Charlie Parker...tumbling DICKWAD (light rail)

[The_Worlds_finest]

Listening to this schmuck this morning on the way to work while he was talking about possibility of a light rail being constructed in san antonio at the cost of .008 increased sales tax.

Dumbdick Charlie kept on insulting the idea saying that San Antonio doesnt need it and that the people wouldnt want it. Now if this guy actually had a basis as to why he didnt like it other then not liking it, I would not have a problem, but his dumbass arrogant attitude drug him over the edge.

Of the three on the show The cohosts were more then interested and so butt pain charlie went on to make a poll on his page, overly confident in his stupidity even to go as far to place a bet that if the yes percentage would break 25% he would buy his two cohost lunch...well dill hole charlie the vote stands at 49.44 Yes 50.54 no. IDIOT. Just cause your an old duche bag doesnt mean the rest of the city is.

So as to why I am a yes man? San Antonio is the only top ten pop city in the country not to have one. I lived in the DC metro for a ten months....light rail there was out standing. Go out on the weekends take rail so even if I did have to much to drank I was safe riding the rail. The areas where the train serves will become more valuable aswell as rejuvenated. Oh not to mention even Detroit has one....

On another note aggravated cyst charlie had an incident years ago when the saints played in town where he was bragging on the radio about being so drunk he forgot the game and his wife had to pick him up(god bless her soul). Late an angry listener called in to ask about it and he denied the entire episode then went on to insult the listener... i dont like charlie parker infact I have sirius and would much rather listen to stern BUT IF there were a decent morning show covering news in SA I wouldnt change the dial from woai...good day:hat

[coyotes_geek]

Charlie is right. You don't want light rail. Learn from your neighbors up I-35.

[Wild Cobra]

Light rail is expensive. It is highly subsidized where I live not only with a 1% business tax, but property taxes also. It costs $86 for a monthly pass. A single ride fee is $2.30, but about 2/3rds of the real cost is subsidized by tax payers.

If your politicians are like ours, the final costs will be 2 to 5 times higher than they say to get approval.

[coyotes_geek]

Here in Austin our light rail is about $20 million over budget, the taxpayers are on the hook for another $30 million because CapMetro didn't get the federal matching funds they told the voters they would get. The project is over a year behind schedule and the ridership projections keep gettting cut. Basically we're going to end up spending $100 million for a light rail system that will serve about 1,000 commuters a day.

[Nbadan]

We can either build light-rail or build more toll roads...and with $5.00/gallon gas possible and the continued population growth of SA, I lean toward Light rail...

[Nbadan]

BTW...Charlie Parker is an asshole but I swear he reads this forum...

[CosmicCowboy]

Another poster mentioned the DC metro system and how great it is...he is right...it is a great system...

Unfortunately the system being proposed in SA is nothing like that...it is a SURFACE RAIL system...meaning every single city street between the Dominion and downtown will be closed *ding*ding*ding*crossbar dropping*ding*ding*ding* while the train comes through and thousands of cars will sit idling at the crossings while the lucky few that benefit from our tax dollars sip their lattes and read their wall street journals.

[rjv]

austin has about one of the most poorly planned traffic infrastructures in the entire country.

[balli]

All I know is that light rail's been great in SLC. Absolutely a success from just about every angle. The amount of economic development that's sprung up around that thing is unbelievable. It is routinely packed. Its efficient, clean, quiet and usuable. It transformed the city in about 10 years.

I'm not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of the San Antonio deal, but if the best somebody's got is that they don't want to wait at rail xing's while sitting in their F-350 and listening to Rush, than they're probably not thinking about the situation even a sixth as judiciously as they should.

[CosmicCowboy]

All I know is that light rail's been great in SLC. Absolutely a success from just about every angle. The amount of economic development that's sprung up around that thing is unbelievable. It is routinely packed. Its efficient, clean, quiet and usuable. It transformed the city in about 10 years.

I'm not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of the San Antonio deal, but if the best somebody's got is that they don't want to wait at rail xing's while sitting in their F-350 and listening to Rush, than they're probably not thinking about the situation even a sixth as judiciously as they should.

