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Then let us take into consideration the space required, the maintenance of the track and trains, and the fact that the construction costs are very high and are hard to justify.
Are the assumptions made with $2.00/gal gas/diesel or $8.00/gal gas/diesel. It's interesting since Transit provides an alternative to driving. Also less DUI, redevelopment along the route. Most cities in the US were built around rail, including Los Angeles. Think about going downtown to an event for $1.00 and not worry about parking, dui, or traffic. Also what about going to the airport without paying $20+ in a cab or shuttle. Just saying NY, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, LA, SF, Portland, Honolulu can't be wrong. Building Highways for peak commute times isn't efficient. Besides through a FSA you could write off your commuting cost and not have to pay for parking downtown. More highways = more congestion = more pollution = Higher health cost = more walking! Light Rail = more jobs, more choices, improved quality of life.
Are the assumptions made with $2.00/gal gas/diesel or $8.00/gal gas/diesel. It's interesting since Transit provides an alternative to driving. Also less DUI, redevelopment along the route. Most cities in the US were built around rail, including Los Angeles. Think about going downtown to an event for $1.00 and not worry about parking, dui, or traffic. Also what about going to the airport without paying $20+ in a cab or shuttle. Just saying NY, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, LA, SF, Portland, Honolulu can't be wrong. Building Highways for peak commute times isn't efficient. Besides through a FSA you could write off your commuting cost and not have to pay for parking downtown. More highways = more congestion = more pollution = Higher health cost = more walking! Light Rail = more jobs, more choices, improved quality of life.
The assumptions are made with the current price of fuel, which begs the question, how much will be spent on the electric power for these trains? Transit does provide an alternative, but "transit" does not have to be a streetcar.
"Think about going downtown...for $1.00," Where have you been? Even if I only needed to take a single bus, I would still need to get back, so $2.00. If we built an extremely expensive streetcar system, how much will those tickets be? (Hint:not $1.00) Not pay $20+ to get to the airport? Take the bus, it already goes to the airport, which is not something the initial streetcar system would do.
Not once did I mention any of these cities being wrong, but I will say this...the first 7 cities you use as an example are far larger than Albuquerque. Not once did I mention building highways. And I have to ask...do you understand that light rail and streetcars are 2 different systems? So far in this thread nobody has mentioned light rail, only a streetcar system.
Both are nearly the same fix track, shorter trains. Not on Sundays, no public transit to the airport. Cabs don't take credit cards in ABQ. It all depends on ridership, even if it were two dollars a monthly pass might be $30, its all good.
Albuquerque needs a real river walk like San Antonio? Live Entertainment on the river. (Amphitheater like the Hard Rock Pavlovian) Foot Traffic- the illusion of traffic.
As a former resident of San Antonio, I don't think a riverwalk would work here. Our river walk is Downtown and oldtown, maybe even route 66. We don't have floods.
Right now I see Albuquerque, as that one girl with glasses that you never noticed before, but if you took them glasses off of her, imagine all the beauty and potential she has, why hide it?
Interesting analogy. I see it it more like this: Albuquerque is the girl with glasses who is beautiful nonetheless. 'Realizing her potential' and 'modernizing' would be like dyeing her hair platinum blonde and getting breast implants and a nose-job. No thanks, I like my girl next-door.
We've already had the "streetcar down Central" argument here: The future of Albuquerque The fun starts on post #10.
and here: Light Rail in Albuquerque! The call for a Central Avenue rail system is there from the git-go.
There's really nothing more to say because I think we can all agree that
I won that argument and a street car down Central is a nonstarter.
We've already had the "streetcar down Central" argument here: The future of Albuquerque The fun starts on post #10.
and here: Light Rail in Albuquerque! The call for a Central Avenue rail system is there from the git-go.
There's really nothing more to say because I think we can all agree that
I won that argument and a street car down Central is a nonstarter.
Thank goodness. I can imagine a larger waste of tax payer $'s than that.
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