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and the med center is a big part of houston so that is not exactly insignificant service
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.
and the med center is a big part of houston so that is not exactly insignificant service
Light Rail in Denver kicks all ass. I love that thing.
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.
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.
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.
I mean...without Light Rail, people in Texas are doomed.
It's worth however many billions it takes.
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.
San Antonio has a reported $11 million budget deficit this fiscal year and a predicted $67 million deficit for next year.
yaaaaaay light rail.
..reported by Charlie Parker no doubt...
...i dont listen to Parker...
I misstated.....its actually $19 mill, not $11.......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/Cit...cal_times.html
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.yeah it's stupid to put additional transit options along existing traffic corridors where people have established commuting patterns
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.
Last edited by Mark in Austin; 09-30-2009 at 11:13 AM.
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.
Why did they put a station on MLK?
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.
There's always a MLK station. It's the politically correct thing to do.
Is this the same Charlie parker that swore up and down for years Body Solutions makes you lose weight?
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....
SA Biz JournalFor 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.
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