Uhhh...before I respond with a "fuck you asshole" for your arrogance I will try to give you a more detailed response that maybe even you can understand.

What purpose is a rail system supposed to serve? can we agree on...

#1) provide clean, easy, affordable transportation for the general population
#2) save energy

A dedicated metro system does that...It has it's own dedicated underground or elevated lines and does not interfere with other transit systems/methods...multiple spokes feed a multiple station central metro hub. It is easy to navigate and convenient to use.

What does OUR proposed system do? It uses the existing Union Pacific railroad tracks and goes from the old abandoned grain silos you see on the near west side of down town out to the gravel pits by the Dominion...meanwhile crossing and stopping traffic on every single east/west street causing thousands of cars, trucks, and busses to sit there idling and wasting fuel...

You know those gravel trains you get stopped by rolling *clunkety clunk*clunkety clunk* clunkety clunk* as you sit there in your car or your bus (because you don't live in the Dominion and work in an office downtown and you need to get from YOUR house to work) wondering if they will EVER get the hell out of the way?

Do you live in the Dominion? do you really want to pay taxes so they can ride the train to downtown instead of taking the Mercedes?

[balli]

What does OUR proposed system do? It uses the existing Union Pacific railroad tracks and goes from the old abandoned grain silos you see on the near west side of down town out to the gravel pits by the Dominion...
lol, Salt Lake's then proposed light rail line used existing UP tracks from the shitty west side of town, out to the suburbs. Before, it was a vacant warehouse and hobo village. Today it's part of a major shopping center.
http://i35.tinypic.com/21brl2d.jpg

meanwhile crossing and stopping traffic on every single east/west street causing thousands of cars, trucks, and busses to sit there idling and wasting fuel...
Like I said, I don't know what exactly is being proposed in San Antonio, but light rail systems move with traffic, they stop at red lights and they yield to cars when applicable. I rarely ever wait for trains any more than I would normally for red lights and the flow of traffic. Besides, light rail trains are small, 2-6 cars. They pose no problem whatsoever.

A picture to illustrate, unsurprisingly you can see development/construction as well:

http://i38.tinypic.com/15pgvlt.jpg

do you really want to pay taxes so they can ride the train to downtown instead of taking the Mercedes?The people in the picture above are all dyed in the wool, red as blood, mormon and republican; heading home to the suburbs after a long day of work. Yes, I want to pay my incremental taxes so they can take the train instead of driving downtown.

[rjv]

i love opposition to a yet to be detailed plan.

[CosmicCowboy]

i love opposition to a yet to be detailed plan.

This is the same plan voted down 8 years ago warmed over. That's all a 1/8 cent sales tax could buy (if that)

[nuclearfm]

lol, Salt Lake's then proposed light rail line used existing UP tracks from the shitty west side of town, out to the suburbs. Before, it was a vacant warehouse and hobo village. Today it's part of a major shopping center.
http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/21621/wm/pd1360959.jpg

Like I said, I don't know what exactly is being proposed in San Antonio, but light rail systems move with traffic, they stop at red lights and they yield to cars when applicable. I rarely ever wait for trains any more than I would normally for red lights and the flow of traffic. Besides, light rail trains are small, 2-6 cars. They pose no problem whatsoever.

A picture to illustrate, unsurprisingly you can see development/construction as well. http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transit/images/SaltLakeCity/LightRail/CityCenter.jpg
The people in the picture above are all dyed in the wool, red as blood, mormon and republican; heading home to the suburbs after a long day of work. Yes, I want to pay my incremental taxes so they can take the train instead of driving downtown.

This should have been does AGES AGO. Rather than expanding 281, I-10, 410, there could have been easily an Installed light rail system right in the middle of the highway. It also could have been done at comparable cost and reduced traffic as well. Los Angeles is barely getting their system going and they're paying that price for their late start. The staunch negativity from public transportation in teh south largely transcends from desegregation and the Montgomery bus boycott of the 60's. It's just plain ridiculous that it continues today. If these assholes, yes assholes don't want to be taxed and be part of society, they can just move out of the city.

