Comments on: The Desire Named Streetcar http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2009/11/09/the-desire-named-streetcar-2/ Since 2002, News, Technology and Pop Culture, 24 Hours a Day, Live and in Stereo. Editor of the PJ Lifestyle Website. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:48:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: aclay1 http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2009/11/09/the-desire-named-streetcar-2/#comment-11137 aclay1 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:28:59 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/?p=25226#comment-11137 San Francisco is so backwards it thinks that putting fewer parking spaces into new condo developments will ease congestion and force people on to public transportation. All it does is make it harder to find a parking space. San Francisco is so backwards it thinks that putting fewer parking spaces into new condo developments will ease congestion and force people on to public transportation. All it does is make it harder to find a parking space.

]]> By: John http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2009/11/09/the-desire-named-streetcar-2/#comment-11109 John Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:36:33 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/?p=25226#comment-11109 The Washington Orange line along the I-66 median is basically how modern rail has to be built, but at the same time, any rail system nowadays can't be successful if it's built with the idea that everyone wants to go downtown. You can find early NYC subway pictures of the end of the line in the early 20th Century looking like someplace 50 miles out in the country, so the development pre-WW II followed the rail lines. Now the development has grown along the Interstates into and the loops around the city, and in many cases, commercial business have built up on those loops so that people don't want to go downtown, they want to go from one outer area to another. That means the feeder roads also have been developed to get large amounts of people to and from those main highways, and that's where the stations (and the parking garages) have to be, and the lines have to link for transfers in places besides the central city hub. Mass transit systems that force you to go downtown and then back out again to get from one outer area development to another isn't going to have many takers. The Washington Orange line along the I-66 median is basically how modern rail has to be built, but at the same time, any rail system nowadays can’t be successful if it’s built with the idea that everyone wants to go downtown.

You can find early NYC subway pictures of the end of the line in the early 20th Century looking like someplace 50 miles out in the country, so the development pre-WW II followed the rail lines. Now the development has grown along the Interstates into and the loops around the city, and in many cases, commercial business have built up on those loops so that people don’t want to go downtown, they want to go from one outer area to another.

That means the feeder roads also have been developed to get large amounts of people to and from those main highways, and that’s where the stations (and the parking garages) have to be, and the lines have to link for transfers in places besides the central city hub. Mass transit systems that force you to go downtown and then back out again to get from one outer area development to another isn’t going to have many takers.

]]> By: Whitehall http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2009/11/09/the-desire-named-streetcar-2/#comment-11104 Whitehall Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:29:31 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/?p=25226#comment-11104 Here in Silicon Valley, we were sold a light rail system. No one rides it except the few who live in the low income apartments built near the stations. Worst, the whole mass transit system here (Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority) gets only 10 cents revenue for each dollar expenditure. Tha balance is from property taxes and other subsidies. So buy a ticket for a one way express fare of $4 and the the taxpayers are chipping in $36. Why not just call a cab? Here in Silicon Valley, we were sold a light rail system. No one rides it except the few who live in the low income apartments built near the stations.

Worst, the whole mass transit system here (Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority) gets only 10 cents revenue for each dollar expenditure. Tha balance is from property taxes and other subsidies.

So buy a ticket for a one way express fare of $4 and the the taxpayers are chipping in $36.

Why not just call a cab?

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