Appendix 9 - Light Rail as the 'Skeleton' for Development
Light Rail as the 'Skeleton' for Development
We need a form of transit that is permanent and that can inspire people to shift the way they move.
A Light Rail Transit system will provide a skeleton around which urban stations, suburban centres, rural towns and community hubs are built. The LRT skeleton will connect to existing Nova Scotia transit networks, creating the needed connections between them.
LRT sees these existing systems as crucial feeder systems to create a web of transit that will reach all Nova Scotians. This hybrid of LRT, feeder networks and active transportation is the vision we need to connect communities to each other and to the province as a whole.
Why Light Rail Transit is right for Nova Scotia
LRT is a fixed, permanent investment. It creates a foundation to build on, and a basis for how all the other levels of transportation connect.
LRT has a strong public image and inspires people to change the way they travel.
A LRT skeleton would connect communities and neighborhoods by bridging the existing transit systems.
Ensures accessibility for riders at all levels of mobility due to low floor level boarding with multiple doors, so mobility devices, bicycles and strollers, can easily roll on and off.
More easily connects to active transportation. During design and construction the LRT system can integrate parallel active transit systems.
Guides growth and development by creating a map for which it can happen. Brining people to the surrounding areas around urban centers. Nova Scotians could easily live, work and play beyond the HRM.
Attracts long term development and investment.
Provides reliability and improved frequency as it is not limited by traffic, construction and weather.
LRT is clean and green with no emissions from the vehicle, which reduces air pollution and contributes to cleaner air. LRT will encourage and supporting NS transition to clean energy.
LRT moves more people with fewer vehicles. The full standing capacity of a standard and articulated (or accordion-like) buses is approximately 75-115 passengers, compared with up to 400 passengers on a two-car LRT.