When I heard a few days ago that the City of Edmonton had killed it's fleet of trolley buses, I felt a bit of sadness as well as anger. As anyone in Vancouver knows, trolley buses are much preferred over diesel buses because they are so much quieter and aren't belching out fumes. It's so nice to see and hear a trolley bus glide by, hearing only the noise of its tires and the whiz of the power collectors as they slide along the wires.
Edmonton Journal: Trolleys' last stop on road to oblivion
The City of Edmonton says that killing the remaining trolleys (they were down to 24 buses operating regularly) will save $100 million over the next 20 years. I'm not sure who they got to do their math, but that seems like a number contrived just so they can justify killing the buses. So many other cities in the world are upgrading and extending their trolley bus lines. There are even cities seriously considering bringing back their trolley fleet, but starting from scratch is expensive. Edmonton already has the basic infrastructure of overhead wires in place, so why throw all that away? They seem to have completely lost their way.
The new buses with the battery back-up don't need to stop the second their poles pop off the wire, should that happen...and they can drive off their usual route should there be an obstruction ahead. Those "unsightly" wires - that's subjective. I find them very interesting - they are such an urban statement and artists and photographers find beauty in them in the urban environment. They are a clear indication of where the bus travels, making it easier for people to see where routes go.
There are those that argue that trolley buses are no cleaner than diesel buses, because in the end, (in Alberta, at least) you're still getting power from fossil fuels, be it from a coal-fired power plant or a tank full of diesel. First, they are ignoring the quality of life benefits of trolley buses vs. diesels mentioned above. Second, they miss the point that the power could be generated without fossil fuels via wind, hydro or solar. The City of Calgary runs it's C-trains (indirectly) on wind power - why can't Edmonton (who owns the power utility EPCOR) do the same for the trolley buses? In addition, studies have shown that even in places like the Netherlands where the power is generated by a mix of coal, oil and gas, the emissions of the trolley bus, including the power generated to run it, is about 30% lower than a comparative diesel.
Trolleybus UK gives a great overview of trolley buses and the system.
With any luck, maybe the city will come to its wits and realize the true value in the trolley bus, at the very least as a tourist attraction. The city of San Francisco's streetcar line is big with tourists because it run old streetcars from around the world. The trolley bus, having been in Edmonton since 1939, has the same potential and done properly, can serve as a commuter route at the same time.
Edmonton Journal: Trolleys have tourism potential
20 years ago this may have made sense, but in 2009 this is pure ignorance on the part of the city. Edmonton: fix this mistake before it's too late.
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