TEA: Report says "LRT the 'Greener Way' for TTC

The Toronto Environmental Alliance are my favourite local ecology-minded organization. With successes such as the green bin program and the cosmetic pesticide ban, it's heartening for a public transportation fan like me to see them announcing a report like this.

Dr. Franz Hartmann, Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA). “The facts suggest that Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs), not subways, are the best technology –per dollar invested- to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Essentially, they found that  the per-dollar cost of LRT versus subway emitted half the greenhouse gas. And because of their low-cost, more of them can be built for the same dollar - and faster - so we can have better coverage sooner to reduce automobile traffic.

As the recent Toronto election has introduced a real uncertainty to the 2007 Transit City plan, this is an important thing to consider in the decision to modify or abandon that direction.