Future of the QLine Expansion? (Detroit, Ferndale: mover, credit, purchase)

[usermi]

What do you guys think is the future of the QLine? Have heard that they want to expand into Highland Park/Ferndale? then heard that maybe not the QLine, maybe a dedicated line for a bus? What do you guys think?

[Coldjensens]

I have not been on it in a while. but it seems to me it is too slow to be of use to anyone but tourists or other people who have all day to get someplace.

[usroute10]

Internet rumors are investors may put a short line on Jefferson Avenue to Belle Isle and Michigan Avenue to the Train Station, but no firm plans have been proposed

[craig11152]

If it can't have a dedicated lane it might as well be a bus. Buses are cheaper, more flexible and if they are clean and reliable I don't see why people wouldn't ride them instead. Unless as Coldjensens mentioned the real market is tourists

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by craig11152

If it can't have a dedicated lane it might as well be a bus. Buses are cheaper, more flexible and if they are clean and reliable I don't see why people wouldn't ride them instead. Unless as Coldjensens mentioned the real market is tourists

At least busses can change lanes if someone parks a car in front of them. Q line just has to wait.

[MS313]

I agree they need dedicated lanes and signal priority if they build any other type of rail, especially in the downtown area which is probably busier on the regular basis then it has ever been in my lifetime and traffic will probably only get worse in the downtown area in the coming years.

Ok, we finally got a new rail line built after decades of only the people mover. But NOW it's time to do it the right way from next time or rail transit in Detroit will never have a fair shot to actually work. When your trying to sell something new, you don't half ass it. Hopefully the new Governor administration gets behind us and grants us the funding we need.

[wanderer34]

As a transit buff, the People Mover which was constructed by Mayor Coleman Young was a good start for Detroit, as the People Mover was supposed to supplement a major heavy rail subway system around Detroit and the vicinity during the 1980s. Unfortunately, the suburban gov't's killed what would've been a pretty extensive system. Now, Mayor Duggan has constructed the QLine, which is one of the biggest wastes of taxpayer money because it doesn't connect to any suburbs as well as the blasted speed of the trains. It was a huge mistake constructing that line, as money should've been utilized to purchase new buses as well as spend more of that money on schools, police and fire, and paying off some of Detroit's debt. Mayor Duggan, for the most part has managed the city decently but building the QLine, that light rail needs to be called "Duggans Folly" because it doesn't fully address the need for a major mass transit system. Speaking of Detroit, check out this picture:If only that Detroit was possible for today than the current Detroit, who knows??? One can only imagine!!!

[Jerrywalker]

They aren’t going to take it to 8 Mile or beyond that because that would require them to either:

A) put a stop in Highland Park

Or

B) take extreme backlash for not putting a stop in Highland Park.

[Coldjensens]

Q line was the brain child of private enterprise, not Duggan. Neither credit nor blame can be assigned to Duggan for the Q line.

the entire concept is the problem. At at grade system is not workable here. At grade systems must travel at the speed limit and obey traffic signals etc. Even giving them priority at the lights (which is not always practical to do) helps only a little. they will still have the issues of cars turning left, gridlock, emergency vehicles and vehicles running the lights. they will still need to slow or stop to make certain the intersection is clear. A light is not a barricade and the risk is too high. If you want to see how often people run red lights in Downtown, go stand at the Michigan Ave/Griswald/ Lafayette intersection for half an hour. When a train with priority approaches the light will suddenly turn red, often out of its normal time pattern. This increases the likelihood of someone running a light.

Elevated or below grade systems are not so limited. They travel over or under intersections and so do not have to stop and do not get hit.

Also no one parks on elevated or below grade lines and it is rare anyone walks out onto the tracks. Now, I see a lot of vehicles parked on the tracks. Often it is emergency vehicles, or utility vehicles like lift trucks. In both cases, the train has to wait for them to move. It is becoming less common for idiots to park on the tracks illegally, but it still happens.

I was on a committee to study light rail options for a City I live in a while back. It was pretty clear from our investigations that at grade light rail is petty worthless. It is always considerably slower than driving. the group I worked with concluded that since elevated or below grade rail was not an option, the proposed system was impractical and we recommended the council not pursue it further. I think they went with dedicated bus lanes on some roads. This improved the bus schedule somewhat.

[craig11152]

I feel like an overhead system like the Chicago elevated would make sense. Especially since the People Mover already started the process.