Light rail may not be feasible in SA (San Antonio, Anton: taxi, buses)

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

Couldn't SA have a voter referendum like we had in Austin?
Why does it take twice as long to travel its length as a car would?

It doesn't matter,
because I guarantee that doesn't count the time people spend stuck in traffic once they are in downtown, finding a place to park and the $8-10 for parking.

[L3XVS]

San Antonio doesn't need lightrail, it would just be nice. But San Antonio has demonstrated time and time again that it wishes not to be particularly progressive, and that's fine. San Antonio's urban layout, it's road design system, and the lack of truly suburban cities I think would make the project a relative challenge.

Perhaps this can be used as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board, and come up with a more feasible solution to a genuine problem.

Sidenote: Gosh, I'm so happy to be out of this city. I'll be living in a place (Austin) that has toll roads and lightrail. Hallelujah!

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by L3XVS

San Antonio doesn't need lightrail, it would just be nice. But San Antonio has demonstrated time and time again that it wishes not to be particularly progressive, and that's fine.

Please, three examples. Just three within the last 10 years and the light rail vote can't be one. Please don't ignore this. Pretty please.

San Antonio's urban layout, it's road design system, and the lack of truly suburban cities I think would make the project a relative challenge

That's true however there are transit corridors that would work if LRT were placed on them. Not many but they're there.

Sidenote: Gosh, I'm so happy to be out of this city. I'll be living in a place (Austin) that has toll roads and lightrail. Hallelujah!

Toll roads are a good thing?

FYI, I think we're all happy you're gone.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by L3XVS

I'll be living in a place (Austin) that has toll roads and lightrail. Hallelujah!

Enjoy your toll road
make sure you keep track of how much you spend using it

[smis]

San Antonio voters rejected a light-rail plan 9 years ago!

Libertard activists blocked an earlier effort 16 years ago.

What has changed in San Antonio to enable this to happen now?

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

I think depending on the situation toll roads can be a good thing

for example, OUR SITUATION!!!!!!

I'm tired of arguing, so I'll just make one bottom line comment this time.

2 options: 1) build the 281 toll expressway with still FREE lanes on the outside, and build it NOW... or 2) wait another 15 years untill the funding finally becomes available and the traffic has significantly worsened to catastrophic levels

I'm sorry, but I'd rather go with option 1. It's going to be like 17cents a mile, and it's only like a couple miles long. Really, a soda at the gas station costs more than what you'll spend on one trip down that road.

And good job Austin and thank you for SH 130, that road is like godsend.
My (little) sister lives in Ft. Worth, and so our family travels up and down I-35 frequently, and now that the toll is open, we take it every time and it cuts as much as an hour (during rush hour) out of our trip, it's amazing.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by ChrisSA_wxatUIW

I think depending on the situation toll roads can be a good thing

for example, OUR SITUATION!!!!!!

I'll give you a reasonto get lightrail: One of San Antonio's largest industries is tourism.

By having light rail connecting downtown to the airport, UTSA/Six Flags, and Sea World, it would make San Antonio much more appealing to tourists...
because:
- They won't have to rent a car
- They won't have to worry about driving in a city they don't know and maybe getting in a wreck because they were looking for something
- They won't have to worry about parking or gasoline
- They won't have to worry about getting lost or getting their car stolen
- Tourists will feel safer, because it would be easier for San Antonio to provide that safety because most tourists will be in the lightrail or in the areas around the lightrail stations.

That's just a few reasons

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by smis

San Antonio voters rejected a light-rail plan 9 years ago!

Libertard activists blocked an earlier effort 16 years ago.

What has changed in San Antonio to enable this to happen now?

Well, SA has grown by nearly 400,000 people, many of whom come from places that have light rail and other mass transit options.

However, let me state something, light rail was not voted down because SA didn't want to grow or change or be progressive. It was voted down because it was a terrible plan. The lines made no sense then as they don't now.

I think the only thing that has cost us light rail as been the unwillingness until now by VIA to re-approach the idea of light rail. They got knock off their horses and decided not to get back on... until now.

[smis]

If VIA has a controlling interest in the rail system it certainly will ensure their cooperation. They wield an awful lot of power if memory serves.

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by lemonfresh

However, let me state something, light rail was not voted down because SA didn't want to grow or change or be progressive. It was voted down because it was a terrible plan. The lines made no sense then as they don't now.

Exactly!!!

VIA now has a chairman and some board members who seem to want to be more than just a bus company. In the past, VIA's approach has not been inclusive at all regarding mass transit decisions. Example: for the BRT system planned for Fredericksburg Road, they were deciding where to put stops in the Medical Center without even consulting the Hospitals. They were not going to even let the Hospitals run shuttles to VIA's Medical Center terminal. Now, with a new board, their attitude seems to have changed.

Regarding the progressiveness of San Antonio, I have three examples of how SA has decided to be more progressive: 1. The vote to use tax money for new cultural arts projects (Municipal Auditorium redo, etc.), 2. The (two!) votes to use tax money to buy land over the aquifer for preservation, 3. The mayor's Verde initiative, 4. The River North Master Plan, 5. All of the new lofts and activity in Southtown, 6... oh, wait, I was just going to list three. San Antonio still has a lot to do, but it has turned the corner in my opinion.