Curious as to when the Indiana house is going to approve Mass Transit.

[domergurl]

When I lived in Evanston ... I had my choice of 2 commuter rail lines into the city ... didn't see any ill effects ...

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by GregHenry

I've heard the same thing.

They probably take the Dan Ryan into the Loop and see the stops on the left side of the highway, so that colors their entire perception of what light rail is. They probably have also seen the Gary South Shore stops along 12, also coloring their perception.

If they never see the Ravenswood line, Linden St. line, Howard St. line or the Skokie Swift, or any of the affluent areas served by Metra, they have no idea what rail can do for a community.

Actually both the Lake Street and Metro center stops (god you called it 12. 12 & 20 only refers to the area between Tennessee and Glen Ryan. To the West is downtown 4th and 5th Ave and to the east is Melton Rd (Ind Hwy 20 and Highway 12 after you pass Lake Street) are two of the more utilized stops along the South Shore Route although EC would probably get more traffic on a one v one v one basis. M City gets a bit of traffic as well. South Shore has been there forever and the density has never been high due to the amount of heavy industry due north of the line but it's still moderately successful even with it's strange fee schedule that's pretty high already and only getting higher. The line itself doesn't add anything as far as density and never will.

[GregHenry]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Do you mean by using Eminent Domain?

Did I say that?

It would seem to me that existing property owners might have a different opinion of what should happen to their properties should they choose to keep them and develop them in the manner they choose.

Straw man.

[domergurl]

Greg ... are there any cities or towns in which you would hold up as a beacon of "how it should be done?"

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by domergurl

When I lived in Evanston ... I had my choice of 2 commuter rail lines into the city ... didn't see any ill effects ...

Big effects, taxpayers getting the shaft on a daily as Metra and CTA are just money guzzlers. It's to the point where they need to raise taxes yet again to continue paying for it. Mass Transit has two schools of thought. The older generation that still believes in not having government subsidize everything in our daily lives and then those that have grown up with big government and tax and spend. If Mass Transit was truly truly viable, private corporations would be doing it. They're not because it's a 100% money loser subsidized by the taxpayers, many who do not use i. Funny, Illinois combines CTA, Metra and Pace for taxing among what 6 million people and still not enough to cover basic operating costs.

The same dog and pony show Greg wants to harp on about Downtown Indianapolis. I guess when its something you agree with it's ok but when it's something you don't agree with, it's a waste of taxpayer dollars even though the latter costs 10x's the amount of the former. Infrastructure is the largest part of any city budget and while I personally prefer mass transit coming from it, does not negate the fact the taxpayers are stuck with a bill that never dwindles. No build one mile get the next mile half off. The two sides will have to eventually meet in the middle whether its an expanded bus system with BRT which is very doable and Curitiba Brazil, slightly larger than Indy Metro that relies on no more than BRT and have an 80% ridership rate. Very doable.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by GregHenry

Did I say that?



Straw man.

You implied that in this post. Since you are talking about taking away existing structures or land, usually for a project of this nature, not every property owner along a proposed line wants to sell out. If that is the case that leaves Eminent Domain as the only alternative to taking land if it is necessary to facilitate the proposed development.

Straw man? Non sequitur.

[X-Greensboro Resident]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Greg ... are there any cities or towns in which you would hold up as a beacon of "how it should be done?"

*Crickets*

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by X-Greensboro Resident

*Crickets*

yea ... I'm over it.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by domergurl

I'm a high speed rail fan myself. I would love it if they could get the high speed rail line from Milwaukee, through Chicago and Indy to Cincy ...

but it will never happen.

It could happen, but it would have to be electric and it would require nuclear power for sure, as I'm not sure we could burn enough coal or fire enough natural gas turbines to energize such a system.

People don't want rail because rail with Indy density doesn't make sense. We could slash the price of the Indy Connect plan to about 60% and still have plenty of nice, non-stop buses from Noblesville, Fishers, and even Westfield. That would make more sense, at least to me, than a fixed, non-movable, costly rail line given our low density.

Originally Posted by GregHenry

No, light rail has a wonderful way of increasing density, as people move to be close to the rail stops.

The problem is that with the Indy Connect plan, there is enough of the population spread out, it likely wouldn't be feasible to move to Fishers or Noblesville just to ride a train. Everyone from Plainfield, Mooresville, Avon, Brownsburg, Greenfield, and Greenwood would just cut their driving to a handful of miles and take the bus (non-stop or otherwise) to their destination.

Then we have the issue of most of the land around our rail line already being developed. People will of course think their property values have went up 50% just as soon as the votes are counted (if the plan wins). So the only way density arrives is if lots of people are willing to sell to private developers. There is likely enough high density neighborhoods in Fishers, though some places might have lower density, older neighborhoods. Not sure if there is any project ready land along the route where high density high rise condos/apartments could be built.

[Southside Shrek]

I think we need to make a wiser use of taxpayers' monies. Those monies should be spent on women and not on Mass Transit. We can learn from the French how well they take care of their ladies and even provide personal trainers as reported in Time magazine.
Why France Pays for Postpartum Women to “Re-Educate” their Vagina | Healthland | TIME.com