[Bikies] [Fwd: Commuter rail-- Lunacy at any price]

mnshahan Thu, 09 Jan 2003 15:17:15 -0800

> From: Mike Roach <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: 2003/01/09 Thu PM 02:34:38 CST
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Commuter rail-- Lunacy at any price
> 
> 
> >Public Transit Systems: The High Cost of False Promises
> >http://www.heritage.org/Research/SmartGrowth/em838.cfm
> >
> >Public Transit systems do little to reduce traffic congestion.
> >http://www.heritage.org/Press/NewsReleases/NR080300.cfm
> >>>>>Why commuter rail won't work here:
> >>>>>http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-railkeys.htm
> >
> >http://www.publicpurpose.com/pp-railpol.htm
> >Why the proposed 242 million dollar commuter rail system--- is lunacy at 
> >any price.
> >
> >1.Auto driving in Madison is growing at 2.6 percent per year. Even if 
> >commuter rail could double transit ridership (which it won't), that would 
> >take less than 1 percent of the cars off the road. All the congestion 
> >relief that would provide would be absorbed by natural growth in just four 
> >or five months.
> >
> >2. There is nothing that a commuter rail line can do that buses can't do 
> >better, since buses are more flexible and can bring people to Madison from 
> >more different places.
> >
> >3. Less than 1 percent of all travel in the Madison urban area is by 
> >transit for the very good reason that Madison residents have too many 
> >places to go to find transit very useful. High-capacity transit such as a 
> >commuter rail line would be mostly wasted.
> >
> >4. Outside of the New York, Chicago, and (to a lesser degree) Boston urban 
> >areas, commuter rail does nothing to reduce congestion anywhere. It simply 
> >carries too few people to do much good. Rail does not significantly boost 
> >transit's market share if it boosts it at all. Here are the market shares 
> >for some urban areas that have new commuter rail:
> >* Miami - 3.4% (0.5% rail)
> >* Dallas - 2.3% (0.2% rail)
> >* San Diego - 3.7% (0.4% rail)
> >* Los Angeles - 6.1% (0.4% rail)
> >
> >5. One dollar spent on road improvements, such as the removal of 
> >bottlenecks, will do as much to reduce congestion as $20 to $100 spent on 
> >rail transit. (You can say the same for buses, but say $1 on buses will do 
> >as much as $10 to $50 on rail transit.)
> >
> >6. Rail transit to white middle-class neighborhoods is so expensive that 
> >transit agencies are often forced to cut service to poor, minority 
> >neighborhoods. This led the NAACP to successfully sue the Los Angeles 
> >transit agency for racial discrimination.
> >
> >7. Commuter rail lines cost a lot of money and only serve a few people, so 
> >those few will benefit at everyone else's expense. Commuter rail moves 
> >slowly, at only 17 miles per hour.
> >
> >8.  Just on Madison's isthmus alone, commuter rail line will have to cross 
> >22 streets (at grade/street level) between East High School ( by the 
> >Rayovac Bldg on Winnebago Street) and the 1400 block of University Avenue, 
> >blocking traffic and creating more traffic congestion. Commuter rail, 
> >instead of reducing traffic congestion it will have the opposite desired 
> >effect by adding to traffic congestion.  Among the important arterial 
> >streets that will be blocked include Winnebago, First, Baldwin, Blair, 
> >Broom, Dayton Johnson and University Ave.
> >
> >9. Madison Metro's bus service had more ridership 20 years ago than it has 
> >today, despite "free" contracted buses service offered to about 65,0000 
> >students, faculty, staff and hospital employees today costing the various 
> >institutions about 70 cents per boarding; half the retail cost of a ride. 
> >When factoring in the 25% population growth in Madison Metro's service 
> >territory over the last 20 years-- Metro's bus ridership has declined by a 
> >whopping 42% (from what it was 20 years ago).
> >Points 8-9 were written by Michael Roach
> >Randal
> >The Thoreau Institute
> >P. O. Box 1590
> >Bandon, Oregon 97411
> >541-347-1517
> >305-422-0379 fax
> >541-297-6798 cell
> >http://www.ti.org
> >
> >
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> >
> >Thank you.
> >-----------------------------------------------
> >Mr. Mike Roach
> >2019 Sherman Ave., Apt., 12
> >Madison, Wisconsin  53704-5934
> >voice & fax (608) 240-2842
> >email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >------------------------------------------------
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> Thank you.
> -----------------------------------------------
> Mr. Mike Roach
> 2019 Sherman Ave., Apt., 12
> Madison, Wisconsin  53704-5934
> voice & fax (608) 240-2842
> email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> ------------------------------------------------
> 
>

