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I understand that light rail can help growth and not hinder it. That's obvious. However still to this point has anyone explained how the city of Rochester will benefit from any such system. I don't care how it worked in Denver or any other city. How would it work in Rochester?
This city is not geographically large or diverse enough to require a light rail. Rochester in itself is a tiny city. I work downtown, and on lunch I can walk from my building next to Manhattan Square Park on the southeast edge of downtown all the way to the Kodak headquarters and back within an hour. That's pretty much from one side of downtown to the other, all within an hour. Give me 4 hours and a nice summer evening and I could probably explore all of downtown on foot, and even more on a bicycle or skates. Why should I pay for some train ride when I can get exercise, fresh air, and do everything at my own pace all for free?
For the few people who do not have cars... who most likely aren't working anyway and just sucking the system dry through welfare... there's already a system in place... the bus.
are you serious with this? so anybody who doesn't drive is on welfare. You need to get out of the house more.
are you serious with this? so anybody who doesn't drive is on welfare. You need to get out of the house more.
I was thinking the same thing. You have to wonder ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by RowingMunkeyCU
For the few people who do not have cars... who most likely aren't working anyway and just sucking the system dry through welfare... there's already a system in place... the bus.
Oh, yeah, silly us - in every other city that has a light rail system this is a huge problem. Just droves of bums mugging grandmothers and using newspapers as blankets napping on the train. No one else uses them as transport. Ever.
Have you ever ridden a train?
My comment is relative to Rochester... not the rest of the US, Rochester is not NYC. I never said anything about bums mugging grandmothers, or anything to that effect. What I did say was that currently, the majority of the Rochester population that uses public transportation (excluding students) is on some sort of public assistance.
I have ridden on many trains (incl. subways). They are great when you have a high enough population density to make adequate use of it. Rochester (and the surrounding suburbs) are nowhere near dense enough to justify the enormous cost of building such a system... especially when you take into consideration the existing bus system providing adequate support for the few people who do make use of it.
I'll put it to you this way... I bet you can count on one hand the number of people you know that ride the bus regularly in Rochester and are not on public assistance.
I'll put it to you this way... I bet you can count on one hand the number of people you know that ride the bus regularly in Rochester and are not on public assistance.
I use it all the time to go downtown on weekend nights. Paying a buck for a bus ride is much better than finding parking and worrying about a DWI. I know several people who live in the city or inner ring suburbs who take the bus to work downtown. These aren't welfare people. They are engineers, IT people and a lawyer.
I'd like to point out that proponents of "light rail" may be limiting themselves to a narrow range of rail transit.
We should consider ALL forms of electric traction rail transit:
Heavy rail (mainline), high speed rail, interurban, streetcar, tram, funicular, cogwheel, cable, subway, commuter, as well as multicar segregated right of way light rail.
I use it all the time to go downtown on weekend nights. Paying a buck for a bus ride is much better than finding parking and worrying about a DWI. I know several people who live in the city or inner ring suburbs who take the bus to work downtown. These aren't welfare people. They are engineers, IT people and a lawyer.
I can count the amount of people I know that have used it once in their life on one hand. Everybody has a car, because you need one. Unless your in the right neighborhood, and you happen to have a job in the city, you must have a car.
I'd like to point out that proponents of "light rail" may be limiting themselves to a narrow range of rail transit.
We should consider ALL forms of electric traction rail transit:
Heavy rail (mainline), high speed rail, interurban, streetcar, tram, funicular, cogwheel, cable, subway, commuter, as well as multicar segregated right of way light rail.
Well lets exam your other ideas for Rochester's future, Heavy Rail won't work in Rochester , it doesn't have the big dense satilite suburbs to warrant that now.
A High Speed Line is planned for Rochester, its set to be completed by 2025 , but no date was given for initially construction. Interurban is an old type of Electric Train and isn't used much, anymore. Streetcars could work in Downtown , like for a loop route and spur growth. A Tram is the European way of saying Streetcar or Light Rail. Funicular are mean't for cities that have big hills and mountains, there mean't to connect cliff neighborhoods with the rest of the city , like in Pittsburgh. Cog wheel, that tech is ancient.......Cable cars are too expensive to put in and require alot of up-keep. A subway couldn't work in Rochester , not enough sprawl density , although a airport line could work. A separated ROW for a new light rail line could work , although in Downtown it should become a PED / Light Rail Mall.
What do ic will work best for Rochester, 2 East - west lines , and a North-South line through the heart of the City and outer suburbs, and a airport line form Downtown.
I can count the amount of people I know that have used it once in their life on one hand. Everybody has a car, because you need one. Unless your in the right neighborhood, and you happen to have a job in the city, you must have a car.
yea, these people have cars also, but they choose the bus for work... and I choose it to go downtown. I was simply making a reply to the person that assumed persons who ride the bus must be on welfare.
Location: Was in Western New York but now in Hilo Hawaii
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Ok with the overlooking at my point and the lack of a sense of humor I will reiterate my opinion here.
Until the city of Rochester and the County of Monroe decide to pay in its entirety for the "light Rail" or any other type of commuting system it will never happen. When the city/county ask for Fed funds to pay for the project and the Feds look into it they will find that Rochester has the shortest commute in the country. So why would they give so much money to a project that isn't needed. What they will suggest is to upgrade the bus system. Then the money will go to a city of larger size that is in need of a better commuting system. Until the city pays for it its self the discussion is wasted. JMHO
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