Will you ride light rail? (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: construction, cost, bus)

[ToughLuv]

Originally Posted by cityboi757

It's the mentality of people in HamptonRoads. I am from Philadelphia, a much more dangerous city than Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth,anywhere down here and rode the subway at night. It's not dangerous. I don't see your guys views, but like I said it's your mentality. People here are auto oriented. They have been used to driving EVERYWHERE, it will just take alittle time for that to change. I think the younger generation will ride much more than the older. Rail is cool. Stop seeing it as inconvienence, danger, hood hangout, whatever you think it may be. All it is is comfortable, reliable option to travel when you don't want to drive because traffic is bad. I'm going to read my newspaper every day on the way to work. Riding a train is much more safe than your car. True or false? You should be more afraid of an accident than some 'hoodlums' on a train.

Im from west Baltimore a more dangerous place than Philly or anywhere down here..The difference between a place like NY or Philly in comparison to here is that they are used to having a subway system, so it doesnt "wow" them..They also have alot more to do, down here people will go to a Walmart to "hangout"..So when they get an oppourtunity as great as this, they wont know how to act. Just like everytime they put a 18+ club in hampton or newport news its shot up and shutdown immediatley..It just doesnt work here..Because we have 18 and ups all over DC & Baltimore that are just fine..There was an 18 n up club on city center newport news that lasted for 3 weeks..Every week it ended early due to fighting or shooting and it closed down that next week..So basically ur dealing with a more underpriveledged crowd of "hoodlums" down here because they do not have available to them wat a NY or Philly has..So when you finally give it to them, they are gonna act a lil wilder and take advantage of something like a rail..Ha u'll see..

[cityboi757]

Originally Posted by ToughLuv

Im from west Baltimore a more dangerous place than Philly or anywhere down here..The difference between a place like NY or Philly in comparison to here is that they are used to having a subway system, so it doesnt "wow" them..They also have alot more to do, down here people will go to a Walmart to "hangout"..So when they get an oppourtunity as great as this, they wont know how to act. Just like everytime they put a 18+ club in hampton or newport news its shot up and shutdown immediatley..It just doesnt work here..Because we have 18 and ups all over DC & Baltimore that are just fine..There was an 18 n up club on city center newport news that lasted for 3 weeks..Every week it ended early due to fighting or shooting and it closed down that next week..So basically ur dealing with a more underpriveledged crowd of "hoodlums" down here because they do not have available to them wat a NY or Philly has..So when you finally give it to them, they are gonna act a lil wilder and take advantage of something like a rail..

I see where you are coming from, but we will just have to agree to disagree man. I got no clue what goes on in Newport News or Hampton, but I know Norfolk and Norfolk gangstas, hoodlums whatever you'd like to call them don't act like that. downtown Norfolk clubs are consistantly packed and its rare to have a shooting. They get shut down because they get 3-4X over capacity though. People will eventually get used to rail down here too. IN DC in the 70s and 80s rail was foreign to them, now everybody rides

[ToughLuv]

Originally Posted by cityboi757

I see where you are coming from, but we will just have to agree to disagree man. I got no clue what goes on in Newport News or Hampton, but I know Norfolk and Norfolk gangstas, hoodlums whatever you'd like to call them don't act like that. downtown Norfolk clubs are consistantly packed and its rare to have a shooting. They get shut down because they get 3-4X over capacity though. People will eventually get used to rail down here too. IN DC in the 70s and 80s rail was foreign to them, now everybody rides

True, it can happen. In DC largerly that had to do wit the movement of young professionals moving into the city, sometimes jus around the corner from a rough neighboorhood. And those people took these chances in search of top jobs. People here have cars (like you said very car oriented) which makes it easier for them to have one not so good rail experience and go back to their cars. Once again like you said, the mentality of the people would have to change, but truthfully I dont think they care that much to do so.

[cityboi757]

Originally Posted by ToughLuv

True, it can happen. In DC largerly that had to do wit the movement of young professionals moving into the city, sometimes jus around the corner from a rough neighboorhood. And those people took these chances in search of top jobs. People here have cars (like you said very car oriented) which makes it easier for them to have one not so good rail experience and go back to their cars. Once again like you said, the mentality of the people would have to change, but truthfully I dont think they care that much to do so.

You may be right. There will be people who ride it here, but they will be the minority. The majority will stick to their comfy cars lol. I don't give two shakes of a lambs tail if they ride or not. As long as i feel good riding with my newspaper and breakfast

[cityboi757]

75% of you say you will ride at least once. 25% of you will never ride.

