Las Vegas Monorail stirs memories of Skybus

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Sunday, March 20, 2005 | Joe Grata

[Willie Green]

In the early 1970s, I rode the infamous, automated, rubber-tire Skybus as it circled an elevated demonstration track that has since been demolished in South Park.

I was in the same car as Common Pleas Judge Anne X. Alpern, who wanted to experience the futuristic transit concept that was the subject of a 60-some-day trial over which she was presiding. A group of skeptical public officials opposed to Skybus had filed suit, successfully, it turned out, to stop the project.

After public pressure and the court killed Skybus, the Port Authority replaced its clackety-rackety streetcars between Downtown and the South Hills with a light-rail system. It has spent $1 billion and the past 25 years on the project, which includes a subway, park-n-ride lots and modern trolleys that sometimes run on schedule.

(In Pittsburgh, that's progress.)

Memories of Skybus returned two weeks ago while I was visiting Las Vegas, where private and public visionaries rolled the dice on an elevated monorail system and won.

[Darksheare]

What are it's chances this time around?

[Congressman Billybob]

As someone who worked in urban planning years ago, I find two aspects of this article very interesting. First, it was built with private money (bonds are not taxpayer-paid), and second, it is self-supporting.

In order to get those results, however, one needs narrowly-focused "desire lines," as the transportation planners say. Linear desire lines are preferable, as they exist in Las Vegas.

Congressman Billybob

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[BurbankKarl]

Yes, but why doesnt it go to the airport! Must be to protect the taxi cab revenue.

[rellimpank]

---unfortunately, the article is full of it.

The monorail is suffering from low ridership, the truth is coming out about its tax breaks-(it was considered to be a "charitable organization") and the good-old-boy near-criminal network of Vegas insiders that sold it is already looking for ways to subsidize it--

--as I pointed out to my co-workers when it was first planned, it doesn't really get tourists to where they want to be--they still have to take a taxi--

[rellimpank]

--the airport and Cashman Field were to be in Phase 2, (taxpayer totally subsidized) which has already been put off due to poor ridership--

[Congressman Billybob]

The same question came up with respect to the light rail system in Baltimore, that was planned when I was still working for the Planning Commission there. The potentially highest volume lines were built first, the lowest volume last.

So in Baltimore, the last leg built was to the airport. Las Vegas being a more linear city, the airport connection is coming along more quickly.

Congressman Billybob

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[Congressman Billybob]

My wife and I went on our honeymoon, arriving in Las Vegas on the morning of 9/11/01. Suffice to say, events overtook us, and I was on the Internet promptly, gathering information and writing an article on the Law of War.

So, I owe my wife another honeymoon, this one normal and with no Internet involvement whatsoever. We'll do that this summer. And, because we want to visit several locations at minimum cost, we have charted out our trip with a map of the monorail system in hand.

That demonstrates the whole point of any mass transit system. People respond to short travel times and convenience. The urban planning goal is to get more people moving more safely and at least cost and congestion, than they would if they were in cars.

Billybob

[rellimpank]

--you are absolutely right.

However, unless some miraculous increase in ridership on the Las Vegas monorail takes place, it will go broke , the bonds will be in default and it will close down.

Long before this happens, of course the taxpayers will be called upon to rescue it, with the usual--"only x pennies per year per person" etc.,

[appeal2]

I was in LV for CES and there were 45 minute waits going to the Convention Center in AM and leaving it in the PM. They clearly did not have enough trains for the peak. The major mistake on this line was not connecting to the airport. The Taxi lines there can stretch to an hour at times and the monorail could definitely help alleviate this and would be a definite success. In addition, people would start their trips using mass transit and end them that way too. Therefore the likelihood of people using the system would go way up.

[rellimpank]

---yes---and all that takes is MONEY---from the taxpayers, cause it ain't gettin' enough riders--