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Slightly off topic as this is specific to the DIA line extension, but, if anyone is interested, there will be two public gatherings this week, one tomorrow and one on Saturday:
People take rail in/out of Lone Tree? Of course they do, it is the end of the line. How many people drive from Castle Rock and take light rail from there? Why not have a tiered fare system? Oh, you avoided that question.
RTD cannot run trains into areas not taxed? Explain how they think they would get the north line into Longmont without going through unincorporated Weld County? What are they going to do, levitate?
The 225 extension made sense, IF YOU LIVE IN AURORA OR DENVER. The West and Gold lines make sense if you live in Golden. The DIA line makes sense if you live downtown or live on light rail already.
None of those make sense if you live in the north metro. Why should someone in Boulder be taxed to to pay for light rail expansion throughout the metro area when ALL of it serves the areas south of I-70, with the exception of five miles of heavy rail so hidden that even people who live in Westminster don't know where it will be?
They are going to put racks for two bicycles on the BRT buses. After that, the bikes must be brought ONTO the buses. If RTD wants MORE people to ride transit, wouldn't you want MORE bike capacity than the current buses? Clearly RTD doesn't care to move more people, because the BRT fiasco won't do it. There will be no more carrying capacity on the BRT than there currently is with the regional buses, and the total trip times will be the same. Why bother? The only reason the BRT concept even exists is to try to placate the voters in Boulder and Broomfield by providing something new and shiny in place of the trains they voted for and have been paying for, for over a decade now.
The buses being considered also cannot be driven in snow. H-E-L-L-O? It snows in Boulder. H-E-L-L-O? Have you ever seen US36 during a snowstorm?
If put to a vote right now, do you think the residents of Boulder/Broomfield would vote to be part of RTD? I guarantee the answer is no.
The "statewide transportation tax" will go down in flames. The north metro won't give RTD another dime, the south metro ALREADY HAS all the transportation infrastructure they need, and then some, so why vote to increase their taxes? And do you really think someone in Grand Junction or Co. Springs is going to vote for a tax that sends 80% of their money to the Denver area, and 30% of the money to RTD?
There is already a tiered fare system and there are more charges for parking your car if registered out of district. You should know that if you live here.
I never said that RTD was going to run a rail line, through Weld County, to Longmont--it is just a thought of early discussions. If and when those issues are addressed, governments and entities have interagency agreements that solve those problems. However, you are not at that level to discuss or understand those issues.
I have no time to defend or discuss every issues with someone with your lack of maturity and intelligence as shown in your posts. Therefore my discussion with you is at at a end and I will ignore your rants. You can express your opinions all you want and yell at wall, I will just continue and help make everything work.
There is already a tiered fare system and there are more charges for parking your car if registered out of district. You should know that if you live here.
I never said that RTD was going to run a rail line, through Weld County, to Longmont--it is just a thought of early discussions. If and when those issues are addressed, governments and entities have interagency agreements that solve those problems. However, you are not at that level to discuss or understand those issues.
I have no time to defend or discuss every issues with someone with your lack of maturity and intelligence as shown in your posts. Therefore my discussion with you is at at a end and I will ignore your rants. You can express your opinions all you want and yell at wall, I will just continue and help make everything work.
Livecontent
I don't ride RTD. I would like to, but why would I? Buses take longer, are more inconvenient, and are more expensive than driving!
I have commuted via train in several cities - that is the mode of transit that actually works. Too bad RTD is so screwed up that 1/3 of the population will never find that out.
Keep on making "everything work". LMAO. You are certainly aware that RTD is the laughing stock of transit systems around the country.
Well, that would probably fall into the category of "cutting off your nose to spite your face". Lots of people up here like public transit. Ridership, especially in Boulder, is high. Lots of people commute into Boulder on the bus, also out to Denver. Many businesses give their employees an Eco-Pass. DH has one. But. . . when Fastracks was voted in, we were promised rail, and it sounded like it would be soon. Louisville for one went ecstatic with the idea of having a train station downtown. They started development plans. Then RTD ran out of money. "It was the recession, it was this, it was that; you'll get your train in 30 years", blah, blah. They wisely decided not to put a tax increase on the ballot last fall. Now they think they're going to put a state-wide proposal on next fall? conniesz got that right.
I wasn't suggesting that Boulder County should get rid of public transit. Only that residents should vote themselves out of RTD, and Fastracks. Boulder County isn't getting anything out of Fastracks anyway. Boulder County voters could then approve a county transit tax to fund bus service in Boulder County which could connect with the Denver Metro rail system. Which is all that Boulder County residents are going to get anyway if they stay in RTD. Bus service connecting to rail. Of course with out Boulder County sales tax revenue, RTD would be in even worse financial condition, then it is now. But that shouldn't be the problem of Boulder County.
The problem I see it, is that RTD is too damn big. You can't expect a bunch of bureaucrats in Denver to have the best interests of Boulder County residents at heart. They will do just what they are doing, and grab all the money for themselves.
Here in California, that problem doesn't exist. Each county here operates their own transit systems to provide bus and light rail service to their own residents. The commuter rail and heavy rail operations (BART, CalTrain and others) are jointly operated by the counties they serve. This allows each county to control their own service without outside interference. Bureaucrats in San Francisco don't decide if San Jose gets bus or rail service. Those decisions are made locally. If a county provides funding for commuter rail, they get service. If they don't provide funding, they don't get service. That simple. Residents don't have to pay for a rail line, if it doesn't serve their county.
