LETTER: LRT extension needed, despite rising costs

CambridgeToday received the following letter to the editor from reader Evelyn Wake in response to our story Price tag for bringing ION to downtown Cambridge set at $4.5 billion.

I am 82+ years old, and reading that councillors are surprised at how much the cost of extending the LRT to Cambridge has risen.

It has been my experience in life, that when costs are quoted, one should triple them when considering whether or not to proceed.

So I am not at all surprised this has happened. I have yet to see in my lifetime, anything done for government, from the municipal level to the federal, that has ever been done at the original cost agreed upon.

One of the main reasons is that companies dealing with government see it as a cash cow; the other is that there will always be problems unforeseen by either side, such as a pandemic that has caused severe supply problems worldwide.

Global warming is yet another factor these days.

I know there is some strong opposition to the LRT. In my opinion, these come mainly from people who do hot rely on public transit.

Despite the rising costs of having that service in place, I am still a strong supporter of it. We need a rapid transit system across our region, since we are approaching an era where many will no longer be able to afford owning their own vehicles.

The LRT will reduce our carbon footprint significantly.

Evelyn Wake, Cambridge