LETTER: Column comparing Albuquerque to North Shore is misguided

Dear editor: Re: Here's How West Van and Albuquerque Are Similar When it Comes to Transit, April 5 This Just In opinion column by Trevor Lautens.

Dear editor:

Re: Here's How West Van and Albuquerque Are Similar When it Comes to Transit, April 5 This Just In opinion column by Trevor Lautens.

As soon as I read the column in the 5 April edition about the problems with the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Albuquerque, I thought that a major factor might be a lacklustre economy. Sure enough, I found out that Albuquerque is the third-slowest-growing large city in the United States. It ranks 464th out of 515 cities in a study that examined 15 socioeconomic metrics like population growth, job growth, regional GDP growth and poverty rate. According to the study, from 2011 to 2017, the foreclosure rate increased by 0.11 percent, the poverty rate increased by 0.7 percent, the unemployment rate increased by 0.27 percent and the working-age population decreased by 0.38 percent.

Albuquerque is hardly a good comparison to the socioeconomic metrics of the North Shore.

With regard to examples in the U.S., I would have preferred the article to mention the Kansas City MAX BRT. When Main MAX BRT opened in July 2005, the ridership on that route increased 50 per cent from less than 3,200 to more than 6,000 daily. Here is an excerpt from wikipedia: "As the region's most significant new public transportation project in decades, MAX provides quick, convenient public transportation that helps reduce traffic congestion and auto emissions. MAX features distinct characteristics that incorporate state of the art technology to deliver customers a high level of reliability, speed and comfort. There are dedicated lanes that help give MAX vehicles a rapid, smooth ride, and special traffic signalization holds a green light longer to keep MAX on schedule. Limited stops mean that MAX can keep moving to key destinations.

Kansas City MAX facts: