Comments on: Capital MetroRail Prioritizes People to Create an Accessible, Connected, and Sustainable City

By: Will

Will — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:49:03 +0000

Rail hurts bus service. Name one bus service that has a rail line in which bus service hasn’t been cut, or compromised? You can’t. Rail is very difficult to move it is fixed as compared to bus service. The fact the only people who benefit from rail is the Urban planners and transit agencies which get “sacks” from the Federal Government. Otherwise, why is the private sector not building their own “choo-choo” trains? Why do I the tax payer have to foot the bill? Global Warming hysteria, so what. I am more concerned about my children being able to save, and have a future than worrying about traffic congestion. People are still going to Leander via Car, not train. Even Leander’s former Mayor John David Cowman, who was Rail, Rail, and Rail. I wonder how much money he got in kickbacks from Capital Metro’s Rail as he was also a Realtor.

The OP is from California a state facing bankruptcy, and a very poor BART system which railroad the lower income peoples (playing the Class Warfare card here)

By: Bonnie Rodd

Bonnie Rodd — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:22:07 +0000

In response to both of your comments on the Metro Rapid Bus- I agree.

Mark I appreciate your insight on the situation on South Lamar. I live on North Lamar, and therefore, do not spend much time there, but when I have…wow, the congestion is unbearable.

As you have stated Overhead Wire the situation with rapid bus is it is stuck in traffic with ever other vehicle. Even if there were designated “Bus-only” lanes it will never be as successful as a well routed rail line. As for your discussion on the Red Line- there is no doubt it was a compromise and I wonder if rail would have made it at all in Austin without making the great concessions that were made to have that project realized. As I bring up towards the end of my post, these kind of compromises concern me with the Urban Rail. The Red Line is there, and connects some far reaching current and future hubs, but it is the Urban Rail, I believe, that will have the greatest impact on congestion reduction. I’m afraid many still see the price tag of such projects and don’t understand the value. Thank you for sharing your blogs. I will surely read through them:)

By: The Overhead Wire

The Overhead Wire — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 01:59:00 +0000

Below in the links is my three part response to planning rail in Austin.

Also, please tell me which parts of the urban rail route is more congested than Guadalupe? Then tell me what the Rapid Bus does other than give people a few more seats to reduce congestion for riders? Nothing. Because it won’t have its own lane and will be stuck in the same traffic as everyone else at 5pm at Dean Keaton.

The Red Line was a political compromise. I voted for it. I wish I hadn’t. With what I know now, no city should ever start out a transit plan with commuter rail. 2,000 constituents is not 40,000 constituents. You put a rail line down the gut like Houston, you get political cover for expansion. You put it where the red line went, and you get infighting and turmoil. Perhaps it will turn around. I’m not holding my breath.

Part 1 – Austin Rail History
http://theoverheadwire.blogspot.com/2012/04/austins-rail-history-route-choice.html

Part 2 – Politics of Alignments
http://theoverheadwire.blogspot.com/2012/04/austins-rail-history-route-choice_02.html

Part 3 – Alignment That Should Be
http://theoverheadwire.blogspot.com/2012/04/austin-guadalupelamar-alignment.html

By: Mark Bentley

Mark Bentley — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:23:02 +0000

I am afraid that the MetroRapid Bus is also primarily a commuter oriented system that will not contribute to circulation in the inner city. Where I live in the South Lamar corridor, it will actually decrease local service by eliminating local stops unless there is new local circulator service that has yet to be announced. With the rapid build-up of multiuse residential along South Lamar, the need is for a way for all those new residents to get around (and not just get to work) without using their cars. And no one is talking rail for that corridor at all.