LRT - LONGER RIDE TOLL-FREE

Calgary considers expanding downtown LRT free-fare zone
By Richard Cuthbertson
Calgary Herald June 13, 2011

CALGARY — Extending the LRT free-fare zone to the Stampede station could create security headaches at the platform, and may encourage commuters to park in the area and then cram onto busy trains travelling into downtown at peak hours.

This is according to a report heading to a city committee on Wednesday that looks at the advantages, and the drawbacks, of broadening the section of the LRT network where people can ride without a ticket.

The report also confirms Calgary Transit will lose up to $2 million a year in revenue if the free zone, which currently stretches along 7th Avenue, grows to include the Victoria Park/Stampede station.

But the proposal still has merit for the organizer of a major expo this coming weekend, who suggests some middle ground can be found in the whole debate.

“Ultimately, what does every special event, what does every convention need? They need people,” said Kandrix Foong, the organizer of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, to be held at the Stampede’s BMO Centre.

“If you add a couple extra elements to your show that can tilt the favour of whether they’re going to come out to your show or not, then obviously it’s worth it.”

He suggests something be worked out where people attending conventions at the Stampede grounds could to ride the LRT for free.

The report looks at a proposal spearheaded earlier year by three aldermen to create a “seamless event package” by connecting Stampede Park with the Telus Convention Centre through public transit.

The proponents on council said in their motion the change would lead to economic spinoffs by attracting bigger events and raising the appeal of Calgary as a host of conventions and conferences.

The problem, according to the report, is it is difficult to quantify how economic benefits of major events relate to transportation.

Meanwhile, the financial hit to Calgary Transit of extending the zone is pays for between 40,000 and 50,000 transit hours.

The report also suggests extending the free-fare zone would bring questionable characters to the Stampede platform, and transit security would have to be adjusted.

“These individuals can cause disruptions and make other customers uncomfortable,” the report says.

“Extending the free-fare zone would provide a greater range for these individuals to operate.”

Making it free will also encourage more people to park in area and then take the train into the downtown for work, creating “operational issues,” according to the report.

That will lead to complaints of bad service when people at the Stampede platform can’t get on the LRT because the trains are full heading into downtown, the report says.

Ald. Druh Farrell said extending the free-fare zone is a bad idea, adding the current zone along 7th Avenue has become a hub for vagrancy.

“To extend that outside the free-fare zone would be problematic,” Farrell said.

“It would just extend the problems outside of the downtown and make it very difficult for the police to monitor.”

Farrell said she also worries that if the free-fare zone is extended outside of downtown, those affected communities will turn into park and ride lots.

If the city wants to boost tourism, it could introduce a multi-pass giving admission to various sites in Calgary, with public transit included, Farrell said.