More Rapid Streetcars

Both Ann Arbor and Davis County in Utah are considering rapid streetcars. That is using streetcar vehicles that can carry up to 160 people on a 66 foot long platform versus light rail vehicles which typically are about 90 feet and have a capacity of over 230. Compare that to an articulated bus which only holds about 100.

Both are discussing using exclusive lanes in the street to move much faster than traffic. The applications however are a bit different. Ann Arbor is looking to build lines on four main corridors and feed them with neighborhood shuttle buses. It's more like a city tram system.

The Davis County version is a feeder to commuter rail and would travel in its own lane except in two places. I wish I knew where those two places were but I'm guessing we'll find out eventually.

A Sad Trend in Boston

All around the country cities are trying to add light rail lines, yet some cities have the infrastructure and are failing to see the value. The Arborway is no different. In one of the first posts on this blog I discussed why buses sucked compared to reinstating the streetcar when tracks already existed. Seems like we lost the battle, but not the war. Switchback has more.

Baghdad to Basra by Rail

From Reuters:

Like a stitch across a deep wound, the train between Iraq's two biggest cities reminds people of a more peaceful time before sectarian carnage nearly tore their country apart.

The service between Baghdad and Basra resumed with little fanfare in December after a hiatus of 18 months. Few dared use it at first, but word has spread of a safe and cheap journey, and railway officials are scrambling for funds for more carriages.

...

Passenger after passenger praised the comfort of traveling on the train compared with stopping at checkpoints on the road from Baghdad to Basra, a grueling journey of 550 km (340 miles).

"First of all, it's the cost. And it's comfortable and safe," said Um Khaled, surrounded by her children, explaining why she was happy to be making the journey.

Passengers were also thrilled about the government-subsidized price.

At 4,000 dinars ($3.33) for a seat, the trip is almost a quarter of the price of the lowest fare to Basra by public minivan, the more common form of transport. A sleeper ticket costs 10,000 dinars.

The cost of petrol has rocketed to 450 dinars per liter from about 50 dinars before the fall of Saddam Hussein.

"This is not the true ticket price, which does not cover the service cost at all. It's priced low as a service to the Iraqi people," Baghdad rail chief Mohammed Hashem said. "They're tired of going by car and constantly stopping at checkpoints."

Is Auto Ownership Tied to a Reduced Savings Rate?

We know that cars cost a lot of money. Aside from the up front capital cost, operations cost people at least $8,000 per year. But ever since cars were produced for the working man by Henry Ford, it looks as if the purchase and ownership of these vehicles has cut into American wealth accumulation. If you look at the savings rate over the last century, it seems to be an inverse relation to auto ownership. This chart created by Scott Bernstein at the Center for Neighborhood Technology shows this relationship. (I've seen this chart in a number of iterations but this is all I could find online)

While everyone thinks that America is a wealthy nation, many people spend a good portion of their money on transportation. But it doesn't have to be this way. Cities that have good transit networks allow people to save money and cut overall emissions.

I want to reiterate that I think cars are an important part of our transportation network, but I think our complete dependence on them in most of the United States will lead many to the poorhouse sooner rather than later. In order to stem the tide, we need good transit. It allows people to pool their resources to pay for transport and allow for the building of wealth.

How Much Will My Trip Cost?

Google transit has added something really cool to their information. When you type in a route, they'll tell you how much money you save instead of driving. John at RTRider has more. Very Cool.

Inflation Hits Everyone

They are going to point to the trains as being over budget,
but they will ask why there is a "gap" in road funding or fudge it.
Inflation hits everything and everyone the same
but some like to pick their least favorite modes to blame.

Large Misallocation of Resources

There is a new report out from an independent auditor that asserts Minnesota has been spending too much on expansion of roads and not enough on maintenance and repair. This report should be done all over the country because this is what it tells us: we've been wasting resources and subsidizing sprawl with bigger and bigger roads when we should be attending to the core capacity of our transportation systems. I'm not sure people will be able to stomach this for much longer. Soon there will be toll roads everywhere and people will be asking why we didn't build more alternatives....

...Frank might have an answer.

Very Cool Subway Commercial

Check out MetroRider LA for the coolest transit commercial ever. I remember I heard somewhere that the auto industry spends more on ads in this country than we do on transit operations. Go figure.

Dulles Rail Gets a Slight Boost from House Republicans

While Mary Peters and Company are looking to stymie transit development around the United States, several lawmakers are having none of it in the DC area. Is this a start towards looking into the cost effectiveness measure as a false measure of the benefits of transit projects? Hopefully. While they don't discuss that issue specifically, the Washington Post has more on the push the project is getting from a couple of house bigwigs:

Two Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives have asked the Transportation Department to move forward with the "critically important" but struggling plan to extend Metrorail to Dulles International Airport.

Minority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) sent Transportation Secretary Mary Peters a letter this week, saying: "It is vitally important that this project move forward. Open dialogue between Virginia and the Department of Transportation will make certain that lawmakers are best able to alleviate the burden of increasing traffic congestion and transportation demands across the entire national capital region."

Send Steve at Urban StL Some Love

Steve Patterson who blogs over at the popular Urban St. Louis suffered a stroke in early February. Steve and I presented on blogging and transit last year in Miami at the Rail~Volution conference. He's recovering well but it wouldn't hurt to send him some love. If you haven't checked out his blog before. You can do so here. Get better soon Steve!