A Ticket to Ride or a Ticket to Nowhere? (exploring the myths of light rail systems)

Intellectual Conservative ^ | 22 January 2004 | John Semmens, The Independent Institute, and Satya Thallam, The Goldwater Institute

[presidio9]

Lyle Lanley: Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Monorail! ...
What'd I say?
Ned Flanders: Monorail!
Lyle Lanley: What's it called?
Patty+Selma: Monorail!
Lyle Lanley: That's right! Monorail!

[End Times Sentinel]

Yeah, well... I ride light rail to work every day, and with the kind of hair triggered, nuclear inferno type of temper I have, anything that will keep me off the road is money well spent.

 

 

Owl_Eagle

" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

 

 

 

Yeah, well... I ride light rail to work every day, and with the kind of hair triggered, nuclear inferno type of temper I have, anything that will keep me off the road is money well spent.

 

 

[Onelifetogive]

It’s a way to increase the density of the community.”

I agree with this. The communities that have bought into the light-rail craze are all very dense!

[stylin_geek]

And how much would your temper improve if all the money spent on mass transit were put into more roads so there is far less traffic congestion?

[KevinDavis]

Ping

[Fudd]

My city's transportation authority is pushing for the monorail light rail program. However, the authority's spokesman was cited as saying something to the effect of, now that we've decided we want LR, we need to define our goals.

Very expensive cart before horse.

[presidio9]

Kindly do me the favor of not pinging me into any disagreements with the insufferable Willie Green. Thanks so much.

[narby]

cost per trip for light rail as forecast by Valley Metro will be over $12, and non-riders would pay 95 percent of that cost.

If taxpayers are already footing 95% of the bill, why don't they just make the rides free. That would increase ridership.

Of course, then they couldn't maintain the illusion that the riders are paying their own way.

[KevinDavis]

Sorry

[Petronski]

Goofy/scary skybus photo please.

[XBob]

7 -
2- overhead monorails are good (if there is enough population density) and expensive.

7 - My city's transportation authority is pushing for the monorail light rail program.

See the FR Texas forum for regular updates on the Houston fiasco - the Wham Bam Tram.

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/profiles?location=91

jitneys are good and cheap

[DFW_Repub]

"My city's transportation authority is pushing for the monorail light rail program. "

Monorail and light rail are 2 different animals, which is it?

[Mr. Bird]

In Baltimore, LR and a subway/metro line have succeeded in helping lower income city dwellers move to cleaner, safer suburbs. However, those suburbs were even more clean and more safe before the mass transit projects came.

The lesson: if a commuter line is coming to your corner of suburbia, get the heck out of there.

[Dead Corpse]

We already havea "mass transit system" that is infinately more efficient than anything the government could hope to come up with.

It's called the automobile.

[backhoe]

Light Rail- Boon or Boondoggle? The Quest for the Holy Rail....

[Arrowhead1952]

Sounds like the same "deal" Capital Metro in Austin is trying to push on us.

[pax_et_bonum]

ping

[PAR35]

Light rail is public transit for middle class folks who would never get on a city bus.

WIth regard to Myth 5:

Economic Impact of DART's Light Rail System

Research by Drs. Bernard Weinstein and Terry Clower of the University of North Texas Center for Economic Development and Research determined:

* Between 1997 and 2001, office properties near suburban DART Rail stations increased in value 53% more than comparable properties not served by rail.
* For the same period, values of residential properties near DART Rail stations rose 39% more than a control group of properties not served by rail.
http://www.dart.org/newsroommain.asp?zeon=economicimpact

[tdadams]

I don't know why so many people have this knee-jerk reaction against light rail, as if it's a concession to leftist advocacy to support it. If my city had light rail, I most certianly would use it. I may even consider giving up my car. It does improve traffic congestion, I've seen it. It does improve pollution, I've seen that too.