Living in Colorado Spring without a car (Denver, Colorado Springs: lease, to buy)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by mollygee

How ironic; how tragic; our public transportation has degraded to almost nothing. No week-ends or nights in this berg.

Colorado Springs has grown in all directions and would require a great bus system; but the powers that be frown on buses for some reason......my guess is that they have closed-minds and can not see the future from their comfy suv's, caddies, etc.

Now the city has SMASHED the FREX system that has been in business since 2004; serving the front range. (A popular, green and profit making venture.)

Bottom line; if you require public transportation; Colorado Springs is NOT the place to be.

All true, though IIRC the FREX service only recovered about half it's cost via fares.

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by ptdudeboston

Is it possible/feasible/safe to live without a car in the area. Weather permitting? My girlfriend has a car for occasions I need to bug her. But, mainly, biking and the bus are my modes of getting around. Anyone wanna enlighten me. I would like to hear from people who actually bike if possible, or anyone with good input.
Thanks

If I were you, I'd move to Boulder. They do have a very good bus system and many bike trails. My daughter went to CU there and she was able to use the bus system daily.

Colorado Springs has chosen to severly reduce its bus system and the dominant political philosophy here is crazy conservative/libertarian vs the progressive philosophy of Boulder. They support busses, we support everyman driving his own F-350 at any time any where.

If I could afford to move, I'd prefer to live there.

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by Vision67

If I were you, I'd move to Boulder. They do have a very good bus system and many bike trails. My daughter went to CU there and she was able to use the bus system daily.

Colorado Springs has chosen to severly reduce its bus system and the dominant political philosophy here is crazy conservative/libertarian vs the progressive philosophy of Boulder. They support busses, we support everyman driving his own F-350 at any time any where.

If I could afford to move, I'd prefer to live there.

I detect the aroma of sour grapes once again, here in this long-dead thread resurrected by public-assistance loving whiners and moaners.

Progressive means "broke." Morally, ethically, and fiscally.

And yes, please do move to Boulder. You'll find that bus service oh so wonderful while you're being bled dry by the costs of living there.


Every free lunch is paid for by somebody

[mollygee]

Originally Posted by Bob from down south

I detect the aroma of sour grapes once again, here in this long-dead thread resurrected by public-assistance loving whiners and moaners.

Progressive means "broke." Morally, ethically, and fiscally.

And yes, please do move to Boulder. You'll find that bus service oh so wonderful while you're being bled dry by the costs of living there.


Every free lunch is paid for by somebody

Hey, Bob do you ever think of anyone else; or are you a member or would be member of Colorado Springs City government? I think your remarks are very rude and crass. Whiners and fee-loaders? Please. This city is moving backwards; not forward and it is your closed-minded thinking that is putting us there.

Molly

[Postal]

Originally Posted by mollygee

Hey, Bob do you ever think of anyone else; or are you a member or would be member of Colorado Springs City government? I think your remarks are very rude and crass. Whiners and fee-loaders? Please. This city is moving backwards; not forward and it is your closed-minded thinking that is putting us there.

Molly

The problem is being forced to provide for people who won't put forth any effort to improve their ability to provide for themselves. A continual free lunch gives no incentive or encouragement to those people to be more self-reliant.

When I give to that type of charity (one that provides for the poor or hungry) I ensure that the charity provides assistance in a manner where the people being provided for are encouraged/required to work, learn, or otherwise improve themselves so that they the aid is short-term and they are able to support themselves in the future.

If everyone had integrity and morals, it wouldn't be a problem. But as we've seen many times, many people are perfectly happy to live off the government and do nothing for themselves.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Postal

The problem is being forced to provide for people who won't put forth any effort to improve their ability to provide for themselves.

Come on now. Blanket statements that bus riders are whiners or leeches who won't make ANY effort on their own behalf are not worthy of us. Such remarks do not reflect long standing, widely held worldwide standards that transit systems are a basic and essential city service, from Bombay to Tokyo to Berlin to Moscow to NYC and to Colorado's Front Range. IMO, Bob's remarks are held by an extreme minority of people and should be dismissed from serious consideration.

People who get around in wheelchairs and need a bus to get to work are making a HUGE effort to improve their lot in life and be contributing members in our society. Same for anyone else, especially the young ones who can't afford a car yet take a bus to get to entry level jobs at this point in their working lives. All of these people deserve the same respect we reserve for ourselves, and our city owes them a reasonable measure of city services, such as bus service.

[Postal]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

People who get around in wheelchairs and need a bus to get to work are making a HUGE effort to improve their lot in life and be contributing members in our society. Same for anyone else, especially the young ones who can't afford a car yet take a bus to get to entry level jobs at this point in their working lives. All of these people deserve the same respect we reserve for ourselves, and our city owes them a reasonable measure of city services, such as bus service.

Like I've said many times before, I'm not against bus service. I think the conversation is becoming very polarized with people merely a few feet on either side of the center line presenting their arguments as if they were miles away from each other. I have no problem with people who are trying to get ahead in life. Our country is founded on the principle of taking the opportunities presented to you and making the best you can from them. Unfortunately (for me, I guess) I have experiences with too many of the people who are simply trying to leech from society. The events I've witnessed in my life in relation to government welfare, housing projects, disaster relief, public assistance, etc. have really soured my generosity. I want solid assurances that any assistance will be used to help people help themselves.

Again, in this situation, my beef is with the city government spending money on discretionary items before all the non-discretionary obligations were fulfilled. It just seems as if some in here want to continue bleeding the taxpayers dry to pay for the mistakes of a wayward city government. If that's not the case, I'll digress.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Postal

...my beef is with the city government spending money on discretionary items before all the non-discretionary obligations were fulfilled....

Agree fully. Join me in voting the guilty bums out of office.

[Postal]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Agree fully. Join me in voting the guilty bums out of office.

I would if I could. I live in Falcon, though. I may be able to sometime in the future, if the folks out here don't incorporate into their own city soon enough.

[mollygee]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Come on now. Blanket statements that bus riders are whiners or leeches who won't make ANY effort on their own behalf are not worthy of us. Such remarks do not reflect long standing, widely held worldwide standards that transit systems are a basic and essential city service, from Bombay to Tokyo to Berlin to Moscow to NYC and to Colorado's Front Range. IMO, Bob's remarks are held by an extreme minority of people and should be dismissed from serious consideration.

People who get around in wheelchairs and need a bus to get to work are making a HUGE effort to improve their lot in life and be contributing members in our society. Same for anyone else, especially the young ones who can't afford a car yet take a bus to get to entry level jobs at this point in their working lives. All of these people deserve the same respect we reserve for ourselves, and our city owes them a reasonable measure of city services, such as bus service.

Someone forward this to our city council. I am hoping that Denver will continue FREX; it would have been great if FREX could have been expanded to week-ends and the route included Pueblo to Broomfield.

The connection to Downtown Denver was great; you could go just about anywhere from there. The connections to light rail expanded our horizons.I still can't believe the council just cuts off services on a whim. What are they thinking?

Maybe, the council should just hang a sign at the city limits, "closed for lack of interest."

Dream on, Molly