The Gasoline Conundrum

For every one of these stories...

When does the price of gasoline get so painful that drivers park their cars and look for the nearest bus stop or rail station? Many in North Texas say that time has arrived. And a new study of driver attitudes – plus increasingly crowded buses, trains and station parking lots – suggests they may be right.

There is one of these...

High gas prices are pushing more people onto buses and subways, straining transit agencies trying to meet the demand.

Like other consumers, the agencies are also paying more for fuel — 44% more this year than last, according to a survey of 96 transit agencies to be released Friday by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).That double hit means bus and train operators are raising fares, cutting services and delaying improvements. Almost half of bus operators and more than two-thirds of rail operators have increased fares. About a fifth are cutting service.

These aren't choices we should have to make and its unfortunate that our the majority of our transportation system is tied up in oil. It'll be interesting to see how resources shift as prices go up. Will fund transit with higher fares as some have already started to or will it come out of a budget for new roads. The paradigms are shifting, but perhaps not that much.

For the future, when the grid starts to get changed into alternative energy like solar, part of the capital program for smaller cities might include provisions for electrification of heavier ridership bus lines. Now that oil and diesel prices are so high, it's possible to pay off some of the capital cost over time of this incremental improvement. Since this would include some smaller cities, it would be a great opportunity to include more areas into capital funding programs. It certainly would make more lawmakers happy that they are serving their constituents and make available funding from a carbon economy.

No Transportation Blogs at the Democratic Convention

Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed when I got the email today saying that TOW would not be blogging from the democratic national convention. We made it past the first round and I was looking forward to being able to get questions from you all to ask party leaders and get some answers on transportation issues.

Alas it wasn't to be. So we'll have to get some info from other transportation blogs that will be... oh wait. There aren't any transportation blogs credentialed at the convention. However there is a Silver Lining. I imagine David Roberts and Crew at Gristmill will cover some of these issues. So we'll be living vicariously through them during the convention. Congrats guys, and ask some good questions!

Update: We'll also be living vicariously through Robert who writes at CAHSR and Calitics. :)

Denver Bill Could Allow Public Bonds and Joint Development

The Denver Transit Stop has a post up alerting folks to a new bill passed by a house committee in the Colorado legislature that would allow the Regional Transit District to sell tax exempt bonds and loan the money to contractors building PPPs.

Another twist is that the bill would allow the private entities to use the money to develop at the stations. I'm not sure if this includes eminent domain but it does allow joint development which would be a way to offset some of the costs of the overall project.

The bill language states:

...political subdivision may, in connection with a mass transportation system project financed by private activity or exempt facility bonds issued by the district, lend or grant money or any other form of real, personal, or mixed property directly to a private business developing or operating the project or indirectly to such a private business through the district and may enter into contracts to make such loans and grants, all upon terms and conditions the district or private business and the state, state agency, county, municipality, (etc)...

Very interesting.

Worried About Aesthetics?

Now this is a doozy. The University of Minnesota continued its obstructionism today by being the lone no vote on the alignment decision. After being given an extra week and much deference, they continued to play the opposition. However it seems that its possible that it could be something other than the well being of students or worries about damaging medical equipment.

Hausman described the U's continued opposition as the "ultimate in carelessness and possibly arrogance." She went on to say the U might face ramifications at the Capitol when seeking funding from lawmakers in the future. "The sense of many is the U is simply accustomed to getting their own way," she said.

She related a conversation with University President Robert Bruininks in which he expressed concerns about the "aesthetics" of the light rail line through campus.

"It's an insult to Minneapolis and St. Paul to assume only the university cares about aesthetics," Hausman said.

Wow. After all that and even now hiring a $500,000 a year lobbyist I hope they come up with a better reason than aesthetics to oppose it. I can kind of understand the sensitive equipment argument, but I think its grasping at straws since they haven't really given anything specific. The Portland Aerial Tram had to be cantilevered off of the cliff side because of the sensitive microsurgeries that take place at OHSU.

But then again, Houston's light rail runs straight through the largest medical center in the world. And I'm sure subways in Boston and New York as well as transit around the world runs by similarly sensitive equipment. In Oakland people and heavy buses drive about 40 feet away from the MRI machine located in a trailer. In any event, it seems like blatant obstructionism. But it also seems like its about to come to an end.

A Bad Day in Rail Transit

Update 10:28pm PT: Unfortunate news, the Green Line Operator Injured in the accident has died. My thoughts are with the family.

I'm not gonna sugar coat the day today, it was just bad all around. First there was a horrific crash of two Green Line Streetcars in Boston. Switchback has the coverage along with the AP.

A two-car train slammed into the back of another two-car train approaching Woodland Station, said Pesaturo, adding that the trains were probably packed with commuters. "The first one was stopped at a red signal and was ready to proceed to the station when it was struck," he said.

In Chicago, an EL train derailed due to operator error, injuring passengers.

In Chicago, authorities said a train operator apparently made two key errors in quick succession to cause a derailment that left passengers perched more than 20 feet above the ground and sent several to hospitals. The operator failed to heed a red signal ordering him to stop, Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said. After the four-car train went through the signal, it automatically activated a trip, which stopped the train.

