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So Philly is already doing this then. Ok well that is good and its working for them obviously.
Philly has had walkable car free ability burbs for a 100 years, that isnt a new concept here, though new development that way does seem like a foreign concept. DC does a way better job today in developing better and newer infrastructure around transit.
This is definitely one of the most lopsided comparisons I've seen a awhile. Philly and Boston are just on a completely different level than Dallas and Portland on Commuter rail. Also The Philadelphia and Boston are the only two area to have all of the five major types of transit vehicles: regional (commuter) rail trains; "heavy" rapid transit (subway/elevated) trains; light rail vehicles (trolleys); electric trolleybuses; and motor buses. There just no way the Dallas area and Portland area can even compete with infrastructures like that.
We aren't comparing the cities, we are comparing which form (commuter rail vs. light rail) is better for a car-less lifestyle in the suburbs with travel from neighborhood to neighborhood emulating the same access in the city. This is more about sustainability than the current development around stations. Also, a recommendation for future development in the suburbs of other cities with transit networks for their city propers already.
$'s, NIMBYs, Old long established and developed infrastructure are the main causes
I wont go on the DC rant, but we cant get the funds that come to the DC area whether direct or indirect from the Gov't stimulas/subsidy, no other area does, comparing to DC is silly on these aspects. SEPTA is broke before building new infrastruture and Fed money gets less and less every year, while the metro gets boost payments to pay for maintence etc.
Honestly the dollars are the biggest issue
I'm not comparing anything to DC. Who said anything about DC? What about a special tax district for the area? That is what some area's do when they want to build a line or station. They obviously don't want rail transit so its a mute point I guess.
I'm not comparing anything to DC. Who said anything about DC? What about a special tax district for the area? That is what some area's do when they want to build a line or station. They obviously don't want rail transit so its a mute point I guess.
But i think hes saying the DC area gets pampered over Philly , and Baltimore. The NYC area is lucky that we get the same amount of funding as DC. But Philly and Baltimore or Maryland have to fight tooth and nail for funding and its not fair.....same with Boston to a lesser extent...
Light rail would be far too slow to service the suburbs. A commuter rail system is the only option IMO.
This is why i do not want our current East Busway converted to light rail. Our(Pittsburgh's) lightrail system compared to the busway system is like comparing a rabit to turtle. I can go from Wilkinsburg Boro to Downtown Pittsburgh in 15 minutes. Our Busway sytem is serviced by articulated buses that run every 2-5 minutes during rush hour. The buses reach speeds up to 60 MPH on a dedicated bus only highway. The light rail cars at most travel at 40 MPH.
But i think hes saying the DC area gets pampered over Philly , and Baltimore. The NYC area is lucky that we get the same amount of funding as DC. But Philly and Baltimore or Maryland have to fight tooth and nail for funding and its not fair.....same with Boston to a lesser extent...
Somehow someway, DC always comes up. I really don't know what DC has to do with NIMBY's not wanting transit in KoP.
It's not an either or scenario. A city should have a good blend of both heavy rail connecting distant suburbs and light rail to travel short distances within the urban core. Boston and Philadelphia do that, Dallas does not (haven't spent enough time on Portland's system to get a feel for it).
If I want to live car-less in a suburb, I want to be able to get to the core of the urban center quickly and easily. A light rail line extending 20 miles out of the city center seems like a hellish commute. Anyone who commutes from the Riverside T station to downtown Boston (about 12 miles on light rail) can attest that it's a long ways. That said, going a mile or two IN the city is great on light rail. Commuter rail going 20 miles is a breeze. However, if you don't have good transit connections (i.e. subway, bus, light rail, etc) once you're in the city, it's also a big pain.
If I'm living without a car in the 'burbs, I'm only doing it in a metro area with complete transit systems. I'm not doing it in a place where I have to go 20 miles each way on a light rail line, and I'm not doing it where I have good commuter rail service to the city center and then nothing from there. I would only do it in a place where both work together well.
Cities like Lowell and Haverhill MA work like this. There within metropolitan Boston and they are urban centers that are separate from the principal city. They have commuter rail lines to Boston and those commuter rail lines connect to other transit systems at their terminus in the city (North Station where you can get to the Green Line, Orange Line, Amtrak, bus, and other commtuer rail lines). It's perfectly possible to live without a car, within walking distance to the station and commute to the city easily. It only works, however, because of how well connected those commuter rail lines are to other networks.
To answer the question, I'd say neither is better by itself. LR is good foor short distances within a continuously dense urban area while CR is better for longer distance between urban/suburban pockets. They're best when they're paired with other options.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,748 posts, read 23,813,296 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MDAllstar
So...everytime someone talks about transit, are you going to bring up DC? smh...o well have fun talking about DC by yourself.
since when is there an inflexable authority with restrictions on DC or other comparable transit systems fairly relevant to the topic? You don't have to troll like that.
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