Brian Gould is a transportation planner and has served in a variety of roles with the Transit Riders' Union of Edmonton. He's committed to being car-less and is a vocal critic of auto-centric planning.

Another step forward

June 28, 2010

In 2008, when I began writing In Transit, the Alberta government’s $2-billion GreenTRIP program was already off to a slow start.

Giving Edmontonians car-free options

June 14, 2010

Last week, I introduced the City Centre Airport lands as a blank canvas for transit-oriented development and sketched out a few ideas.

Some transit ideas worth chewing on

June 07, 2010

With my departure from this space approaching, however, I want to try something a little different: Pretend that I have the power to make certain design decisions and hope that others will have similar ideas.

Make the Transit Challenge an Everyday Challenge

May 31, 2010

The Transit Riders’ Union of Edmonton’s third annual Transit Challenge begins Thursday, kicking off a week of walking, bicycling and, of course, taking transit, while leaving the car at home.

Signal woes add fuel to anti-LRT fire

May 17, 2010

Good morning, south LRT riders. Enjoyed your first three weeks on the new extension? Might want to speak up, because there’s a lot of negativity to drown out.

Projects shift congestion

April 19, 2010

When I heard that plans to widen Gateway Boulevard to five lanes between 23 Avenue and Whitemud Drive could be delayed due to provincial funding cuts, it came as something of a surprise.

There's a lot to learn from Portland

April 05, 2010

I recently took a “city planner’s holiday” to Portland, Ore. — a trip resulting from growing tired of hearing constant references to projects and precedents without having seen them first-hand.

'Perverse and regressive' LRT park-and-ride scheme

March 22, 2010

LRT park-and-ride pricing is back to council Wednesday, but this time the proposal is to reserve a fraction of the spaces for those willing to pay around $40 or $50 per month.

Green TRIP reveals a lot about attitude toward transit

March 08, 2010

It's been twenty months to the day since the provincial government pledged $2 billion in "Green TRIP" funding for transit, but the program still hasn't produced much of anything except excuses.

Mixed feelings about bus station bike lockers

March 01, 2010

Anyone who’s been to South Campus Transit Station lately has likely noticed the hulking metal bike lockers that have taken over a significant portion of the concrete bus island.

Smart card fares should be the first step

February 22, 2010

With smart cards for fare payment taking another step toward funding at council, I can’t help but think about other things to “smarten” up.

Council setting the right tone for LRT expansion

February 08, 2010

Things are looking up for Edmonton’s urban future, with council setting the right tone for LRT expansion and airport redevelopment.

Bus network revised

February 01, 2010

It might not be as glamorous as laying new LRT track to Southgate, but revising the bus network to match is just as important.

Expo or no Expo, let's just get this LRT extension built

January 25, 2010

I’m alternately excited and worried by the recent push, led by Mayor Stephen Mandel, to expand the planned LRT lines to NAIT, west Edmonton, and Mill Woods by 2016.

City continues to milk the farebox for all it's worth

January 18, 2010

It’s fare hike season again in Edmonton, and this year cash fares are up a quarter to $2.75, a 10-pack of tickets will set you back $22, and monthly passes continue to skyrocket, reaching $81.50.

More bicycle racks among welcome changes to Edmonton bus fleet

January 11, 2010

The dawn of a new decade has brought with it two significant, yet subtle, changes to ETS’ bus fleet. Eleven routes now boast bicycle racks — up from three — while the entire system is now served by low-floor buses.

Reasons for an Edmonton transit user to be thankful

January 04, 2010

Ah, the holidays: No season of transit riding is quite so interesting. Free service into the wee hours of Jan. 1 made New Year’s Eve a treat. The rest, however, was often downright frustrating.

Time to show us the money on Edmonton LRT

December 21, 2009

Heading into part two of the LRT public hearing, it was looking like the best-case result would see the lines to the north and southeast passed, but the west leg held hostage to indecision.

Do Edmonton's bus drivers need to be behind shields?

December 14, 2009

The savage attack on bus driver Tom Bregg has raised a lot of questions among riders and Edmontonians in general, but the main one is rather simple: Why?

'Hope Springs Eternal' for Edmonton's LRT plan

December 07, 2009

Eight months ago the city's LRT network plan amounted to six fat arrows radiating from downtown. While it was nice and all, I worried that nobody had figured out how these different legs were going to tie together.

Bizarre arguments against airport transit link

November 30, 2009

Edmonton needs transit to its airport, and here are 14 reasons why: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, London, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John, and St. John's.

Obstructionists living up to their name

November 23, 2009

As I wrote last week, council stalled on approving the west LRT along Stony Plain Road. In a way I don’t blame councillors, but tough decisions are supposed to be their job.

LRT decision parked by Edmonton council

November 16, 2009

As far as omens go, the LRT public hearing started with a doozy. Mayor Stephen Mandel was only partway through his review of the procedure for public comment when his carafe went crashing to the floor.

Traffic deaths can be preventable

November 09, 2009

Combine H1N1, media hype and transit, and the result seems to be a new and exciting way to die while getting from place to place. Call me old-fashioned, though, because I’m still more worried about getting hit by a car.

Transit levy will create a more livable city

November 02, 2009

At the risk of stating the obvious, transit costs money — about a thousand dollars per house in a new neighbourhood for buses, shelters, and benches, according to the city.

Smart cards take another step forward

October 26, 2009

ETS’ transit smart card project — code named “ETSBlue” — just took another step forward, with a business case report being sped back to committee before budget season.

Transit strategies don’t have to be expensive

October 19, 2009

Climate change plans are the “in” thing for cities these days, and through policies on buildings, land use, and transportation, some cities are making strides toward measurable reductions.

Is the city bluffing on U-Pass price increase?

October 05, 2009

Well, the U-Pass was nice while it lasted. I suppose it was inevitable in a way: an ETS program that managed to double ridership with relatively low fares predictably tied to inflation … it just had to be too good to be true.

Transit parking an ever-changing story

September 28, 2009

Plans for parking along the South LRT seem to change more frequently than for high-speed transit to West Edmonton. From plenty of parking to no parking, it seems we’re now back to plenty.

Transit plan challenges vehicle dominance

September 21, 2009

After a lengthy development process and an overwhelmingly positive public hearing, Edmonton finally has a new, progressive Transportation Master Plan.