Dyna tries to refute my statement that running or not running the train for a few months doesn't have anything to do with the capital costs since that money has been spent and there will be no excess of income over expenses to go towards the capital costs, interest on same, or whatever. She uses an example of how stupid a person would be too buy something and not use it.
But we aren't talking about a person using their own funds, it's the government using our funds. If Dyna wants to argue that it shouldn't have been built, I'll agree with her. But it's built and for every dollar taken in in fares once it starts running, we will spend three dollars. That's the goal for lrt hereabouts. The same goal is dreamed of in the University Avenue train. Replace one of the two or three highest fare recovery bus lines with a train that at best recovers 1/3 of it's expenses. Dan McGuire thinks that hiawatha will be one of the most successful transit projects in the country, if not the world. It's good that he qualifies that with the statement that he isn't a transit expert because it is way off the mark. It will be in the middle of the pack of wasteful U.S. lrt projects in farebox recovery. Los Angeles, the most densely populated urbanized areas, has been adding what they call Rapid Lines. Along Wilshire Boulevard, the Rapid Line cut transit travel speed by about 25% and increased ridership by 29% in less than four months at a cost of $200,000 per mile plus the cost of buses which are about $330,000 each. What are the measurements of success? Burning a lot of tax dollars on a status symbol? I don't have time today to give you a lot of examples, but you should look at the first San Diego trolley. Speed? Overall speed will be no more than 22 mph, according to the schedules published in the effort to railroad it through. Downtown, you might be able to jog from the metrodome to the warehouse district faster. Look also at what goes on in the rest of the world. Visit http://www.demographia.com/rac-ix.htm for a sample. Visit www.EffectiveTransit.org The Independent Unsubsidized Voice of Citizens for Effective Transit in the Twin Cities (no lrt) * lrt isn't a potato chip, you can stop at just one * Bruce Gaarder Highland Park Saint Paul MN [EMAIL PROTECTED] REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
