless etc.. means more crime, and accordingly lower property values.

Or I could just be talking out of my ass here.

http://mls.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?p...Key=-675637706

Lol, 600,000 condos? I'm not worried about the people traffic here. Sure the hobos and junkies can get here, but why? If you know anything about this area, there is absolutely nothing within 2kms of this station. No liquor stores, no convenience stores, absolutley no commercial anything (unless you like church). You get off the train (this is the absolute last train station that will be built on this leg), and you are in the middle of lots and lots of residential homes.

I'm not trying to argue, just wondering if there are any ways to appraise what my place would be worth to a developer. My lot is easily big enough to fit 10-12 townhomes at about $350-$400,000+/-.

[desi112]

Originally posted by kenny


I read that Calgary Transit originally wanted the University station to actually be on campus underground, but the powers that be (at UofC I assume) nixed that idea and it ran along Crowchild instead.

Useless fact: The big arch at U of C used to run across Crowchild as a pedestrian bridge, but they had to move it to make way for the LRT line.

what big arch?

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'd like to see transit get clean, reliable, and reasonably priced ($90 bus passes for only-train or only-bus users is obscene compared to the level of service offered IMO) before all these expansions happen. Seems like they are putting the cart before the horse big time.

The GPS is great and all, but without increased reliability, people will just be able to see precisely how late the trains/buses are going to be. I guess people will at least know when their bus simply decides not to come at all on a particular day (as I often experienced).

I see all these new trains/buses on order which seems like a good plan, but they are the same ones I see broken down all the time, and the same ones that can't seem the handle Calgary winters. I had just as many huge delays on broken down new trains/buses as I did the older ones.

Anyways in my 13 years of ridership, price has only gone up and service quality and reliability have plummeted. Unless something durastic is being done, I can't really see how all these expansions are going to do anything but make things far more crowded and unpleasant.

IMO all this expansion money should have been put into developing the 8th ave subway. I think that would have by far the greatest impact on rider satisfaction. Traffic would improve in the core as well. Not having to wait 5-10 min to get into downtown would almost be worth it right there. More trains could run without getting backed up as well.

Will all the trains have A/C by this summer? IMO before the trains had A/C, train fare should have been 1/2 or less of what it was in the summer. People would pass out constantly, everyone would be sweating their bags off, and it would stink like a dirty gym bag the entire time. If you were lucky, there were no delays, and you would only have to be on the train for 30 min or so instead of 1hr+.

I complain a lot about transit, but I'd also be the first one to be willing to pay $200/mo+ for a transit pass if we had even somewhat clean and reliable transit. I wouldn't even think twice about it. Calgary Transit is the SOLE reason I now live downtown. I'd much rather live elsewhere but not having to use transit the way it is outweighs pretty much everything else.

I spent some time in Europe this summer, and while I never expect Calgary Transit to get that good, it certainly highlights just how desperately our system needs to be improved.

[adam c]

^^ regardless of the subway downtown there will still be a surface level train, the subway would only be for the somerset - dalhousie route

[kenny]

Originally posted by desi112


what big arch?

The one by the Art Parkade (24th/University Dr), unless its gone now? Haven't been up there in years.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by adam c
^^ regardless of the subway downtown there will still be a surface level train, the subway would only be for the somerset - dalhousie route

That sucks, but better than nothing I guess.

[z24_wheels]

Pretty bulky thread, I didnt read it all. Just wanted to ask; are there any plans or has anyone discussed connecting stations like Crowfoot to Westwinds? Right now it sucks to ride into downtown and ride back up to the NE.

[copynpaste]

What I dont get is how you buy a book of bus tickets and you dont save a penny as if you were to pay the $2.40 each time. So what incentive does that give you? Honestly?

I bought a book today in the first time in like a year and it as $24. I was thinking wtf, I pay $2.40 each time so why did I bother coming here to buy a book?

[Stephen81]

Originally posted by copynpaste
What I dont get is how you buy a book of bus tickets and you dont save a penny as if you were to pay the $2.40 each time. So what incentive does that give you? Honestly?

I bought a book today in the first time in like a year and it as $24. I was thinking wtf, I pay $2.40 each time so why did I bother coming here to buy a book?

i think the fare is $2.75 now so do save a few cents but, yeah, nothing to write home about.

[adam c]

Originally posted by stephen_haxton


i think the fare is $2.75 now so do save a few cents but, yeah, nothing to write home about.

some people might

dearest xuan


todai i bi transit book it tenty four dollar and i save a hole fee dollar and fifty cent, we witch baby, WITCH!

[speedog]

Considering most average transit riders probably work about 21 days a month, the break down would be as such...

Paying cash fare every day @ $2.75 one way equates to $1386.00 a year or $115.50 monthly (average)

Using book of 10 tickets which works out to $2.40 one way equates to $1209.66 a year or $100.80 monthly (average)

Using monthly passes ($90.00) equates to $960.00 a year.


So for someone who is counting their pennies (probably a fair number of transit riders), the difference between paying cash or using a book of 10 tickets regularly could mean the difference of three 4 liter jugs a milk a month - not much to beyond ballers, but still something to some families. Buying a monthly pass puts even more monies into those family budgets.

Myself - I don't use transit any more, but when I did I bought the book of 10 tickets because my schedule was always under 17 days a month on transit and as such, paying cash or using a monthly pass was a money losing venture.

[kaput]

.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by speedog

Using monthly passes ($90.00) equates to $960.00 a year.

And qualifies for tax refund.

Public transit sucks because we live in 2000sqft houses on a 6000sqft lot. It will get a lot better if everyone is packed into 500sqft apartments in 40 stories buildings.

That's the trade off.

We are trying a squeeze a million people on a "Light" Rail Transit system. Of course it sucks. We are outgrowing what Light rail can handle.

[benyl]

Originally posted by Xtrema


And qualifies for tax refund.

$162.

http://www.transitpass.ca/