Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes thank you it is postive. No last call , the last call in cities promotes drunk driving . People drink on last call and then are kicked into the streets to find a way home.
Denver is building 119 miles of new light rail as we speak!
That is simple not correct, or at least a serious exaggeration.
RTD currently has 40 miles of light rail, and an additional 12 miles under construction. That will bring RTDs total miles of light rail to 52.
In addition RTD has two commuter rail lines in the final design stages. Which will total about 33 miles or so, and construction could begin soon.
Everything else are simply proposed lines. There is no current funding available for them, except for possibly for the design work. Even if voters approve a tax increase to fund additional construction, the lines could not built in time to help anyone planing to move to Denver in the near future.
No way will RTD have even close to 119 miles light rail (even if you include commuter rail construction, set to begin soon) anytime in the next 15 years. In 30 years, maybe. To under stand RTDs timetable for things, look at the West light rail line currently under construction. The route was planed out in the early 1970s, the right-a-way was purchased in the 1980s, and they are just now constructing it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MilehiDenver
They are tying it all in to the Union Station redevelopment downtown, and it is under construction! We have a far better light rail system than Seattle, and a very good bus system! Portland does have us beat at the moment with light rail, but not in the next 5-10 years as we pass them up. None of these cities (do not be fooled by some posts) are 24 hour cities. Very few cities in the US are! But we do have parts of the metro which are vibrant and fun late into the night!
It would be impossible for Denver's light rail system to pass Portland's, in 5-10 years. With RTDs current light rail construction, Denver could only hope to tie Portland. But Portland is also expanding their system. Which should be able to keep it ahead of Denver.
It's not fair to included RTDs commuter rail plans. Because, 1. Commuter rail does not equal light rail. It's a different technology. 2. Both Portland and Seattle already have commuter rail. So RTD is already behind in that too.
Another thing to consider, is that Portland has half the population of Denver. So even if Denver's light rial system could beat Portland's, which is not going to happen, it would not be much of an accomplishment.
Also, is Denver's public transportation really that bad?
Denver is a park & ride city. You can drive to a light rail station from anywhere, and can catch a train to Downtown fast. If you are transit dependent, and have to rely on busses to get everywhere. It's not that great. The best you could do in that situation, would be to live and work somewhere along East Colfax Ave. the only place in Denver where the busses runs 24/7. Even then the buses don't run all that often. Maybe 8-10 min. apart, in the rush hour. Which is not bad, but not what you would expect from one of the most used bus routes, compared to bigger cities. If you have to travel any where else in the city, expect to wait a long time for busses. Most of the service will be 30 min. on average even in the rush hour.
Denver is building 119 miles of new light rail as we speak! They are tying it all in to the Union Station redevelopment downtown, and it is under construction! We have a far better light rail system than Seattle, and a very good bus system! !
Denver is a park & ride city. You can drive to a light rail station from anywhere, and can catch a train to Downtown fast. If you are transit dependent, and have to rely on busses to get everywhere. It's not that great. The best you could do in that situation, would be to live and work somewhere along East Colfax Ave. the only place in Denver where the busses runs 24/7. Even then the buses don't run all that often. Maybe 8-10 min. apart, in the rush hour. Which is not bad, but not what you would expect from one of the most used bus routes, compared to bigger cities. If you have to travel any where else in the city, expect to wait a long time for busses. Most of the service will be 30 min. on average even in the rush hour.
The light rail from downtown to DU runs fairly late; I don't know if 24/7.
This may be a stupid question, but... what are humid winters like? I always linked that with summers, and I'm assuming the winters are still cooler there?
Seattle's winters are typically overcast and frequently rainy. 44 degrees and drizzle. The rain in Seattle isn't usually all that hard. Unlike thunderstorm rain you find in many parts of the country that you can liken to a cow pissing on a flat rock, many of the locals don't carry an umbrella.
There are what we locals call "Sun Breaks". Sometimes(right now actually), we will get a week or so of clear cold weather. It will happen again in February probably.
Once in a while we get snow. But it goes as fast as it comes.
The climate here is tempered by the onshore flow of air from the Pacific during all but the summer months. The Pacific currents off the WA coast are cold, but not arctic. (Japanese current) Alas the air is typically full of moisture but not sub freezing. A typical winter day is mid to high 40's, with lows in the high 30's or low 40's. Chance of rain is 60/40 most days
The summer months the winds change to blowing offshore. The air masses come from inland. And once you get east of the Cascade Mountains it's very dry. So the summer humidity is very low. June weather is iffy. July, August, September and early October are gloriously nice here.
There are only a few days a year above 90. To put it in perspective, very, very few homes here have AC.
It will all get built. It may take a little longer than projected though.
"And when they get done, it will still be Denver." Which is still better than the other 2!
"Another thing to consider, is that Portland has half the population of Denver. " As a city Population, or Metro? Either way, you are wrong! Denver is not twice as large a city or metro Population wise, so you can drop that argument!
Denver and Seattle are very similar: both have a good variety of bars, pubs, and clubs; dives and classy joints; mellow and rowdy places - they are on par in these regards. Seattle does have a better classic cocktail scene, though. Also, there are more neighborhoods further from downtown in Seattle with nightlife, compared to Denver. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, overall, though.
Portland is different, it has less variety but a tons of bars for such a small metro. A lot of them have a wilder feel than Seattle or Denver, and there are a ton of funky, interesting places. Also, the prevalece of full liquor strip clubs everywhere adds a a raw seediness to the nightlife district. I would actually say Portland's nightlife has more character than Seattle or Denver, although like I said, the range of place is more limited.
It will all get built. It may take a little longer than projected though.
"And when they get done, it will still be Denver." Which is still better than the other 2!
"Another thing to consider, is that Portland has half the population of Denver. " As a city Population, or Metro? Either way, you are wrong! Denver is not twice as large a city or metro Population wise, so you can drop that argument!
Seattle already has 92 miles of commuter rail. A monorail line , A street car line and 16.2 current miles of light rail. With a new 36 miles under construction right now of light rail. And another street car line opening next year also. The street cars are for movement around the center city . And the light rail links other cities and the airport. If you add the street car lines and the link light rail Seattle will soon have 60 miles of light rail. And most of it underground in Seattle because of the density of Seattle. Its taking longer to finish the lines through Seattle Downtown has the subways already the line is connecting the Capitol hil neighborhood. Then To the University of Washington wich will all be underground subways in Seattle. So Seattle is no slouch and catching up rapidly. And dont forget Seattle has the largest ferry fleet in the nation Seattle is surounded by water so ferrys are a main form of transportation here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