But the operator moved the train forward again at a spot where the tracks split before they were switched into proper position, causing the rear end of the front car and the second car to derail but remain standing, with the other two cars still on the tracks, Gaffney said.

And lastly, in Mississippi, an Amtrak train hit a garbage truck causing serious injuries to some passengers. This all points to the importance of safety in operations as well as from bystanders along the tracks. It was a scary day. Hopefully no one has been seriously injured.

Mayor Funk Releases KC Transit Plan

After looking at the map, I'm very underwhelmed. It might be because I'm not from the region and don't quite have a handle on the topography or geography but it seems to be overly serving of regional car commuters at the expense of the core. At first glance it reminds me a bit of San Jose.

Much of the express bus mileage seems to be on freeways which won't affect or change development paradigms in the region and the light rail seems cut short. I don't quite understand the streetcar either. Is it supposed to be a loop? Is it only a feeder? Where is the central city circulation? The commuter rail looks good though, connecting what looks like a few job centers from the road patterns. I'm sure KC Light Rail will have more. But for the moment, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me from an outsiders perspective. Anyone else have some insight on this one?

WiFi on the Thalys

Awesome. Transport Information has the scoop:

Thalys, the train service operated by both the French national railway company SNCF and the Belgium national railway company SNCB inaugurated May 14, 2008 its new on-board service: Wi-Fi internet is now available while running at 320 kph between Paris, Brussels, Köln, and Amsterdam. At the same time, Thalys inaugurated the portal associated to the Wi-Fi access: Thalysnet.

Man what I wouldn't give for some sweet WiFi on a 2 hour train to Bakersfield for Thanksgiving.

Obama Video: Learn From Portland

Yup. H/T Carfree USA

Transit Space Race 202: Who's On Top?

Every once in a while we have to review where the TSR is going. Today let's take a short look at the leader board. Previous TSR update for the whole race can be found here. Keep in mind legacy cities are expanding transit as well, but the cities in the TSR are those which have pushed off transit until recently and are trying to bring it back.

The leaders are far ahead of the other cities, many of which are either just building as funds come available or still in the initial stage of denial. That doesn't mean there's not time to catch up, but these leading cities are still the reason I started covering the space race. Because they were accelerating expansion far beyond the line at a time doctrine and capturing the hope that things can change and people are ready for it.

Denver - Fastracks is still the granddaddy of expansion. The West Corridor has begun construction and the 119 new miles of rail are expected to be completed by 2016. That seems so soon, so awesomely soon in fact that folks are starting to look at the next round of possibilities.

Houston - While not as publicized as much as the Fastracks expansion, the Metro Solutions expansion was actually voted on before Fastracks. However it wasn't seen as such a big deal until it was looked at in the context of all these other expansions. It's more of a central city circulation system but works with existing HOV bus lanes to allow people in the dense core of Houston to get around. I wonder what the weighted Density is inside the loop. AC?

Salt Lake City - Fast on the heels of Denver and Houston, Salt Lake City passed a sales tax measure to expand on the initial success of their first line, which opened in 1999. The expansion is called Front Lines and will build 70 miles worth of rail in 7 years.

Minneapolis - While there isn't a plan in place for expansion like the other cities, there are lines that will get the money when it comes. The DFL party in Minnesota passed a sales tax expansion for capital transit expansion and overrode a veto by vice presidential hopeful Gov. Pawlenty. This doesn't include a possible center city streetcar network under discussion.

These four cities are in the fast lane. Other cities are building network expansions but at a slower pace. Charlotte passed a half cent sales tax in 1998 but is expanding their 5 line system slowly. There are considerations for further tax increases for expansion in other cities as well including Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas and Sacramento among others. We will be watching as gas prices goes up and the call for expansion increases. It wouldn't hurt either to have a more friendly administration in the White House.

Oh, and let's not forget the godfather, Portland. 4 lines and a streetcar exist. Two lines are under construction while three other lines are in waiting with a center city streetcar network looking more likely. They are still the leaders and set the standard but the next generation is gaining.

Transit Space Race Update: Dallas

Gas prices up, the Space Race is hopping. An editorial in the Dallas Morning News is pushing local leaders to get on the ball. Recently they've been discussing in addition to the light rail network a feeder commuter rail network from the outer reaches of the Metroplex. Every city in the United States is dragging their feet yet cities like Dallas and Portland keep building line by line. This would be a valuable addition to the network and when combined with Fort Worth's planned rail lines, light and commuter, it will form a fairly comprehensive network.

The last time we talked about Dallas in the Space Race was in Feb of 07. Since then there have been some potholes and push back from the Texas legislature and the business community. After these spikes, this might change. The Green Line has started construction but cost estimates on the Orange Line to DFW airport got a little out of control. Inflation is a problem for all construction projects, not just rail. But this points to a larger problem which has been discussed recently in our spending on infrastructure. It might cost a lot to build this project, but its going to cost a whole heck of a lot more later. We'll see how this all pans out but Dallas looks to be in a good position going into the oil price spike.