Public Transit Systems: The High
Cost of False Promises

http://www.heritage.org/Research/SmartGrowth/em838.cfm

Public Transit systems do little to reduce traffic congestion.

http://www.heritage.org/Press/NewsReleases/NR080300.cfm

Why commuter rail won't work here:

http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-railkeys.htm

http://www.publicpurpose.com/pp-railpol.htm

Why the proposed 242 million dollar commuter rail system--- is lunacy at any price.

1.Auto driving in Madison is growing at 2.6 percent per year. Even if commuter rail could double transit ridership (which it won't), that would take less than 1 percent of the cars off the road. All the congestion relief that would provide would be absorbed by natural growth in just four or five months.

2. There is nothing that a commuter rail line can do that buses can't do better, since buses are more flexible and can bring people to Madison from more different places.

3. Less than 1 percent of all travel in the Madison urban area is by transit for the very good reason that Madison residents have too many places to go to find transit very useful. High-capacity transit such as a commuter rail line would be mostly wasted.

4. Outside of the New York, Chicago, and (to a lesser degree) Boston urban areas, commuter rail does nothing to reduce congestion anywhere. It simply carries too few people to do much good. Rail does not significantly boost transit's market share if it boosts it at all. Here are the market shares for some urban areas that have new commuter rail:

* Miami - 3.4% (0.5% rail)

* Dallas - 2.3% (0.2% rail)

* San Diego - 3.7% (0.4% rail)

* Los Angeles - 6.1% (0.4% rail)

5. One dollar spent on road improvements, such as the removal of bottlenecks, will do as much to reduce congestion as $20 to $100 spent on rail transit. (You can say the same for buses, but say $1 on buses will do as much as $10 to $50 on rail transit.)

6. Rail transit to white middle-class neighborhoods is so expensive that transit agencies are often forced to cut service to poor, minority neighborhoods. This led the NAACP to successfully sue the Los Angeles transit agency for racial discrimination.

7. Commuter rail lines cost a lot of money and only serve a few people, so those few will benefit at everyone else's expense. Commuter rail moves slowly, at only 17 miles per hour.

8. Just on Madison's isthmus alone, commuter rail line will have to cross 22 streets (at grade/street level) between East High School ( by the Rayovac Bldg on Winnebago Street) and the 1400 block of University Avenue, blocking traffic and creating more traffic congestion. Commuter rail, instead of reducing traffic congestion it will have the opposite desired effect by adding to traffic congestion. Among the important arterial streets that will be blocked include Winnebago, First, Baldwin, Blair, Broom, Dayton Johnson and University Ave.

9. Madison Metro�s bus service had more ridership 20 years ago than it has today, despite �free� contracted buses service offered to about 65,0000 students, faculty, staff and hospital employees today costing the various institutions about 70 cents per boarding; half the retail cost of a ride. When factoring in the 25% population growth in Madison Metro's service territory over the last 20 years-- Metro�s bus ridership has declined by a whopping 42% (from what it was 20 years ago).

Points 8-9 were written by Michael Roach
Randal

The Thoreau Institute

P. O. Box 1590

Bandon, Oregon 97411

541-347-1517

305-422-0379 fax

541-297-6798 cell

http://www.ti.org

Thank you.

-----------------------------------------------

Mr. Mike Roach

2019 Sherman Ave., Apt., 12

Madison, Wisconsin 53704-5934

voice & fax (608) 240-2842

email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

------------------------------------------------