1. What are some key considerations?

The Transportation Master Plan and Plan Edmonton both state that in planning for the future, the City will seek to reduce or mitigate the impacts of transportation on our communities.

Our city has made considerable investments in the trolley infrastructure, which is well maintained. But we would need to buy new trolley vehicles before 2010. The new vehicles would be low floor.

The population in areas served by trolleys is growing, and this growth is projected to continue. The number of high density housing developments is growing rapidly. The demand for public transit in these areas will grow in the future.

Trolley buses require higher capital investments because they cost more to buy, and there is a cost associated with maintaining the overhead wires. But because they operate in areas of high density/high transit demand, they also tend to carry more riders and earn more revenue than many suburban routes.

Diesel exhaust has been linked to cancer. But after 2007, new diesel buses will need to meet more stringent emissions requirements. The long-term costs associated with the new emissions technologies are not really known. The new buses could produce up to 80% less toxic emissions than the oldest diesel buses we have now, but the emissions would still be released into the streets. New diesel buses will have the same noise impacts as current diesels.

The cost of "fuelling" diesel and trolley buses are similar at present. Economists predict that world oil production will peak within ten years. Although there will still be plenty of oil, prices will rise sharply. This will affect the price of diesel fuel. Electricity is supplied by a city-owned company on longer term contract; buying power and services from Epcor benefits Edmontonians as shareholders.

Many communities have traditionally expressed preference for trolley buses over diesels.