Public Transit Ideas for SA...

[Buddy Holly]

Yeah, you.

The discussion was dovetailing nicely into the Austin-SA regional plan (which, by the way, includes San Antonio), but you blew it with your small-minded, parochial thinking.

Um, what? Not one person in this thread besides you even mentioned that "never gonna happen" commuter line. So how exactly was it dovetailing nicely?

And yes, how small-minded of me to think a thread asking about transit ideas for San Antonio should stay focused on San Antonio.

How dare I.

[ChumpDumper]

Which do you think will happen first?

1) A municipal San Antonio subway cut through limestone underneath the airport.

2) An Austin/SA commuter rail line on existing tracks with four stops in San Antonio including the airport.

I await your answer.

[ChumpDumper]

I started with the status of light rail in Austin to show how behind the times San Antonio is. Austin is too, but not as much in that respect.

I know that's going to make you angry, but it is what it is.

[Buddy Holly]

LOL, yeah. It's not like your "so-way-ahead of everyone else" city didn't vote NO on LRT either, huh? Also considering the "light rail" you seem to be promoting is nothing more than a gloried heavy rail commuter line that runs what, twice a day, you seriously have NO room to talk about anyone being behind the "times."

Not when SA is now working on adding BRT and LRT. Let's try and see your little hyped up cowlick do that.

As for your multiple choice question.

I'd go with the answer that doesn't cost 5 billion dollars just to buy ROW. As for the cutting through limestone, well, I don't think there's much limestone under the airport but in terms of tunneling, it worked fairly well for that big ass flood tunnel we have under downtown.

But I will say that BRT and LRT will be running in SA MANY MANY decades before that 70 mile commuter line gets going. But hey, if you honestly want to live in a delusional world where that commuter line is a possibly and where investing your life in NBDL basketball is considered anything other than lame, well, you go right ahead.

[ChumpDumper]

LOL, yeah. It's not like your "so-way-ahead of everyone else" city didn't vote NO on LRT either, huh? Also considering the "light rail" you seem to be promoting is nothing more than a gloried heavy rail commuter line that runs what, twice a day, you seriously have NO room to talk about anyone being behind the "times."

I said they were behind as well -- just farther along than San Antonio. I think this first line is a mixed bag, but that's politics for you.

Not when SA is now working on adding BRT and LRT. Let's try and see your little hyped up cowlick do that.

I like the highway system in SA better overall, but the north and east areas of Austin are really developing nicely, and the rail solutions are only going to help. The funny thing about you is you have to make it a fight to the death between cities, when that simply isn't the case at all. Indeed, the futures of the two cities are quite closely linked.

As for your multiple choice question.

I'd go with the answer that doesn't cost 5 billion dollars just to buy ROW. As for the cutting through limestone, well, I don't think there's much limestone under the airport but in terms of tunneling, it worked fairly well for that big ass flood tunnel we have under downtown.

Get back to me with your cost projections on the San Antonio Airport Subway, chief.

But I will say that BRT and LRT will be running in SA MANY MANY decades before that 70 mile commuter line gets going. But hey, if you honestly want to live in a delusional world where that commuter line is a possibly and where investing your life in NBDL basketball is considered anything other than lame, well, you go right ahead.

At least I take my own pictures.

[Buddy Holly]

At least I take my own pictures.

And they're about as interesting as the old hat of insults you pulled that nugget from.

[ChumpDumper]

You can't deny the classics. Intellectual theft is a pet peeve of mine, and yours was one of the most comically egregious I can recall -- to say nothing of the aftermath of your exposure as a thief. I remember your mea culpa posts as delightful entertainment.

Anyway, the three mile water tunnel was a federal project, so there really wasn't much in the way of local horse trading and financial wrangling that will definitely exist in your local subway project.

[Buddy Holly]

You can't deny the classics. Intellectual theft is a pet peeve of mine, and yours was one of the most comically egregious I can recall -- to say nothing of the aftermath of your exposure as a thief. I remember your mea culpa posts as delightful entertainment.

That's sad.

Anyway, the three mile water tunnel was a federal project, so there really wasn't much in the way of local horse trading and financial wrangling that will definitely exist in your local subway project.

So what is it? It's not happening because of limestone or because of funding? Which is it? Or is there another theoretical stumbling block in the way that you have yet to reveal?

So hey, this was fun and all but I'm done with you and I'm getting this train of a thread back on the right track discussion.

[Buddy Holly]

The type of bus that will be used for the BRT line. VIA plans to purchase 12-15 of these for the line.




How the bus stops will look.

[ChumpDumper]

That's sad.

Which part is sad to you?

So what is it? It's not happening because of limestone or because of funding? Which is it? Or is there another theoretical stumbling block in the way that you have yet to reveal?

I think it's kind of a silly idea given all the existing track in the area. Is there some airport subway plan in the works?

So hey, this was fun and all but I'm done with you and I'm getting this train of a thread back on the right track discussion.

Yeah, it's best you drop the conversation with me before I start searching for threads by keywords: Slomo San Antonio photographs.

[Buddy Holly]

Which part is sad to you?

Was that rhetorical?

I think it's kind of a silly idea given all the existing track in the area. Is there some airport subway plan in the works?

The concept of hypothetical suggestions made on a forum just bewilders you, huh?