RTD has already proven they don't give a rat about the RTD taxing boundaries. They run light rail to Douglas County, and they aren't even in the RTD district.
That is incorrect. The portions of Douglas County served by RTD are a part of the district. RTD by law is prohibited from providing service out the district.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coloradoalimony
They'll run it right through Weld to get to Longmont.
That is not going to happen. Look at the map below. Plans are to curve the line west over to the other side of I-25 to keep it in side the district. But even that is not likely to happen. Because RTD doesn't like to have out of district riders. Thats why they screw them on the parking charges.
The North Metro line would actually be the best line to serve Longmont. But that will not happen, because RTD doesn't want to have Weld County residents riding it. So instead Longmont residents will have to be served by a much more indirect longer route through Boulder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coloradoalimony
Boulder and Broomfield counties need to drop out of RTD. RTD just continues to suck money from those people and send it to the south metro.
There's another explanation from what you hear about the BroncosRide, which I'm assuming was the press release by RTD that they wouldn't provide BroncosRide service from Federal Center station on weeknight games: it's RTD's subtle way of closing down the western BroncosRide route and getting people to take the train. Just like there are no BroncosRide stops along the SE or SW lines, RTD is trying to do the same along the W Line.
That is another issue (actually a non-issue). This is what I'm talking about. This was not been a problem in the past. In the past, RTD could always get enough busses to get fans to the game in time for kick-off.
"The Denver Broncos play the Baltimore Ravens beginning at 6:30 p.m. Normally, RTD's BroncosRide bus service starts service to Sports Authority Field at Mile High two hours before kick-off. But that would cause a problem with RTD's regular rush-hour service, so the BroncosRide buses won't begin running until 90 minutes before kick-off.
RTD said in announcing the change: "RTD cannot guarantee arrival by kick-off and urges fans to leave early for the game and asks for patience while we work to get fans to the game as quickly and safely as possible." RTD also is encouraging football fans to use its light-rail service to get to the game."
I wasn't suggesting that Boulder County should get rid of public transit. Only that residents should vote themselves out of RTD, and Fastracks. Boulder County isn't getting anything out of Fastracks anyway. Boulder County voters could then approve a county transit tax to fund bus service in Boulder County which could connect with the Denver Metro rail system. Which is all that Boulder County residents are going to get anyway if they stay in RTD. Bus service connecting to rail. Of course with out Boulder County sales tax revenue, RTD would be in even worse financial condition, then it is now. But that shouldn't be the problem of Boulder County.
The problem I see it, is that RTD is too damn big. You can't expect a bunch of bureaucrats in Denver to have the best interests of Boulder County residents at heart. They will do just what they are doing, and grab all the money for themselves.
Here in California, that problem doesn't exist. Each county here operates their own transit systems to provide bus and light rail service to their own residents. The commuter rail and heavy rail operations (BART, CalTrain and others) are jointly operated by the counties they serve. This allows each county to control their own service without outside interference. Bureaucrats in San Francisco don't decide if San Jose gets bus or rail service. Those decisions are made locally. If a county provides funding for commuter rail, they get service. If they don't provide funding, they don't get service. That simple. Residents don't have to pay for a rail line, if it doesn't serve their county.
I think that is the way Colorado should go.
Somehow, I don't think a separate bus system would allow Boulder County, and especially Boulder, to provide the level of services they do now. I seriously doubt they'd be able to build a rail system.
I don't ride RTD. I would like to, but why would I? Buses take longer, are more inconvenient, and are more expensive than driving!
I have commuted via train in several cities - that is the mode of transit that actually works. Too bad RTD is so screwed up that 1/3 of the population will never find that out.
Keep on making "everything work". LMAO. You are certainly aware that RTD is the laughing stock of transit systems around the country.
Yes, RTD has a slick PR machine, reflected in those articles.
Talk to anyone in the public transport industry about RTD's rep. I have several relatives that have worked light rail in six different systems, from system planners, to engineers, down to maintenance. They all love the Denver area, and I have asked them why they don't move here. They just roll their eyes and say "RTD, are you kidding?"
Even without the employee level view, look at the public perception, IN DENVER, and in the rest of the state. RTD is seen as an inept, useless waste of tax dollars, even by the people who ride it regularly.
On what planet should a transportation district that completely ignores and underserves over 40% of its area be considered "good"? A district that completely exhausts its bonding capacity without even completing 10% of one of its keystone projects? A district that is now in dire financial straits, and which is desperately seeking a taxpayer bailout, which it knows will never pass? RTD is at the point that even their stupid and useless BRT system cannot be built without a tax increase. What exactly are they going to do when their stealth effort to be included in a "statewide transportation tax" causes the tax to be voted down?
Even without the employee level view, look at the public perception, IN DENVER, and in the rest of the state. RTD is seen as an inept, useless waste of tax dollars, even by the people who ride it regularly.
Look at slide 8 for favorability and slide 12 for QOS. This isn't some PR spin it's what a third party research firm found when polling, and it also has a few bad statistics in there as you go through the slides.
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