For the past 24 hours or so I've been annoyed by some inconveniently located construction that makes it hard to get into the Convention Center. But I looked closer and it turns out to serve me right -- they seem to be laying track for a streetcar system.
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Serves Me Right
18 Jul 2008 02:27 pm
Comments (8)
Mixner is right. Transit is a horrible idea! Even the liberal Matt Yglesias thinks so. I'm going to go buy an electric Escalade right now!
It's the end of the new commuter rail line that came about because local politicians were too wimpy to come back with a light rail vote that would have gotten 40,000 more riders. In 2000 the light rail vote lost by less than 2,000 votes in the presidential election. You could say it was the first time George Bush screwed transit in his presidential run.
But I looked closer and it turns out to serve me right -- they seem to be laying track for a streetcar system.
NOOOOOO! Austin is one of the sprawling, suburb-like cities Americans are moving to in droves. I shall immediately organize a tourism boycott of Austin that all correct-thinking Americans will honor. This shall not pass!
We just built a streetcar in Seattle and it's a nearly perfect waste of money and landscape. It runs runs about a mile with a construction cost of over 5 million dollars a block.
As it uses the same streets as cars and buses the city had to change the timing of the traffic lights, causing delays at certain intersections for non-streetcar commuters.
All to service a route devised for political, rather than practical ends.
Seattle already uses bus trolleys; one could have covered this route for less than ten percent of what this nonsense cost and without a year of tearing up the roads.
You'll want to check out
M1EK's Bake-Sale of Bile
Mostly Austin. Mostly transportation. Mostly bile.
at http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/ for Austin rail and transportation stuff.
You'll want to check out
M1EK's Bake-Sale of Bile
Mostly Austin. Mostly transportation. Mostly bile.
at http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/ for Austin rail and transportation stuff.
I would like to say your right. But your wrong. This city sucks for street repair. 38th has been under repair for 5 months. Ruff riding. I don't want to start. This city wasn't made for capacity.
Light rail has been a political bugaboo for some time. Read the Chronicle's archives.
Comments closed August 01, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
Did you, like, jizz all over the place?
Posted by ohio | July 18, 2008 2:44 PM