There are overwhelming social, economic, and environmental benefits to shifting users from private vehicles to public transit. Better transit means better mobility and more choices for everyone. For young adults who rely on transit, it’s a key part of keeping them here. For older adults who rely on transit, it’s a key part of giving them good quality of life. Calgary is ready for a public transit system that will help navigate our economic recovery and prepare us for a bright, active future.
We need to plan, fund, and build the next stage of our public transit now.
- Great cities have great transit systems. The CTrain carries more passengers every day than any other light rail transit in North America, but it doesn’t extend to all areas of the city.
- An accessible and reliable transit system attracts businesses to grow and build in Calgary.
- We should be expanding on our current system to serve more of Calgary.
- A robust public transit system, with adequate hours of operation, is necessary for bringing a vibrant nightlife to the core and enabling the recovery of our arts & culture sector. This is fundamental to a downtown revitalization strategy.
- Public transit supports economic recovery by getting people to work and encouraging investment from industry. It also saves commuters the costs of parking downtown.
- The federal government has announced $5.9B in commitments to shovel-ready projects and the creation of a permanent $3B per year transit fund. We should be capitalizing on these commitments and investing now.
81% of Calgarians want transit infrastructure like the green line built.
The City needs to take all necessary measures to expedite completion of the Green Line project.
- The Green Line is a vital investment in Calgary’s economy, environment, and community.
- The Green Line will advance transit accessibility and is a key component of universal transit access.
- Project delays extend final completion and result in increased costs to the city.
- The Green Line has been through an extensive planning process with significant citizen engagement. The time to build it is now.
- 81% of Calgarians feel it’s important to get infrastructure like the green line built.
(2020 Calgary attitudes and outlook survey)
Transit is ranked by Calgarians as one of the top initiatives to make the city a more vibrant place to live.
Our public transit system needs to benefit all, not just those who can afford to live and work near it.
- Vulnerable populations, such as those who are racialized, those who have linguistic and social barriers, and those who live in poverty, are not distributed equally across the city—and neither is transit access.
- The City needs to adopt a transit equity strategy that prioritizes access for marginalized communities.
- Calgary Transit must pursue a more universal design for both their physical and digital spaces in order to meet the needs of the widest possible spectrum of people’s abilities.
- There are opportunities to eliminate obstacles and streamline different services in order for everyone to use transit comfortably, independently, and safely.
- Transit is ranked by Calgarians as one of the top initiatives to make the city a more vibrant place to live. (2020 Calgary Attitudes and Outlook Survey)
- Calgary needs an accessible and reliable transit system now.