I love waiting....for MOOSE. The longer MOOSE has to wait, the further along everybody else gets on Stage 2 and MOOSE becoming more unfeasible and irrelevant by the day. I can't wait for this horrible anti-urban, anti-ratepayer proposal to suffer a well-deserved fate.
While I have a skepticism, I definitely don't think this is anti-urban. It can really appear to be (certain rural stations on GO) but it doesn't have to be.
Historically, commuter rail systems encourages multi-CBD densification instead of just "Los Angles Style" suburban sprawl. Sometime it takes decades (see GO Transit, but it's happening already). To me, even the concept station, MOOSE is far less anti-urban than the Queensway or Highway 50. The business plan depends on good densification around stations, so the business case is anti-sprawl -- even moreso if it's privately funded than subsidized.
That said, I'd de-emphasize the parking lots somewhat and encourage public transit to Moose stations. There are OC Transpo stations that is far more park-n-ridey than the MOOSE concept stations, but the bonus is that parking lots are sometimes eventually replaced by developments as a station gets more urbanized. As long as it is masterplanned.
Even if they fail (or not.) at least they have done an important service of protecting railway corridors that should be utilized into the urban fabric this century
-- even if it is simply keeping them on the table long enough for them to be taken over by an OC Transpo commuter train service in twenty years from now. Or if beyond expectations, like the Little Engine that Could, they succeed doing it themselves.
Profitable private "transit" is rare, but recently, it has been happening. Sometimes you need to team up with the City to make it happen. For example, Portland Aerial Tram did that. Free transfers with public transit, yet funded by waterfront property owners (
Property Powered Transit in Portland!) and it has been a success there. That said, it isn't 100% private, and it is a complex arrangement, but not altogether very different from the sphere of possible MOOSE-style funding arrangements that MOOSE is advocating.
So Little Engine That Could, has precedents.
Bring it on. Healthy debate included.
And I'll still advocate for less parking lots, and at minimum medium-density developments around stations (no less than that) or at least masterplanned properly with concept incremental urbanization. And definitely need to make amends eventually with OCTranspo since MOOSE need transit connectivity with them at some stations to de-emphasize the parking-lot factor.
As long as it is urban-friendly.