Yeah, it's best you drop the conversation with me before I start searching for threads by keywords: Slomo San Antonio photographs.

Nope. It's right here. This is like the second time in the last month I've posted this link.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15267

[exstatic]

if the train was above ground like that it would be perfect, while also utilizing some of the existing rail es that we have across town...so it would save the expense of building a monorail...

Elevated is a terrible idea. It would pretty much triple the cost to raise it up when there's no need. We're not an anthill like NY or CHI.

i think the BRT is a cop out...poorly planned too...we can't increase ridership if we just focus on areas where we already know people will ride...

Uh, Bus Rapid Transit means more trips per hour, and more riders because of that.

we need to think bigger than just going out to the rim...incorporating the suburbs as well...put a train to boerne, new braunfels/san marcos, spring branch, floresville, poteet, castroville, seguin, etc...that way it would encourage those that want to live out in suburbia to do so w/o sprawling out SA more...it would take congestion away from those who comute, and would still have stops on major arteries in the city which would then connect to bus stops....

You're never going to get the public to fund a huge project like that right off the bat. You have to start small with something like The Rim, where the tracks exist already and all you have to pay for is the rolling stock and the stations. Build on that success. I agree that long term, you want more light rail, but if you try to shove too much down the public's tax throat all at once, they choke, and then nothing gets done.

[Buddy Holly]

BRT is good especially when used along with LRT.

FYI, the BRT buses are 60 feet in length.

[baseline bum]

BRT sucks if you work 9-5 hours. Having rode them a lot in LA, what happened every single day was most of the buses on a route would get bunched together in traffic, and you would have a bus on the same route coming by every 10 minutes for a while, and often they'd come one right after the other (as in <1 minute after). However, as soon as that bunched group passed, it would be 45 minutes or so before another one would get back. Taking the trains was so much better and way faster. Buses are horrible in comparison to trains on dedicated lines.

[ChumpDumper]

Was that rhetorical?

No, I wanted to know which part was sad.

The concept of hypothetical suggestions made on a forum just bewilders you, huh?

Hypothetically, where would it run and how much would it cost?

Nope. It's right here. This is like the second time in the last month I've posted this link.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15267

What convinced you to stay post-meltdown?

So hey, this was fun and all but I'm done with you and I'm getting this train of a thread back on the right track discussion.

Well, it's not the first time you lied.

[ChumpDumper]

Elevated is a terrible idea. It would pretty much triple the cost to raise it up when there's no need. We're not an anthill like NY or CHI.


Uh, Bus Rapid Transit means more trips per hour, and more riders because of that.



You're never going to get the public to fund a huge project like that right off the bat. You have to start small with something like The Rim, where the tracks exist already and all you have to pay for is the rolling stock and the stations. Build on that success. I agree that long term, you want more light rail, but if you try to shove too much down the public's tax throat all at once, they choke, and then nothing gets done.

It's pretty easy to agree with so much common sense.

[Bender]

everytime I pass a Via bus, it looks either empty, or just a couple of people in it...

[Oh, Gee!!]

a tejano singer driving every bus

[johnsmith]

Was that rhetorical?





The concept of hypothetical suggestions made on a forum just bewilders you, huh?



Nope. It's right here. This is like the second time in the last month I've posted this link.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15267

That's the first time I've actually read that thread. My favorite was this:

This is a Internet forum and none of you know who I am. Never seen me in real life. Don’t even know how I look. So why am I defeated?

Simple.

I have no self esteem. You guys don’t know why. And I really don’t care to explain my childhood. But it sucks.

Bash me all you want, call me whatever you want. Throw all the insults you want. I won’t be here to take them.

I’m a loser, I get it. I am. I pretend to be this smart guy who is this next big writer or city leader.

, I’d be lucky to be any in life.

[Buddy Holly]

It sucks when people don't understand sarcasm.

Can we finally stop side tracking this thread?

[Bender]

I just browsed thru the old Writer thread. that was way before my time here.

[johnsmith]

It sucks when people don't understand sarcasm.

Can we finally stop side tracking this thread?

Why? That is WAY more entertaining.

[JudynTX]

How about we let someone from Chicago run this town for the next 8 years?

Word!

[mouse]

I think Slomo made to big of a deal about those pictures. If I take a picture of the Alamo and someone wants to make a sig or banner of it or use it to tell someone else they went to San Antonio etc.... I would have no problem with it.

That is why they make watermarks if your really worried about someone using your photos.

I mean Slomo and others have the right to get upset but i just feel when you put something on the www it's a goner. Who here has never copied an image you saw online and used it for your own purpose?

Anyway that's been my 2 cents on images you see online.


As far as San Antonio goes they always wait till the last minute to do . Look at IH-10 they had it built in time for the 1968 Worlds fair and it was only two lanes? Wtf kinda city planner makes a two lane hwy in a large growing downtown city?

Maybe this way they can have job security as they have to add more lanes in the decades to come? Was it an oversight?

Then they build a huge Dome when you don't have any NFL team? And you now want to make toll roads to charge your own San Antonio tax payers for using your roads so they can go to work only to pay more taxes and support the very city that is ing them?

I don't want to be all negative San Antonio did finally put a public restroom downtown back in 2007 so they are at least trying to make progress.