[balli]

This is the same plan voted down 8 years ago warmed over. That's all a 1/8 cent sales tax could buy (if that)
1 line? That's cheap as it gets. Go get some matching stimulus funds or some shit. Why aren't your local politicians doing their job? Besides, build it and they will come.

Despite initial skepticism, TRAX now enjoys widespread support. Both the University Line and its extension to the University Medical Center were completed ahead of schedule. Additional expansions have been proposed for the near future, all four of which have been approved and funded. A daily ridership of 15,000 was expected for the initial 15 mile (24 km) line in 1999. Soon after, the expanded system of 17.5 miles (28.2 km) served an estimated 60,000 passengers each day.[7] In the fall of 2005, the large number of passengers caused trains' suspensions to drop, preventing doors from closing properly; the problem has since been corrected.[8] An improved system of counting introduced in 2007 that used infrared sensors to track body heat showed that 60,000 was an overestimation, and the numbers were revised to approximately 40,000.[9] By the third quarter of 2008, the updated ridership totals had climbed to 53,100[10].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTA_TRAX

[Mark in Austin]

For all those pointing to Austin as an example of light rail fail - please dig a little deeper.

The system in Austin may very well fail and is behind schedule and over budget. But it is NOT light rail. It is commuter rail. Two very different things. (SLC and Houston are examples of light rail; South Florida's Tri-Rail system is an example of a [failed] commuter rail system.)

For a lot of back-up info on how shitty Austin's rail plan is and the history behind it (from a pro light rail guy who served on the city's Urban Transportation Board) check this blog out:

http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/

[coyotes_geek]

We can either build light-rail or build more toll roads...and with $5.00/gallon gas possible and the continued population growth of SA, I lean toward Light rail...

The problem is that toll roads generate enough revenue to support themselves and light rail doesn't. Especially in Texas where the population densities in the cities are so low. If you want to improve mass transit in San Antonio it can be done for a fraction of the cost by putting more money into buses.

[coyotes_geek]

1 line? That's cheap as it gets. Go get some matching stimulus funds or some shit. Why aren't your local politicians doing their job? Besides, build it and they will come.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTA_TRAX

Salt Lake City and San Antonio are two entirely different cities and situations. In Salt Lake pretty much the entire city falls into one giant corridor north and south along I-25. San Antonio has several corridors and not all of them tie into downtown. That means Salt Lake can provide access to a greater percentage of their population with less track than San Antonio can.

[rjv]

san antonio should be more concerned about feeding into the medical center than downtown.

[CosmicCowboy]

VIA is a corrupt, politicized organization. If you don't think this rail plan is a developer driven initiative you just don't know San Antonio. Once the right people acquire the right property where the "stations" will be the exact plan will be announced.

[CosmicCowboy]

san antonio should be more concerned about feeding into the medical center than downtown.

Thats what I'm saying...instead of coming up with a logical plan that serves the real needs of the community they just want to be trendy and throw "light rail' in from the Dominion to downtown just because the tracks are already there...

[coyotes_geek]

Thats what I'm saying...instead of coming up with a logical plan that serves the real needs of the community they just want to be trendy and throw "light rail' in from the Dominion to downtown just because the tracks are already there...

It's the identical mistake that Austin made. How many Dominion residents are going to take a train downtown when I-10 is right there?

[LnGrrrR]

Oooh wait, let me pull a reverse DarrinS.

Monorails never work. I saw that in an episode of the Simpsons.

[nuclearfm]

For all those pointing to Austin as an example of light rail fail - please dig a little deeper.

The system in Austin may very well fail and is behind schedule and over budget. But it is NOT light rail. It is commuter rail. Two very different things. (SLC and Houston are examples of light rail; South Florida's Tri-Rail system is an example of a [failed] commuter rail system.)

For a lot of back-up info on how shitty Austin's rail plan is and the history behind it (from a pro light rail guy who served on the city's Urban Transportation Board) check this blog out:

http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/


I wouldn't really call Houston's system anything other than a TRAM. It's worthless unless you work around med center.

[SouthernFried]

We should give the govt the money to do this. They have our best interests at heart. They only wanna raise our taxes a little, and that'll be it.

