Stage 3 LRT: Overwhelmingly underwhelming

Published in the Barrhaven Independent on April 14th, 2023

Every time I attend presentations or read about plans for Stage 3 LRT to Barrhaven (and Kanata), I come away with the same feeling—I’m underwhelmed.

For such a massive and expensive community-building opportunity, the lack of vision, the current willingness to simply repeat the first two stages of LRT, and missed opportunities along the corridor, is disappointing.

We have the chance to turn our major stations into destinations by replacing acres of adjacent parking with housing, businesses, and other community amenities to support and sustain ridership.

We have the chance to leverage relationships with public and private stakeholders like the NCC and developers to integrate the project with surrounding developments and needs to better serve our public.

We have the chance to learn from the experiences of the design, construction, and operation of stages one and two to build the last stage so it’s the best it can be.

It’s no secret upper levels of government must help us fund the project to allow it to proceed, but we can’t be lazy. We must proactively find ways to soften the financial impact of the project and show our commitment to ensuring its success.

Transparency is important to me, and I don't intend on shying away from it.

In that spirit, I initially didn’t want the LRT extended past Baseline Station, because I was afraid of losing Barrhaven’s transit spine if there were to be operational failures. Further, I felt the project’s current form would not ensure its success.

But after conversations with residents, I’m now on board with “completing” the line to our community. With that change in position, I seek to make the last phase the best phase.

I researched successful mass transit projects from around the world and incorporated elements that would be feasible for ours, like local intensification and integration with other stakeholders.

This is a multi-billion-dollar, community-building, long-term investment in our city.

We need to be bold and inspire confidence for the project—confidence not just from our residents, but confidence from our funding partners so they know they are paying for something whose success is built-into the project.

Get it done, but get it done right, right?