Mass transit in Birmingham (Sylacauga: loan, lease, work)

[Bravo35223]

Interesting view of mass transit...all I know is that the 280 Corridor is getting worse and worse and there continues to be huge growth there...."Birmingham" now spills well south of Double Oak Mountain....growing straight toward Sylacauga....something needs to be done to move people around...

[Reactionary]

More roads? Much cheaper...

What I appreciate about Nashville's system is that they have secured the right-of-way for future growth. IMO mass transit only works in a few cities in the US; I don't know of a system that runs without (sometimes massive) operating subsidies.

In a previous life, I did some planning studies (cost / benefit) for mass transit...

[NicoleC]

Public roads also operate with massive subsidies. Plus the hidden costs of roads, like pollution. Or waging multi-billion dollar wars to secure dwindling oil supplies. I've never really understood the hu-hu over mass transit fares not supporting themselves.

Ultimately mass transit fails if it doesn't start - and stop - very near to where you need to go when you need to get there. That's a tough row to hoe. Any city that has embraced unchecked sprawl for the past few decades (that would be most of them) will be hard pressed to come up with anything useful for anything approaching realistic $ and construction time. And if it doesn't include safe parking, sidewalks and bike lanes to and from the transit station, forget it.

[harry chickpea]

For years, I've touted the idea that a lot of the traffic problems in cities could be solved with special lanes/tracks for single person* enclosed vehicles powered by 5 to 10 hp electric motors with a very small (3 hp) onboard gas motor for emergency use. The vehicles would pick power and information off the roadway, similar to how the subways use 3rd rail or overhead. The trackways would be owned and operated by the cities, the vehicles owned or leased by the commuters.

Sensors in the track/roadway entrances would read a data log and access code and only allow mechanically sound authorized vehicles to enter, and once on the roadway, control would be entirely computerized all the way to the exit. Since the vehicles would be half width and only about 10 feet long, two lanes could be fit in a 10' width and traffic densitity increased on that same road to the equivalent of a 4 lane expressway. With three lanes, the center lane could switch directions according to the load, making it comparable to a 6 lane expressway in a 15 foot wide path. In areas where traffic noise is an issue, the road could be easily and inexpensively enclosed.

Advantages - no accidents, less pollution, less space taken by roads, more energy efficient, much faster, smaller parking space required, automatic re-routing around problem areas or overburdened tracks, less cost for ownership of a commuting vehicle, simpler repairs - replace standardized inexpensive electric motor and/or gas engine instead of the multiverse of car parts.

Multi-person and cargo vehicles could be included if the passenger or cargo sat directly behind the driver. Since everyone communicates by cell phone anyway, and children by law must sit in a rear seat, this should no longer be a hardship the way it would have been fifteen years ago.

Bringing it back on topic, a prime reason that current mass transit fails, is that it still goes by the 19th century axiom of moving masses of people in a single container. That is not an efficient use of the passengers' time, nor that of the staff. Moreover, it brings in a fear of being "mugged in the subway" or followed and raped, which then requires additional expense for security. Personal vehicles increase the sense of security and flexiblity of the rider.

[AnyDayNow]

How many people have ridden on one of the Max buses already running downtown? I work downtown and there aren't a lot of people waiting at the bus stops. The closest most people downtown get to using "public transportation" isn't public at all--it's the private shuttles that take the larger employers' employees from the company parking lots to their buildings.

There would have to be an awesome ad campaign and a major incentive to get people to try it. As stated, security, flexibility and convenience would be major concerns. Especially with the stereotype of Birmingham crime that people have, I can't imagine that people living in the more affluent neighborhoods off 280 would be all that thrilled that the "criminal element" could be at their house in mere minutes via public transit.

And as for Langford--I dunno. I'm still scratching my head over what he could have had done to his teeth for $60K. Hopefully Birmingham will find someone to bail it out like the company that took over Visionland and turned it around or like the friend who loaned Langford money. I guess I'm just an average person who wonders about how to pay for things without digging an even bigger hole than we're already in. We can't even give police officers raises as it is.

[Reactionary]

AnyDayNow - "the "criminal element" could be at their house in mere minutes via public transit" - for example, the Georgetown area of WDC is not on the Metro...

[AnyDayNow]

Hi Reactionary, I am not familiar with Georgetown or WDC stats pertaining to crime or social status. What am I supposed to be inferring from the reference?

[Reactionary]

AnyDayNow - it totally supports your comment. Georgetown is a very affluent area of Washington; when the Metro subway system was being built, the residents were able to block construction into the area - IIRC citing crime as a reason.

[AnyDayNow]

Thanks for the clarification.

[Southlander]

Same reason you don't see Atlanta's MARTA extending up toward Alpharetta...or beyond...