New Transit Plan... Looks comprehensive and feasible (Houston, Dallas: appointed, home)

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Considering you lack basic knowledge of how government works after nearly 70 years in the Austin metro, I doubt you’d even be able to recognize competence.

Heh, I‘ve watched what it does, how some businesses have had to deal with it, and how a lot of it has turned out, so your attempted insult doesn’t mean much. But keep on with the cheerleading for the corruption.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Heh, I‘ve watched what it does, how some businesses have had to deal with it, and how a lot of it has turned out, so your attempted insult doesn’t mean much. But keep on with the cheerleading for the corruption.

It’s not an insult to tell you that you have no idea how government works. You assign blame to institutions that have nothing to do with the projects you whine about. You do it quite often on here.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by cBach

But he's going to vote against the "choo choo". Are you going to even vote on it?

I would vote for it IF there was very close and open oversight by impartial & competent entities... other than anyone from the city and/or Capital Metro.

I like mass transit and utilized it in St.Louis, Tokyo, NYC, Las Vegas, Monterrey, Mexico City, and San Francisco decades ago. And was sad to see the CoA ditch the Dillo.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

It’s not an insult to tell you that you have no idea how government works. You assign blame to institutions that have nothing to do with the projects you whine about. You do it quite often on here.

The power people who run some of these “institutions” are interconnected and have been for generations. The corruption runs deep and is widespread, IMO.
Criticizing the corruption, or incompetence at best, is not “whining”.
To deny that is being very disingenuous.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

The power people who run some of these “institutions” are interconnected and have been for generations. The corruption runs deep and is widespread, IMO.
Criticizing the corruption, or incompetence at best, is not “whining”.
To deny that is being very disingenuous.

TxDOT has nothing to do with the City of Austin. CapMetro collaborates with the City, but the overlap isn’t there. The overlap between transit agencies in different cities is much higher. It’s far more likely that CapMetro staff has worked at the transit agencies in Houston or Dallas rather than in Austin leadership. Knowing people within a specialty isn’t corruption, and it’s literally unavoidable in all organizations, public and private alike.

What’s disingenuous is your lazy blanket statements. I’m gonna start blaming the Brushy Creek MUD for all the problems in Austin cuz it’s all the same anyway right?

[cBach]

I know the people that are designing these transit networks so I have the inside scoop. CapMetro has hired some big names from Boston, Philly, NYC, Chicago. These are not no name players, these people are top of the line designing transit systems that will be better than the cities they came from. Did you know the platforms in that subway station will be air conditioned and they will have glass doors to prevent people from falling, similar to Tokyo subways? Like I said, top of the line folks designing top of the line stations and lines. They had to put A/C because if you've been in the NYC subway stations in the summer now imagine adding around 20 degrees. So they decided on A/C for the stations.

[Aquitaine]

1. There are still quite a few libertarians and conservatives in Austin and this is always a "No" vote, that is at least 30-40% of the vote automatically no.

This is a rather desperate explanation for why a city that consistently votes for every single bond and progressive notion that comes before it won't do as you'd like them to do on rail. It conveniently excuses anyone from having to reflect on why the 2014 bond failed: 'well, 30-40% of these people will just never do what we want.'

Even if that's true, that leaves you with 60-70% of the electorate that should do what you want. So why didn't they? And is there a reason to believe they would do differently today? Those are honest questions. 2020 is pretty different than 2014. But I've lost track of the number of times I've heard 'Texas is finally turning blue!'

You want to spend a few billion dollars, you need a lot of public support.

Like I said, top of the line folks designing top of the line stations and lines. They had to put A/C because if you've been in the NYC subway stations in the summer now imagine adding around 20 degrees. So they decided on A/C for the stations.

As a former New Yorker, the MTA is an exercise in union corruption and the 2nd avenue subway was a boondoggle. It was a good idea! They needed it! But they couldn't execute. That project was over budget and behind schedule when I left in 2010. The MTA can't get out of their own way, but they've essentially eliminated cars for regular people from Manhattan so their audience is a lot more captive than ours.

I grew up outside of Philadelphia and I would not call it a model for public transit on the local level, though their regional system is decent. Slow as heck but it does go everywhere. They got in on it a lot earlier than we did, but their commuter system has got a lot of reach. Of course there's embezzlement, fraud, and corruption there as there is everywhere in the Philadelphia public sector, but the institutions that rely on those things do keep it going.

[m1a1mg]

Experts from Boston? Hahahahahahaha.


The only value they could possibly add would be that it is virtually impossible to make Austin's worse than Boston's.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

This is a rather desperate explanation for why a city that consistently votes for every single bond and progressive notion that comes before it won't do as you'd like them to do on rail. It conveniently excuses anyone from having to reflect on why the 2014 bond failed: 'well, 30-40% of these people will just never do what we want.'

Even if that's true, that leaves you with 60-70% of the electorate that should do what you want. So why didn't they? And is there a reason to believe they would do differently today? Those are honest questions. 2020 is pretty different than 2014. But I've lost track of the number of times I've heard 'Texas is finally turning blue!'

You want to spend a few billion dollars, you need a lot of public support.



As a former New Yorker, the MTA is an exercise in union corruption and the 2nd avenue subway was a boondoggle. It was a good idea! They needed it! But they couldn't execute. That project was over budget and behind schedule when I left in 2010. The MTA can't get out of their own way, but they've essentially eliminated cars for regular people from Manhattan so their audience is a lot more captive than ours.

I grew up outside of Philadelphia and I would not call it a model for public transit on the local level, though their regional system is decent. Slow as heck but it does go everywhere. They got in on it a lot earlier than we did, but their commuter system has got a lot of reach. Of course there's embezzlement, fraud, and corruption there as there is everywhere in the Philadelphia public sector, but the institutions that rely on those things do keep it going.

My exes hubby is from Philly and is a top engineer that was hired to design the transit in Austin. He also designed a rail from San Antonio to Austin. They design these things even though there is little probability of it passing but if it passes they already have to have the legwork done. I actually know where the train route is supposed to go, they have been buying up various properties but I'm supposed to keep it on the low. After the last no vote he had to go back to the Northeast weekly to commute as everything was voted down but they called him up for "Plan B" and he's back again. A lot of the ideas, such as the Lamar rapid transit bus were based on successful ideas back in Philly.

They are serious about this stuff in Austin and the planners want one of the best transit networks in the country, but the voters keep turning it down. It's amazing the 2004 MRT plan came to fruition to be honest.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by m1a1mg

Experts from Boston? Hahahahahahaha.


The only value they could possibly add would be that it is virtually impossible to make Austin's worse than Boston's.

I havent used transit in Boston but I've always been under the impression it was extensive, although I've heard it was generally pretty expensive as well. What is wrong with Boston's transit?