And it's either this or toll roads. There are no other options!

But, Toll roads are a great idea too.

2 great options for the peeps. Life is good.

[Mark in Austin]

I wouldn't really call Houston's system anything other than a TRAM. It's worthless unless you work around med center.


Houston's system is simply the starter line and has exceeded all expectations with ridership levels - it currently has the second highest ridership per track mile of any light rail system in the country; and plans are underway (with broad support) to dramatically expand the system over the next few years.

Houston, like San Antonio, is a radiallly sprawling city with multiple nodes of employment density.

I don't kow the specifics of the SA plan; but Houston, Dallas, and SLC all show that if planned right, light rail can succeed in sprawling, less dense cities.

[rjv]

and the med center is a big part of houston so that is not exactly insignificant service

[johnsmith]

Light Rail in Denver kicks all ass. I love that thing.

[coyotes_geek]

Houston did it right. They looked for where the demand was and built a line to serve that demand. Austin just looked for an existing track they could use and built a line there because they figured it would be cheaper. If San Antonio wants to do this right they should look at the airport, the med center and downtown and see how they can connect those 3. Then go from there.

[rjv]

Houston did it right. They looked for where the demand was and built a line to serve that demand. Austin just looked for an existing track they could use and built a line there because they figured it would be cheaper. If San Antonio wants to do this right they should look at the airport, the med center and downtown and see how they can connect those 3. Then go from there.

that would make too much sense. but if i remember correctly, the plan from about 10 years ago had the med center as the focal point so perhaps they would get it right. we'll have to see what they indicate.

[Mark in Austin]

Houston did it right. They looked for where the demand was and built a line to serve that demand. Austin just looked for an existing track they could use and built a line there because they figured it would be cheaper. If San Antonio wants to do this right they should look at the airport, the med center and downtown and see how they can connect those 3. Then go from there.


Actually, Austin was forced to use the current route because then Rep. Kruese offered it to them as a compromise (Austin is the only city where public rail transit decisions are required by State law to go to a public vote.) Austin had a great light rail plan a decade ago that was well thought out and put the lines where the people are. It lost an incredibly close election - something like 50.1% to 49.9%.

The current plan was not as adamantly opposed thanks to Kreuses endorsement - and passed several years back. Sad because it's COMMUTER RAIL - an entirely different animal - that unlike light rail, will require riders to get off the train and transfer to a bus to get to their destinations.


Your point is very well made though - put the damn line where people need it the most like Houston did. :tu

[exstatic]

1) Charlie is a major league drunk. I know a couple of people in the radio biz, and was at a party he was invited to. He peed in the bushes. Does anyone do that after, say, age 25?

2) The light rail between downtown and The Rim is a no-brainer starter project. The railroad is going to friggin abandon the line. The cost will be rolling stock and a few stations along the way. You have a built-in all day clientele in UTSA students going back and forth between campuses, in addition to the expected amount of commuters during rush hour.

[SouthernFried]

I mean...without Light Rail, people in Texas are doomed.

It's worth however many billions it takes.

[ChumpDumper]

If they aren't going to fix the highways here in Austin, might as well.

It's a stupid route with a dog leg to the east side, just to get some votes.

[Blake]

San Antonio has a reported $11 million budget deficit this fiscal year and a predicted $67 million deficit for next year.

yaaaaaay light rail.

[Nbadan]

..reported by Charlie Parker no doubt...

[Blake]

..reported by Charlie Parker no doubt...

...i dont listen to Parker...



.......On Aug. 13, Sculley presented a proposed budget for fiscal year 2010 that recommends $19 million in recurring spending reductions, including the elimination of 334 city jobs and no cost-of-living wage increases for city employees. With a projected $67 million deficit facing the city in 2011, Sculley also suggested the city consider a four-day holiday furlough for civilian employees next year..........

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/City_employees_grapple_with_tight_fiscal_times.htm l


I misstated.....its actually $19 mill, not $11

[coyotes_geek]

yeah it's stupid to put additional transit options along existing traffic corridors where people have established commuting patterns :rolleyes

It's stupid to put an additional transit option along an existing corridor when that new transit option is incapable of delivering comparable service to the existing transit option.

