-
Indy. IN- This city is growing and has plenty of railroad corridors as well as a growing suburban base. Yet a check of there transit system shows no plans for rail or even a busway
-
Kansas City- Yes there was a voter initive that was passed but like the Florida High Speed Rail project that could be changed back with enough finaligling of the voters
-
Detroit- Detroit has many wide blv with wide grassy meduim strips that are begging for someone to put a light rail system on…As far as road design goes Detroits Roads are well suited for installing light rail
-
Columbus OH- Come on 50,000 college students and viable downtown seperated by about 5 miles of main street? And not even a starter line? Light Rail keeps getting shot down in this city and why?
-
Richmond VA- Yes they have great Amtrak Service but a check of there system also shows nothing in the area of light rail. Richmond was the birthplace of Electric Streetcars (Not NO or Boston) and yet in this sprawling Metro Area there is nothing? Now why spend all the transit money in N VA in Arlington? You would think some state assemblyman would say send some of that money down here?
Who cares about Richmond anyway. There are no light rail, commuter rail, or Amtrack service to the Va Beach/ Norfolk area whatsoever, yet that area is the economic backbone of the state. Interesting, very interesting.
The political atmosphere in Indiana is not conducive to building rail transit systems. It took the threat of a total discontinuance of passenger service by South Shore to get the state to create NICTD.
The Kansas City initiative is so restrictive in scope that I doubt that anything will get accomplished.
Lack of finances and political will is holding back rail or light rail in the other cities.
Detroit is an economic disaster area. Miles and miles of streetlights, streets, sidewalks in a nice neat grid that only serves to seperate piles of rubble where houses once stood. To plan a light rail system there and to build it is frankly, a surrealist addition to your list. Sad, but true. The downtown streetcar has long had it’s power disconnected and the equipment was sold off…the people mover was far from a cure all for the ills of downtown as this view accurately demonstrates.
…Yes, Indy is growing by leaps and bounds and the lay of the land is great…{level territory}, to creating light rail corridors some even by using old and still existing rail ROW’s available.
Our political reality here in our state seems to completely ignore such type of possible transportation system that one would think might serve well from downtown to many outlaying areas…which keep moving a bit farther and farther out.
A modern and large International airport at the south west sector is many miles from down town {at outer edge of outer Interstate loop}, and one would think a direct connection with the two locations would be a natural for a proper type light rail transportation system.
I don’t see how one is going to get started with our Political leadership in the state now. Guess one can hope something changes and perhaps someone, something, may change that in the near future.
Economically, Northern Virginia crushes the Tidewater region. And Richmond probably does too given that Richmond has way more corporate headquarters. Anyway, if you live in Tidewater, you should know that they have attempted to get light rail for years in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, but VA Beach NIMBYs always have blocked it. Plus, the voters there were given an opportunity to fund transportation projects (including the third Hampton Roads crossing and a light rail system) in a 2002 referendum, but rejected it because it would mean higher taxes. So between the fact that there have been serious light rail proposals raised and the VA Beach NIMBY attitude, it doesn’t work.
Richmond would be a sentimental choice for light rail given the history - there may not be the population density needed to support light rail. Traffic just isn’t that bad here (other than occassional major accidents). Could definitely see a north-south line from Hanover to Chesterfield, through downtown working - and Broad Street would be a natural (given an easier connection to the West End) - add in a connection out to the airport through the East End and Church Hill, and you have a possibility. Could see a more “touristy” type trolley system, connecting major sites gaining support, but not sure if a transit system will get seriously proposed unless gridlock starts getting much worse.
The reason they are spending the money in Arlington (really Fairfax County and Alexandria, but I’ll let Arlington claim some) is that is where the people and traffic density are, plus Northern Virginia has been paying much more than it has received for years. It is also why they have added an additional tax to supplement what the state sends this way to pay for the major projects which benefit not just Northern Virginia, but the whole east coast. Does Richmond really need, or can it even come close to supporting, a light rail project? The heavy rail services in No. VA are crying for money to increase capacity and tap into yet more pockets of population, a la the Dulles extension to metro and extension of metro to Fort Belvoir, when the DOD moves another 20,000 workers to that base in the near future. Northern Virginia gets the bucks because there is finally recognition that there is a greater need in the area then an interesting tourist draw to Richmond.
Add to that the needs of CSX and NS to address traffic problems in the area, plus the threats of DC to stop hazardous materials shipment through the district, and there will be a lot more public money spent in NoVA before Richmond draws a light rail project.
“Crush” is a little harsh, but I’ll give you that NVA is an economic player no doubt, but don’t discount Tidewater- there is a lot more going on here than most people give credit. There are 5 cities in the H
A quick check of the bus company for INDY IN http://www.indygo.net/
shows no plans for bus rapid transit or light rail or anything…even though there is a monorail at a buiness park in the burbs there is no mention of that either…
Now I did find it kind of funny that there is a Heliport Downtown…though Heliports have not taken off either.
Indygo website talks about highways and how how highways CREATE jobs…
INDY has a shopping mall and downtown hotels and a great old train station…plus some nice burbs…A circumventual highway and so forth…
Does anyone in Columbus OH ride the buses ? When I first came down here in 1989 for college I was surprised to get on COTA and never had to stand up.
Everytime I see a bus, its rarely half-full.
And everytime that proposal comes up for rail transit it will be voted down; people love their cars here. Maybe its because buses don’t go anywhere people need to be (it was hard on me when I didn’t have a car at first).
Or maybe they just don’t get “it” here.
COTA has a downtown indoor commuter bus terminal (Seperate from Greyhound). A number of riders use the park and ride service…The thing about Columbus is that the city has gone from COWaumbus to where there were cornfields and cows within a mile of Ohio State to a metro area of 1.5 million (more like 500,000 in the city). Unlike older citys Columbus has had plenty of room for wide well desinged freeways. I have taken Greyhound in and out of there and I have yet to experance a traffic jam…