Tram Trains

This is something I'd like to see more thought on in the United States. The Tram Train:

Netherlands has been building a intercity light rail network for the past years, reusing previous sections of tram lines, metros and heavy rail and extending them with new sections of elevated rail and tunnels. The RandstadRail currently operates on the southern region of the “round city”, namely connecting the Hague to its suburbs and Rotterdam.

Check out the photos at the link. I think it's a great idea to have regional railways that turn more into light rail in city centers. This is what Austin would have had to a certain degree with the first light rail proposal in 2000. A light rail line with limited stops in the burbs with greater connectivity in the center city.

Unofficial Gas Tax

This is what you're paying for in other cities around the world:

Prepared by the Emirate’s Department of Transport, with assistance from Mott MacDonald and Steer Davis Gleave, the master plan aims to create a comprehensive public transport network connecting Abu Dhabi island and the international airport with the UAE’s planned new capital city. The main proposals include:

• 590 km of regional high speed railway linking Abu Dhabi with neighbouring emirates and countries;
• 130 km of metro lines linking key areas in Abu Dhabi, including the airport, the new capital city, Yas Island and the central business zone;
• 30 tram projects in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain totalling 340 km;
• highway improvements totalling 1 560 route-km;
• demand management measures to support the infrastructure, including parking management and possible congestion charges.

Your "tax" dollars at work. Why can't we keep it at home?

Local Commercial "Prescribing Public Transit"

"You need PT" I feel like we can do a lot better than this. If we need to change people's public opinion, this doesn't seem like the way to do it. I guess its a start.



I still like this commercial from Madrid much more... if you're trying to sell a lifestyle, this seems to be a better way.

Silver Lie Continues

People still aren't happy with the Silver Line BRT in Boston. They want the replacement for the rapid transit line they were promised.

“Why not invest in the light rail system as the community has been asking for 20 years,” said Robert Terrell, a member of the Washington Street Corridor Coalition, a group of organizations that have been fighting to replace a segment of the Orange Line that was removed in the 1980s.

Sound familiar San Francisco??? Oh yes. The Geary Subway that was promised after the B Geary line was ripped out is going to be a BRT line now as well. Will we ever learn?

Wee Hours Linkage

I'm kind of a night owl and its sometimes nice because the next days news comes out right before I go to bed. It's also bad because the next days news comes out right before I want to go to bed :)

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Apparently the TA really likes BRT on Geary. Whatever. After riding the bus on the HOV/BRT lane from LAX to Union Station I realized why the rubber tires just don't cut it. I couldn't read the news on my Iphone without getting seriously ill. I feel bad for the people who will have to ride that bouncefest in from the Richmond every morning. Sure it will be a faster bouncefest, but a bouncefest nonetheless.

The next sick part though, the completely ridiculous cost estimate of $5 billion dollars for surface subway. If it really does cost $100 million a mile and it's a ~6.5 mile line with ~2 miles of subway, why the hell would 2 miles cost $4+ billion dollars???!!! And why does it cost $100 million a mile on the surface? It's not like the T-Third with drawbridge retrofits. Someone at the TA is a little too close to those medical hash dispensaries. Plz to have new engineers!!!

I guess it really doesn't matter. The Richmond is never going to get a Metro, BART or otherwise. I'm sorry guys, you've been deemed second class citizens to the TA and Muni. Well maybe third class, because everyone who rides Muni is already second class.
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And we wonder why a ton of suburban roads get built?

The city of Charlotte has 75 percent of Mecklenburg's population, but only has 1 of 9 voting members on the MTC.

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I think we need new engineers in the bay area. All these cost estimates are insane. The airport connector is just another example of it. If there is one place I would like to see intelligent design, it's here. And 80 foot buses? Come on Transform, you know thats not possible. The Orange line had to get special permission from Caltrans to run 65 footers, just five feet longer than the usual artics.
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If Microsoft wants a light rail extension so bad, why can't they pay for it. It's thier own fault that they located so far away from the center of the region. Job sprawl has consequences, one of them being high capital cost for extensions. Papa Gates should foot the bill for this one.
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Does the Peninsula want to pay for a tunnel? I'd be interested in seeing a poll on the issue of a tunnel. I wonder if the NIMBY's would get rejected for thier high cost plans.

Sunday Night Photo Dump III

Here are some more San Francisco Aerials. I love looking at the city you live in from up high.

Here's the new Devil's Slide bypass:



A shot of the Outer Parts of the City looking North Northwest:



Towards downtown over the Mission:



Kind of strange downtown shot. The light in all of these is a bit on the blue side.

Sunday Night Photo Dump II

Los Angeles TOD along the Gold Line at Mission Meridian and Del Mar Stations. It was a pretty hot day and I needed to catch an airplane but here's what I got...

Del Mar Station is the one where the train goes underneath the Apartments designed by Moule Polyzoides.





Bike Parking!



Pasadena Cares about Alternative Transportation and Health





Hot Day at Mission Meridian Station, could have used some Ice Cream from this place:





Connectivity to the bus is key...







Anyone wonder why they need a subway on Wilshire?







Finally, there are a few videos. Two from Del Mar and one from the Police car that they kept running while they were checking tickets on the Mission Station Platform. What a waste of taxpayer dollars!!!

Sunday Night Photo Dump I

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to share photos and videos that I've taken with you all. In the last month I've been to Minneapolis and Los Angeles taking some mad photos of some great TOD and some airplane shots that should spark some conversation.

Every time I go somewhere I'll try to get out and visit people and places. In this instance, I took out in Downtown Minneapolis and along the Gold Line in LA. Here's some highlights. If you want to check out all the pictures, go to the flickr feed for Transit Nerds.

First here are some shots in Minneapolis:

Dental Offices on the Light Rail Line seem to appreciate that fact.



The Post Office was Art Deco, and very photogenic. Yes that's me in the reflection. Cool huh?





The New I-35 Bridge



Segway Tours...



Mill City Development with cool exterior elevator



Obligatory LRV photo



The next posts will be Los Angeles and Aerials.

Elections Do Matter

Even in the transit world...

But supporters of the Portland expansion as well as transit advocates nationally said that making the announcement so early in the new administration and allowing the Portland project to leap over other projects sends an unmistakable message of federal support for transit.
...

Wyden and DeFazio, both Democrats, were more direct.

"The real answer is, elections matter," Wyden said. "The priorities are different now, and they are very much more in tune with the needs of the people of Portland."

DeFazio agreed. "The Bush administration had set up a black box test that no streetcar proposal would have ever been able to pass," he said. "They were not following the law, and this administration is."

It's interesting to see how the cost-effectiveness measure will be used by the Obama FTA. Considering the problem is that there isn't enough money for all projects, there will have to be a way to figure out which projects deserve funding and which don't. Will it be now the lack of livability planning with transit?

Creative Bus Stops

Here's some great bus stops from around the world. If all were this iconic or neighborhood related, we might get more interest in riding the bus.

Via DTO on Twitter.