[Mark in Austin]

firstly, it's KRUSEE

second, it goes right downtown

third, it makes the dogleg to the east so it can pass through the mueller development and the quickly growing gentrified area of austin


1. Thanks for the spelling correction? He's still one of the main reasons we have a POS commuter rail line still in the works instead of a functional light rail system.

2. It goes to the convention center. Not the capital. Not the Long Center or Zilker. Not UT. Not Memorial Stadium. Not any employment center except possibly the Pickle Research Campus out by the Domain. In order for suburban commuters to actually get to their offices / destinations they have to transfer from commuter rail to buses once they get downtown. Light rail has stops every mile to every couple blocks in denser areas, which makes it convenient. This line has 9 stops in 40+ miles. Light rail would go down existing business corridors like Guadalupe, Lamar, etc - where the people are and where people want to go. This follows an old freight rail line away from density / businesses.

3. It does not pass through Mueller. Berkman Drive in Mueller is designed to accomodate a future light rail line that may or may not ever exist. The Red Line Commuter tracks are south of Airport Blvd, which is the southern boundary of the Mueller redevelopment. The two stations on the east side are both too far away from Mueller to be accessed by foot. If you live in Mueller and want to ride commuter rail, you'll have to take a bus to either the MLK or Highland Mall Station, then transfer to the train, then when you get downtown transfer to another bus to finally get to the office / school. Driving will be faster for most people.

Setting the Mueller thing aside; even though it has two stops in East Austin they aren't a good justification for the system. A lot of the gentrification is a result of people wanting to live close to where they work downtown. Using a 40+ mile suburban commuter rail system to take these people the 1-3 miles from their homes to downtown is like using the space shuttle to move furniture from San Antonio to Houston.

[Mark in Austin]

and, the red line is the first leg of what is supposed to be a rail network

add in the green line out to manor/elgin and the orange line (which goes through downtowna nd out to the aiport) and you've got a good system


This assumes the voters approve CapMetro expanding the system. With confidence in CapMetro at an all time low, their cash reserves gone, and the Red Line 2 years behind and millions of dollars over budget that's a pretty shaky assumption at this point.

[nuclearfm]

Why did they put a station on MLK?

[CosmicCowboy]

Actually, on second thought you rubes need to vote for this. My house is almost guaranteed to be within walking distance of a station and my richer property values can't help but go up.

[Wild Cobra]

Why did they put a station on MLK?
There's always a MLK station. It's the politically correct thing to do.

[The Final Countdown]

Is this the same Charlie parker that swore up and down for years Body Solutions makes you lose weight?

[Nbadan]

...i dont listen to Parker...


I misstated.....its actually $19 mill, not $11

Well, you mis-stated again....funny how even with a budget deficit, so you say, SA still has money for a reduction in the city property tax rate, enhanced street preservation program, and more than $2.5 million in new funding for the Haven for Hope campus....



For the third year in a row, the budget includes a reduction in the City of San Antonio’s property tax rate.

Although the budget does not include a cost of living increase for civilian, uniformed, and retired employees, employee health insurance premiums will be maintained without a rate increase for fiscal year 2010.

“The city budget is balanced and focuses on City Council priorities that provide high-quality basic city services to the community; a significant priority to our organization and our core business,” says San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley.

“We identified necessary cuts through efficiencies that will allow the city to continue to provide residents with enhanced public safety and infrastructure improvements, as well as set a strong fiscal foundation for fiscal year 2011,” she adds.

Service enhancements covered in the adopted budget include $1.4 million in redirected resources for an enhanced street preservation program. Another $4.5 million was approved for new sidewalks throughout the community.

The budget also allows for the hiring of 50 new, uniformed police officers, which will be funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the Obama administration’s economic stimulus program. The city budget also provides for the addition of 29 new firefighter/EMS positions to meet an increasing volume of emergency calls.

The 2010 budget includes more than $2.5 million in new funding for the Haven for Hope campus.

As a service-efficiency improvement, all branch libraries will be open seven days a week.

SA Biz Journal (http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/09/14/daily32.html)