HEEEELP. *waver*
Nov. 3rd, 2008 09:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
imaginesKC people, talk to me about light rail? Every time I think I've made up my mind, I read something that changes my mind. I've got two different opinions all at once.
1. Light rail wouldn't be an immediate necessity if we improved the transit system we already have. I did an entire research essay last semester that boiled down to arguing that "the buses suck kind of a lot." The MAX is very nice; I'm glad we have it. It efficiently packs a lot of people into a very small space. It's comfortable. Most of its stops have actual bus shelters, and the timetables/route-maps posted at said shelters are well-designed. (I'm particularly fond of the screen that says "Next MAX bus at [time].") They're maintained on a daily basis and I've rarely seen a horrifically dirty shelter.
However, the rest of the system? Um, not so much. None of the stops I regularly use have shelters. Only one has a bench. The ones I like have grass I can sit in. The ones I hate have bare sidewalk that generally is littered with a combination of broken glass, cigarette butts, and other trash. I can tell you that's fun when I'm exhausted from school and can't even sit down while I wait for a bus, because those non-MAX buses are rarely close to being on time. I'm all for taking public transit to reduce air pollution and pay for less gas, but I'd like that choice to approach the comfort of a car, even if it may not ever equal it. (San Francisco's BART system was a bit of a shock to my wallet, but that was the most comfortable transit I have taken in my life. It was worth every bit of the price to me. ...Even if they do need to put the ATM inside the gate for those pesky times when I need to pay to get out of the station.)
2. Ooh, light rail! Shiny! If we start on it now, we could keep adding to it over the years. Its long-run benefits could be immense. I'm willing to pay that sales tax, and maybe it will be so lovely and shiny that many more people will start using the bus system to get to the light rail system, thus prompting the bus system to hurry and improve itself some more already.
I am really, really torn on this. On one hand, I want light rail so badly. On the other...I have problems with the current proposition. I have other ideas that I think could be viably implemented (fixing the buses we already have). I can't seem to find the research that talks about projected ridership, if it even exists. I'm not sure whether to vote now just to get something done already, or to wait for a better offer to come along.
This dilemma has been impairing the advancement of KC's mass transit for as long as I can remember. Now that I'm one of the people trying to make a decision, I finally understand why. Jesus, why can't this be more clear-cut?
(I'm leaving this completely unlocked in case anyone wants to send other people over to talk to me. :p I don't have very many KC people on my flist, but maybe you know more.)
1. Light rail wouldn't be an immediate necessity if we improved the transit system we already have. I did an entire research essay last semester that boiled down to arguing that "the buses suck kind of a lot." The MAX is very nice; I'm glad we have it. It efficiently packs a lot of people into a very small space. It's comfortable. Most of its stops have actual bus shelters, and the timetables/route-maps posted at said shelters are well-designed. (I'm particularly fond of the screen that says "Next MAX bus at [time].") They're maintained on a daily basis and I've rarely seen a horrifically dirty shelter.
However, the rest of the system? Um, not so much. None of the stops I regularly use have shelters. Only one has a bench. The ones I like have grass I can sit in. The ones I hate have bare sidewalk that generally is littered with a combination of broken glass, cigarette butts, and other trash. I can tell you that's fun when I'm exhausted from school and can't even sit down while I wait for a bus, because those non-MAX buses are rarely close to being on time. I'm all for taking public transit to reduce air pollution and pay for less gas, but I'd like that choice to approach the comfort of a car, even if it may not ever equal it. (San Francisco's BART system was a bit of a shock to my wallet, but that was the most comfortable transit I have taken in my life. It was worth every bit of the price to me. ...Even if they do need to put the ATM inside the gate for those pesky times when I need to pay to get out of the station.)
2. Ooh, light rail! Shiny! If we start on it now, we could keep adding to it over the years. Its long-run benefits could be immense. I'm willing to pay that sales tax, and maybe it will be so lovely and shiny that many more people will start using the bus system to get to the light rail system, thus prompting the bus system to hurry and improve itself some more already.
I am really, really torn on this. On one hand, I want light rail so badly. On the other...I have problems with the current proposition. I have other ideas that I think could be viably implemented (fixing the buses we already have). I can't seem to find the research that talks about projected ridership, if it even exists. I'm not sure whether to vote now just to get something done already, or to wait for a better offer to come along.
This dilemma has been impairing the advancement of KC's mass transit for as long as I can remember. Now that I'm one of the people trying to make a decision, I finally understand why. Jesus, why can't this be more clear-cut?
(I'm leaving this completely unlocked in case anyone wants to send other people over to talk to me. :p I don't have very many KC people on my flist, but maybe you know more.)
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 04:15 am (UTC)I did read some interesting information about bus systems in general, though--ours are pretty much decrepit and it costs too much to fix them. Possibly, light rail could use better, longer-lasting technology, along with reducing emissions and travel time.
I think I'm back to leaning towards voting for it, but we'll see what happens between then and now. *dies*
no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 02:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 08:02 pm (UTC)The economy is tanked and public works projects are one of the best ways to inject money into the economy.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 04:12 am (UTC)