Cincinnati-Indianapolis-Chicago high speed rail (Cleveland, Washington: stadiums, suburbs, vehicles)

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

Squandered? So me the study that shows that money went to waste? I have no idea what 50th and Clark Park is as well.

So far I can't say squandered. But I can say that so far it has not produced a damn thing other than jobs for construction workers. Still waiting for some positive result on the City if it ever gets operating, which is taking forever. And if it does get operating I will probably take one ride on it.

I believe it was someone on this thread who stated it is a $10,000 a year cost to operate a car. Don't know what kind of car you are talking about or where you drive it. I have two vehicles, a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan wheelchair transport conversion minivan and a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan. Guarantee you I don't spend $10,000 a year on both of them combined. Of course I use them for their intended purpose, transporting my wife and her wheelchair around town so she has some enjoyment out of life, and transporting me to/from the golf course and B-Dubs.. But I also recognize their age and market value so I don't carry any collision insurance on either one, a big waste of money. I carry liability only, but I have a $1 million blanket on that policy.

Had a hydraulic lift on the back of the Mercury during the years my wife could use a 3-wheel scooter for transport. But once she needed the full-size wheelchair that was passe. Just a couple of weeks ago got tired of seeing that lift on the back of the car, went down to the outfit we had purchased it from and asked if they could remove and scrap it. Sure Ken we can do it this afternoon at no charge. The car is almost 14 years old and the lift had to be over 10, since we bought the minivan, with no use it froze up and would not run. So I was content to just scrap it. But the years we used it were more than valuable for its cost. When you have physical or handicap mobility problems your whole attitude toward transportation changes. Even when she used the 3-wheel scooter, public transportation was out of the question. And with a full-size, heavy-duty wheelchair forget it.

Now the 14 year old Mercury just turned 52,000 miles. The 1979 wheelchair van has about 75,000. They day I can get anything like that out of a streetcar let me know.

[Kevin1813]

[quote=kjbrill;38778925]So far I can't say squandered. But I can say that so far it has not produced a damn thing other than jobs for construction workers. Still waiting for some positive result on the City if it ever gets operating, which is taking forever. And if it does get operating I will probably take one ride on it.

I believe it was someone on this thread who stated it is a $10,000 a year cost to operate a car. Don't know what kind of car you are talking about or where you drive it. I have two vehicles, a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan wheelchair transport conversion minivan and a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan. Guarantee you I don't spend $10,000 a year on both of them combined. Of course I use them for their intended purpose, transporting my wife and her wheelchair around town so she has some enjoyment out of life, and transporting me to/from the golf course and B-Dubs.. But I also recognize their age and market value so I don't carry any collision insurance on either one, a big waste of money. I carry liability only, but I have a $1 million blanket on that policy.

Had a hydraulic lift on the back of the Mercury during the years my wife could use a 3-wheel scooter for transport. But once she needed the full-size wheelchair that was passe. Just a couple of weeks ago got tired of seeing that lift on the back of the car, went down to the outfit we had purchased it from and asked if they could remove and scrap it. Sure Ken we can do it this afternoon at no charge. The car is almost 14 years old and the lift had to be over 10, since we bought the minivan, with no use it froze up and would not run. So I was content to just scrap it. But the years we used it were more than valuable for its cost. When you have physical or handicap mobility problems your whole attitude toward transportation changes. Even when she used the 3-wheel scooter, public transportation was out of the question. And with a full-size, heavy-duty wheelchair forget it.

Now the 14 year old Mercury just turned 52,000 miles. The 1979 wheelchair van has about 75,000. They day I can get anything like that out of a streetcar let me know.[/quote

Owning and Operating Your Vehicle Just Got a Little Cheaper According to AAA

That's coming from AAA too, if they were going to smudge the data one way or another you'd think they'd make it look cheaper to own a car.

I don't doubt that it's costing you less though, seems like you're doing a damn good job of squeezing every penny out of those vehicles.

[kjbrill]

Kevin1813 ...

You better believe that, I squeeze every penny out of my vehicles. In all the years I have been driving, well over 40, have only sold 1 vehicle with usable life left in it. I typically call a hauler to take them to the junkyard. The two I have now, while old, still look pretty good. I have had some body work done on the minivan, but none on the Mercury. I do baby them, washing, etc. I will admit gave up on polishing many years ago when they reformulated all of the paints. Keep them clean and the finish lasts a long time today. That 1997 Dodge still has a shine on it.

So obviously high speed rail is a subject I am not interested in. Don't know why too many others would be either. I know some advocates exist out there, just don't understand why. Take care of and protect you car it will return much enjoyment to you, without all the hassle of dealing with the general public.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Kevin1813

Not sure about your math either. The Cincinnati streetcar 2.5x the length (1 way) as 50th and Baltimore to Clark Park (in Philly).

And the comment about taking every resident's annual income for a decade is a pretty wild exaggeration. If one were to take a mere 0.5% (the same rate as the stadium tax) of the yearly GDP of Cincinnati, it would result in approximately 5 streecar projects per year.

Now, that's just silly. Put a battery in your calculator. The streetcar costs 4 times the annual stadium tax. For a couple miles of entertainment rail with what a couple of cars?

And, OK, 50th to the college just past the park, what ever it is.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Now, that's just silly. Put a battery in your calculator. The streetcar costs 4 times the annual stadium tax. For a couple miles of entertainment rail with what a couple of cars?

And, OK, 50th to the college just past the park, what ever it is.

I agree if anyone thinks a stadium tax is going to build a couple of streetcars a year, their cranium is totally mixed.

The stadiums cost enough, but compared to streetcars they are a giveaway. Some people must have flunked a lot of math courses in their youth since some of these statements are just plain ridiculous. Is that the biggest problem in our country, no one knows how to calculate?

[unusualfire]

I don't get the logic with the stadium which costs a billion. The other stadium was not even payed off yet, when the two new ones were built.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

I don't get the logic with the stadium which costs a billion. The other stadium was not even payed off yet, when the two new ones were built.

So go look your numbers up again. The combined costs of both Paul Brown and the Red's ballpark were under $240 Million so where do these inflated numbers keep coming from? No wonder our society doesn't know where it is coming from.

[unusualfire]

Paul Brown Stadium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Kevin1813]

Got to love when people don't read my post, don't provide numbers of their own, and simply state my math is wrong.

Notice I said to take 0.5% of the GDP, which is the same RATE as the stadium TAX, not the stadiums themselves. Obviously it'd be a bigger total due to the fact that I'm using GDP. Isn't the stadium tax only paid for by Hamilton County residents? Obviously GDP would be much higher.

Also combined cost of the stadiums in 2015 dollars is $995 million. And that doesn't even cover the parking garages, bonds, land values and continued maitenance.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Kevin1813

Got to love when people don't read my post, don't provide numbers of their own, and simply state my math is wrong.

Notice I said to take 0.5% of the GDP, which is the same RATE as the stadium TAX, not the stadiums themselves. Obviously it'd be a bigger total due to the fact that I'm using GDP. Isn't the stadium tax only paid for by Hamilton County residents? Obviously GDP would be much higher.

Also combined cost of the stadiums in 2015 dollars is $995 million. And that doesn't even cover the parking garages, bonds, land values and continued maitenance.

Your math was wrong. But, since your premise is also wrong I have no interest in furthering this. What on earth would GDP have to do with a streetcar funded by tax revenues on income or sales? Who cares. No one. the streetcar was a mistake, a very expensive one. Cincinnati will never have and does not need any of Phily's streetcar and rail service. Enjoy Philly. Great city.