Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A lot of it has to do with the local culture. Some cities have a strong pedestrian shame factor, where walking in general is looked down upon, while others do not. In New York City, walking 8 blocks is a piece of cake. In Dallas, even 3 blocks is pushing it. Meaning in terms of people judging you, not your physical ability.
But they want a big city train. Got it.
You're the ones blanching at this. DC has the second highest ridership in the country.
I voted for heavy rail. I used to think that light rail was a good idea. But having ridden it in a half dozen cities, I now think it's the dumbest idea ever devised. They spend a massive amount of money on it, and it so painfully slow. I don't know how anybody can even bare to ride it. When my car was out of service in San Jose, I had the choice of taking a rapid bus, that ran every 5 minutes and made a straight line across town, or ride a light rail train that was slower then the bus, ran every 30 minutes, and zigzagged all over town before getting me where I was going. The worst parts are where it runs in the middle of the freeway. The train gets up to about 35 mph, then immediately slows down and stops, then it gets back up to 35 mph and slows down and stops again. The average speed is probably 15 or 20 mph, and the whole time you have to look out the window and see the cars in the next lane whipping past the train at 80 mph. It literally makes you want to cry.
I actually like trains, but most of the rail we have in this country is a complete waste of money.
They can't walk 1500 feet? That's less than two NYC avenue blocks. That's the 267 median well into that Reston shopping center, hotel/office/retail whatever.
You mean 1,500 feet extra, not total, right? Either way that's not a problem for me. On my typical daily commute by public transit I walk about 1/2 mile each way just to get to my first stop. Taking public transportation means that you walk a lot unless you do the park and ride thing and are lucky enough to have your job very close to your destination station. Older people or those with disabilities might want to take a bus depending on how much walking they have to do after that.
A train in the middle of a freeway will likely never be ideal for riders. Because of the walk distance, because of the walk unpleasantness, because of the loud environment on the platform. It may be the most economical, but it won't be the best experience. Riding down a freeway is fine. It's using the stations that is unpleasant, but as I said earlier I have gotten more used to it than I would have imagined.
But the fact that it won't be ideal for a rider experience standpoint doesn't mean that it can't be done. And if done well then the rider experience may not suffer too much. For example I think that DC's WMATA has done a MUCH better job with their freeway stations than LA. They look like they would be a much better experience for riders, but I've never used one so I can't be sure.
You mean 1,500 feet extra, not total, right? Either way that's not a problem for me. On my typical daily commute by public transit I walk about 1/2 mile each way just to get to my first stop. Taking public transportation means that you walk a lot unless you do the park and ride thing and are lucky enough to have your job very close to your destination station. Older people or those with disabilities might want to take a bus depending on how much walking they have to do after that.
A train in the middle of a freeway will likely never be ideal for riders. Because of the walk distance, because of the walk unpleasantness, because of the loud environment on the platform. It may be the most economical, but it won't be the best experience. Riding down a freeway is fine. It's using the stations that is unpleasant, but as I said earlier I have gotten more used to it than I would have imagined.
But the fact that it won't be ideal for a rider experience standpoint doesn't mean that it can't be done. And if done well then the rider experience may not suffer too much. For example I think that DC's WMATA has done a MUCH better job with their freeway stations than LA. They look like they would be a much better experience for riders, but I've never used one so I can't be sure.
So you urbanists will veer off the 267 median, cantilever or tunnel under the road, and stop inside somebody's private shopping center and office complex just because it's one of the first of such kinds on the strip, and then tunnel back under the road and back onto the median to the airport. Lose sight of the ball much?
How about those properties on the other side of 267? Any love for them?
How many people do you think Uber to Clarendon Market Commons? Probably more than a few.
So you urbanists will veer off the 267 median, cantilever or tunnel under the road, and stop inside somebody's private shopping center and office complex just because it's one of the first of such kinds on the strip, and then tunnel back under the road and back onto the median to the airport. Lose sight of the ball much?
You say something, that's frankly silly, as if that's what I suggested and then argue against it. That's called a straw man and it's a type of logical fallacy.
You say something, that's frankly silly, as if that's what I suggested and then argue against it. That's called a straw man and it's a type of logical fallacy.
Did you even read what I wrote?
Tell us, then, what is your proposal for serving the 267 corridor in the vicinity of Reston Town Center. Or for serving anything in the 267 corridor.
Or the corridor through, say, Walnut Creek?
What exactly do you think these things are for outside of Midtown Manhattan?
The questions are clear enough, 2Easy. Choose one of them and run with it. DC has the second highest ridership in the country, so what do you think they find objectionable about walking 1500' in either direction from a station to the inside boundary of a neighborhood?
"Huh?" —the progressive left
"What is your point?" —the progressive left
The questions are clear enough, 2Easy. Choose one of them and run with it. DC has the second highest ridership in the country, so what do you think they find objectionable about walking 1500' in either direction from a station to the inside boundary of a neighborhood?
"What is your point?" —the progressive left
The questions were whether or not I had any proposals for lines already built or under construction. Of course I don't. Why would I? And I already posted that the Silver Line extension appears to be better than most.
Maybe these are what's best for those specific areas and I never said otherwise. My point is that they will never be the best rider experience, but I understand that money is not unlimited and that lines down freeways can sometimes make sense. But because these make sense doesn't at all mean that it makes sense to concentrate on building all new lines down freeways. I think that it usually will not make sense and that's probably why they are usually built in other places. Even outside of midtown Manhattan.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