[nyc2va76]

Originally Posted by cityboi757

It's the mentality of people in HamptonRoads. I am from Philadelphia, a much more dangerous city than Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth,anywhere down here and rode the subway at night. It's not dangerous. I don't see your guys views, but like I said it's your mentality. People here are auto oriented. They have been used to driving EVERYWHERE, it will just take alittle time for that to change. I think the younger generation will ride much more than the older. Rail is cool. Stop seeing it as inconvienence, danger, hood hangout, whatever you think it may be. All it is is comfortable, reliable option to travel when you don't want to drive because traffic is bad. I'm going to read my newspaper every day on the way to work. Riding a train is much more safe than your car. True or false? You should be more afraid of an accident than some 'hoodlums' on a train.

I feel you. I rather be on the train or light rail than sitting in traffic on a highway. It's about time Norfolk is moving towards progression. I would ride if I lived in Norfolk.

[cityboi757]

Originally Posted by nyc2va76

I feel you. I rather be on the train or light rail than sitting in traffic on a highway. It's about time Norfolk is moving towards progression. I would ride if I lived in Norfolk.

True. The majority of riders on the starter line will be commuters to downtown/ evms, students at NSU, and people going to military hwy. newtown road. I don't see what could be dangerous about that

[Stuck in the city]

Has something changed?? I thought VA beach was thinking about it & then said "No." The only plans & routes on the light rail on HRT's website that I've seen...it stays completly within Norfolk. And I really son't see the point in that. If it went to more cities I might consider riding it to avoid paying $20+ to park at the oceanfront. This is what I found on HRT's website. It IS only going to be in Norfolk. If this is the case I may have my husband drop me off @ Harbor park to get dropped of @ TCC if I have a class in Norfolk. But I still have to drive all the way down Tidewater Dr to get to Harbor park, So I'm not sure it'll even be worth it. I might as well get dropped off in front of TCC.
The Tide

Will extend 7.4 miles on an east to west alignment from the Eastern Virginia Medical Center through downtown Norfolk, continuing along the Norfolk Southern right-of-way, adjacent to I-264, to Newtown Road. Eleven stations will be constructed along the route with four park and ride locations that provide access to major areas such as Norfolk State University, Tidewater Community College (Norfolk Campus), Harbor Park, City Hall, MacArthur Center, and the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by Stuck in the city

Has something changed?? I thought VA beach was thinking about it & then said "No." The only plans & routes on the light rail on HRT's website that I've seen...it stays completly within Norfolk. And I really son't see the point in that. If it went to more cities I might consider riding it to avoid paying $20+ to park at the oceanfront. This is what I found on HRT's website. It IS only going to be in Norfolk. If this is the case I may have my husband drop me off @ Harbor park to get dropped of @ TCC if I have a class in Norfolk. But I still have to drive all the way down Tidewater Dr to get to Harbor park, So I'm not sure it'll even be worth it. I might as well get dropped off in front of TCC.
The Tide

Will extend 7.4 miles on an east to west alignment from the Eastern Virginia Medical Center through downtown Norfolk, continuing along the Norfolk Southern right-of-way, adjacent to I-264, to Newtown Road. Eleven stations will be constructed along the route with four park and ride locations that provide access to major areas such as Norfolk State University, Tidewater Community College (Norfolk Campus), Harbor Park, City Hall, MacArthur Center, and the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital

No nothing has changed it is just cityboi757 is very excited about light rail but he has to understand it is not something that is going to happen overnight......It took Norfolk 13 years just to get a light rail starter line going, during the time when the economy was good and the money was fast flowing, I expect it will be that long or longer for the Beach to have a starter line due to political backlash and the poor economic future if we ever have one at all.....

The City of Va Bch political leaders are not the smartest people in the world (especially now with a mayor that just wants to spend, spend, spend)......but they are well above the group that Norfolk has, and they are not going to spend a bunch of money on something that they don't know will bring revenue back into the city....and that is the bottom line.......People can talk about how in might help with the traffic congestion, or how it will help with the business outlook for the cities etc....but the bottom line is always money........

So the beach political leaders will do a little fishing, talking here and there about light rail and see how the numbers fare in some polls as far as people being for or against the idea but the bottom line is that is all they are going to do for the next few years because they want to wait and see how the light rail system in Norfolk does so they can base their support or non-support off of those numbers etc, then they will either push for or rally against light rail at the beach.......anything done before that would be political suicide and they all know that......So as individuals we can debate light rail all we want but the debate will last for many years yet because that is how long it will be before the Beach or any other local city really makes a concrete decision one way or the other if they plan to join Norfolk on the light rail path

[Randomdude]

I would probably use it often if it went close enough to my job. However, I do have an illness that requires me to have immediate access to transportation, so I probably wouldnt ride it as much as I otherwise would.