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lol I hear ya- all I'll say about this is that just because someone else hasn't done something doesn't mean it's not worth trying.
Well everyone is making this idea out to be the one thing that could transform Rochester in to The Next Big Thing, or a city comparable to somewhere like Portland or Denver but on a smaller scare, so I'm just confused as to why nobody has actually set the idea in motion. I mean, how could a few average Joes on the internet have this kind of foresight but someone with a few hundred million dollars to spare on some train system can't? It wouldn't be because the people with the money know it's a foolish idea, would it?
Well everyone is making this idea out to be the one thing that could transform Rochester in to The Next Big Thing, or a city comparable to somewhere like Portland or Denver but on a smaller scare, so I'm just confused as to why nobody has actually set the idea in motion. I mean, how could a few average Joes on the internet have this kind of foresight but someone with a few hundred million dollars to spare on some train system can't? It wouldn't be because the people with the money know it's a foolish idea, would it?
LOL, average joes , i'm a Rail Fanner and a Future City Planner. Rochester could be the next Jersey City in terms of Urban Renewal and up lifting. All of Jersey City's new & Biggest growth is along the new Light Rail corridor. Unfortnatly this country and your state tend to push out private Railway operators , alot of Foreign Countries want to build railway in the US, but are Gov makes that very hard for some reason. Once you guys get one line , then the whole city will want a line in each neighborhood. Thats what happened in the NJ Gold Coast and in 10 years 80% of the NJ Gold Coast will be less then a mile form a stop. The other problem is this country is that people complain and whine too much , they don't want this or that , or you can't build and my neighborhood. Unfortnatly those people will have to be forced to deal will it , or cities like Rochester will continue to slump in growth and become a stale city. The Empire High Speed Line would be a great boast but , i think Rochester needs at least 1 Light Rail line before that happens.
So, I'll ask again, since it's such a brilliant idea and apparently the one thing to make this city great again, why hasn't it happened? Are you telling me the city/county/state government have had the opportunity to build a light rail system to save Rochester but have refused due to bureaucratic nonsense at the expense of this citys future? As back asswards as our municipal and state governments are, I find this highly unlikely.
Oh, and as an aside, your comparison to Jersey City is a far fetched on yet again. You're comparing a city that's a stones throw away from NYC to a city whose closest asset is an extremely polluted lake. Jersey City had a reason to grow, that being NYC, while Rochester does not. We bring nothing to the table other than a few large corporations and a few other points of minor historical significance that mean very, very little in the big picture of a citys potential of growth. People aren't going to flock to Rochester because it has some gadget of a rail system.
If this idea were so grand, I'm pretty sure RTS would have been all over it. I mean, if a light rail is soooo much better than buses, then why haven't they added rail to their system?
People get off the Light Rail, and what do they do?
They start walking?
People wouldn't even walk upstairs from the stinkin' Midtown Plaza underground garage. And that was indoors.
And walking to where? Where is there a cluster of attractions close enough and rich enough for anyone to go to?
In my neighborhood people park their pickup trucks across the liquor store's door because the parking spaces are too far to walk from. Besides, those spaces are for other people.
Rochester just comes up with one daffy idea after another. Here: Another Renaissance Square. Here: Another Fast Ferry. Here: Another Irondequoit Mall.
If your average fat American doesn't want to go to the Eastman for a concert or to Paolo's for a burrito, is standing out in the cold waiting for a streetcar going to make him want to do it?
People get off the Light Rail, and what do they do?
They start walking?
People wouldn't even walk upstairs from the stinkin' Midtown Plaza underground garage. And that was indoors.
And walking to where? Where is there a cluster of attractions close enough and rich enough for anyone to go to?
In my neighborhood people park their pickup trucks across the liquor store's door because the parking spaces are too far to walk from. Besides, those spaces are for other people.
Rochester just comes up with one daffy idea after another. Here: Another Renaissance Square. Here: Another Fast Ferry. Here: Another Irondequoit Mall.
If your average fat American doesn't want to go to the Eastman for a concert or to Paolo's for a burrito, is standing out in the cold waiting for a streetcar going to make him want to do it?
S
while I don't agree that there is a high enough population density for the light rail, there would be plenty to do if there were a light rail system. The east end has a cluster of about a couple dozen places. There could be stops by the war memorial or frontier field.... the beach... local colleges.... monroe ave to name a few. Attractions aren't the problem. The amount of people in the area are.
The politicians don't have such altruistic motivations and assuming that it is a bad idea because they haven't gone for it blatantly ignores the reality that money buys power. I am not a person to blindly trust nor am I too lazy to get involved myself. It speaks volumes to ignore the facts of why something works because you assume the politicians know more than you, and on top of that not even trying to find an answer for yourself. I can't even fathom it.
Anyways, I wanted to share a link to a Rochester streetcar facebook group that I am a part of.
Streetcar transit and it's many benefits will reclaim downtown and create smart growth like increased property values, increased business and foot traffic, and ultimately increasing the tax base by creating a viable and livable urban environment where there is a currently nothing.
I think a better idea would be zip cars... I agree nobody in Roc is going to wait around for a train- let alone WALK from a terminal to their final destination. We are a people who aren't that metropolitan. We like parking lots.
http://www.zipcar.com/
Last edited by hummah; 06-22-2010 at 09:27 PM..
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, i'm a Rail Fanner and a Future City Planner. Rochester could be the next Jersey City in terms of Urban Renewal and up lifting. All of Jersey City's new & Biggest growth is along the new Light Rail corridor. Unfortnatly this country and your state tend to push out private Railway operators , alot of Foreign Countries want to build railway in the US, but are Gov makes that very hard for some reason. Once you guys get one line , then the whole city will want a line in each neighborhood. Thats what happened in the NJ Gold Coast and in 10 years 80% of the NJ Gold Coast will be less then a mile form a stop. The other problem is this country is that people complain and whine too much , they don't want this or that , or you can't build and my neighborhood. Unfortnatly those people will have to be forced to deal will it , or cities like Rochester will continue to slump in growth and become a stale city. The Empire High Speed Line would be a great boast but , i think Rochester needs at least 1 Light Rail line before that happens.
