4. What happens if the City abandons trolleys?

Investment Losses

Edmontonians will lose their capital investments in the trolley system. This includes over $10 million invested in the past ten years in upgrades and a brand new substation in Rossdale. [Vancouver's trolley system was recently valued at $184 million; Edmonton's is about half the size.]

More Local Emissions

Diesel emissions in areas now served by trolleys will increase. A consultants study indicates that diesel emissions at bus stops can be up to 40 times higher than average levels in the Edmonton area, and may be about 10 times higher in areas close to diesel buses. Although emission standards will become stricter in 2007, most of Edmonton's diesel fleet will not consist of low emission diesels until about 2028.

Abandoning trolleys will not significantly affect total emissions in the Edmonton region either negatively or positively.

Increased Noise

Trolleys pass by fairly quietly, but diesels are noisier and produce sharp bursts of noise on acceleration. Studies show intermittent noise to be the most disruptive. Communities served by trolleys will experience more noise in the form of a greater number of noise peaks per hour and per day. The increase in the number of peaks per day above 80 decibels could be as high as 400-500 in some areas, if one considers the number of times a trolley bus passes by at current transit service levels.

Loss of Future Fuel Alternatives

Trolleys provide a security against the future instability of petroleum prices. If trolleys are retained, the city would have the option to expand the trolley system in future if economics place petroleum fuels at a cost disadvantage. If the trolley system is dismantled, the City would not have this option unless it could find the funds to rebuild the trolley system.

Administrative Benefits

Abandoning trolleys will leave only one type of bus in the fleet. Fleet maintenance will become simpler, and there may temporarily be some additional space in two bus garages. Route planners may gain some flexibility in scheduling.

There may be some annual cost savings without the need to maintain overhead lines, but this expenditure is not a significant portion of the transit budget.

Money could be saved in buying diesels instead of trolleys. But exactly how much is difficult to say. A consultants study estimated phasing out trolleys would cost $369 million over the next six years, and keeping trolleys would cost $389 million - a difference of 5%. Much of this depends on what technologies the diesel bus industry will adopt to meet post - 2008 emission standards. If "hybrid" technologies become the standard, the difference will be much less. These savings must also be weighed against the capital investment losses incurred in dismantling the trolley system, as well as the other drawbacks that have been identified.

These administrative benefits will not likely be apparent to transit users and residents in areas that currently benefit from trolley service.

Other possible Repercussions

Most of the benefits associated with trolley buses are "quality of life" benefits. Maintaining quality of life while addressing growth related issues often presents challenges to modern cities. In its 2003 citizen satisfaction survey, the City found that Edmontonians were concerned about "quality of life" being lost in an emphasis on economics.

Since some of the most concentrated growth in Edmonton over the next twenty years will occur in the downtown core, the number of people that would benefit from an investment in continuing trolley service is considerable. But if trolleys are abandoned, the "downtown-living benefit" of frequent transit service could be negated over time by undesirables like disruptive diesel bus noise. This could turn people away from taking up residence in condo developments along busy transit routes [e.g. 124 Street].

Trolley buses have characterized downtown Edmonton since 1939. Like the MacDonald Hotel and the High Level Bridge, some people identify them as a feature of our city. Their value as a part of what makes Edmonton unique from other big cities is difficult to quantify in monetary terms.