More Information Please

Short snippets like this drive me crazy. What is the $19.6 million dollars for? Is it all for engineering the light rail line? Is some of it for ROW preservation? If only for engineering why so much or so little? Is this the reason newspapers are dying a slow painful death?

Innovative Financing in Detroit

Detroit business leaders have raised 75% of the construction cost for a new light rail line on Woodward through private donors, advertising, and foundation support. Perhaps this is a model that could be followed in other cities looking to build new transit lines.

A Good Question on Green

Richard asks the question everyone should ask: If you drive everywhere are you still green? (Even in a Prius) What do you all think?

Greek Man in Chinese Daily Complains About American Transit

That's a lot of places intertwined.

When is the Time Ever Right for Everyone?

Recently my college cross country coach left to take the head coaching job at Virginia. He had turned the program around and we went from a bunch of jokers to All-Americans and now hold the World Record in the Distance Medley Relay. It must have been a hard decision to leave all the guys who trusted he would be there for them, especially the new kids who came to Texas because of him. It seems like at any time you're going to let someone down when you make a decision that is for the greater good either for the team or personally. This was a deeply personal decision that I completely understand and respect.

This is related to decisions we make in the United States to invest in future infrastructure. Just as my old coach decided it was a good decision for his future to take a head coaching job, it is a good decision to build high speed rail for the future. My point in the comparison is that there will never be a good time to make such a decision for some people. There will always be concern trolls that say well it's a good idea but we have other obligations. Decisions aren't easy. I learned long ago with the help of my parents that at some point you have to make them. And putting them off sometimes makes things worse in the long run.

Comments like this from assembly candidate Danny Gilmore will always be made: "I am in favor of high speed rail, but I don’t think this is the time for high speed rail" For him and others who oppose the project, there will never be a good time, which is why we need to make this decision now, to support investment that will help us in the long run, because as I said, putting off a decision now, will create more problems in the future. As some of you might have found out in college, procrastination is always the strategy of last resort. As Robert always says, the Cost of doing nothing is not zero.

A Sad Day in LA

Just saw the news about the LA Metrolink crash. Very sad and when I saw it I'll admit I was angry. I saw the pictures on the cover of the NY Times and looked at the track, it was single track. Single track that could have been double track. Should have been double, and there have been NIMBY's that opposed it. But this was someone's mistake on one of the trains. I just wish it didn't happen. Anyone know what's up with the increase in crashes lately?

BART Thinks About Peak Period Pricing

This is a good idea. But it's also another reason why there needs to be more core capacity. The parts of the system that are the most crowded are those between Oakland and San Francisco. This is why I still think that the Geary to Broadway corridor is key to core capacity and accommodating growth. I personally believe that is a 200,000+ rider line.

San Antonio Revs Up Rail Again

After the fall of the 2000 San Antonio light rail vote, I didn't think that I would ever see this again. Unlike Austin which was close, the San Antonio vote was kind of a blowout for the opposition. But with gas prices up, advocates are seeing a chance to build transit networks again. However, this seems to be a play out of the Austin playbook. Commuter rail first.

There's a bit of a problem though, If Austin's commuter line skirts downtown and comes in on the edge, this line doesn't even come into San Antonio's downtown. If this is what is envisioned, it would be a horrible idea. I've said this before and I'll say it again, just because there are tracks, doesn't mean passenger rail should be on them. I wish we would stop being cheap about infrastructure. Go where the people want to go. Below the newspaper cutout, is a map of the rail line and the main part of the Riverwalk downtown. You can see how far and how many obstacles separate the line from the people.

Transit Must Pay for Itself!

Anyone want to comment on transit subsidy in relation to automobiles? Or airlines? Or Fannie/Freddie?

Air France Gets into HSR

Air France is getting into the High Speed Rail biz. If you can't beat em, join em. When do we get to code share here in California?