EDMONTON — The city’s transportation committee debated Thursday whether to move the NAIT LRT Station south of Princess Elizabeth Avenue to deal with traffic issues.
However, at the end of the meeting, councillors decided against making changes to the station’s location.
“The system is working,” said Mayor Don Iveson, “not quite as well as we might have hoped five years ago, when council was making route decisions, but I think the sense is we can live with the current situation, with the station where it is, with the crossing at Princess Elizabeth Avenue.”
On Sept. 6, the new Metro LRT Line went into service. However, due to ongoing troubles with the signalling system, trains have been running on a 15-minute frequency between the Churchill and NAIT stations. They have also been travelling at a slower speed of 25 km/h.
The week before the big opening, council heard motorists could be waiting up to 16 minutes during peak hours at two LRT crossings: Princess Elizabeth Avenue/106 Street and 111 Avenue/Kingsway Avenue. At the time, councillors said they were stunned, disappointed, “hoodwinked” and “gob-smacked” by the news.
READ MORE: Drivers could be stuck at LRT crossings for up to 16 minutes says Metro LRT update
That news is what sparked the suggestion to look into moving the station.
Last week, a report found the delays were not quite as bad as anticipated. The longest wait was 10 minutes during peak hours at the Princess Elizabeth Avenue and 106/109 Street crossing.
Scroll down to read the full report
The city said LRT line is seeing weekday ridership of 12,800. Initial projections were more than 13,000.
“People are voting with their feet. The trains are full and that’s a good sign,” said Iveson.
“I don’t think we’d want to disrupt that and spend $20 million on a temporary fix just to deal with two to three light cycle delays. I understand that’s frustrating for people but there was always going to be a certain amount of delay.”
READ MORE: Report finds delays at Metro LRT crossings not quite as bad as anticipated
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Councillors heard the temporary station would be located on 106 Street and 114 Avenue.
However, moving the NAIT LRT Station would come at a cost. The exact price isn’t known, but administration estimated it would be in the range of $20 million.
It would also mean the walk from the LRT Station to NAIT would be about five minutes.
Moving the location of that station would not alleviate traffic congestion at the other intersection at 111 Avenue and 106 Street.
The city’s advice was to leave things as they currently are when it comes to the NAIT LRT Station. If the Metro Line is ever expanded further, under or overpasses could be considered.
“We can look long-term at whether we want to change that when the train frequency speeds up to five minutes, once we’re running out to Castle Downs and beyond to St Albert,” said Iveson.
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