Posted on 03/05/2008 1:47:33 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Yeah, I’m dreading the drive to SXSW next week. Then, getting around to gigs at SXSW is a whole other problem. If there were a train, they could put a rental car place at the stations and voila.
Get rid of all the airport security, allow CCW, put the end points outside the urban areas (to allow for rental cars and expansions), use a dedicated nuclear plant for power, ditch the TTC and you might be in business.
Well since ALL of the existing high speed rail projects have been in Europe, the companies with the expertise for this type of project are all located over there.
wasted tax money to benefit a few rich idiots in land deals.
white elephants.
Willie Green memorial mag lev ping.
The last thing Texas needs is more effing pavement. Enough of this poor state is a concrete desert already.
Driving sucks. It has ruined our cities. It has ruined our countryside. There is more to life than conveeeeeeeeeenience.
You’re the only one who likes I-35. I drive it a few times a year and it’s always a huge PITA unless you’re driving it at oh-dark-thirty.
Get me from FTW to SA between 45-90 minutes at $40-$60 round trip and I will so be there. The author is right. There has to be a train going between the three metropolitan centers. I say three I keep forgetting that SA is a lot further from Austin then it looks. So I should say four metro areas. After that we can expand to Shreveport, New Orleans, OK City, Santa Fe, El Paso, Little Rock and maybe even Monterrey.
“2. Unlike European cities, US cities are not designed for foot traffic, and public transportation sux. Let us not even discuss the cost of renting a vehicle at the destination.”
You have the same problem that many in Texas have and that is you want things to stay the same. But with the every increasing population that Texas will continue to see, then we can’t keep on with urban sprawl and cobbling things together. Eventually will have to condense. People can’t stay happy living on the fringes and spending 1-2 hours a day five days a week going and coming from work. Arlington were I was born and raised is about out of land to develop. You know whats going to happen? The city will start condensing with more townhomes and high rise condos and offices. Otherwise the city will reach a max population of 430,000 and become stagnant. Traffic would be more horrendous then now and property value would drop.
I much prefer the European way of the primary residence being a home just big enough to eat and sleep in with just enough outdoor space for a small garden. Then go on many weekends retreats or purchase 5-10 acres in the country for the weekends.
If you want Texas cities to be more pedestrian friendly then get rid the ridiculous zoning ordinances and replace them with ones that make sense. Ex. Industrial businesses don’t need zoning. They will naturally congregate around each other and railways, highways and truck terminals. Same for factories and banking/financial. Just do a blanket zoning for those types of businesses in the parts of the city you want them and then let them do their thing. Then allow proper mixing of consumption commercial and residencial, not this 200-400 housing additions and 400-500 concrete paradise of apartment complexes, and you now have a good model for efficient mass transit.
Perhaps this line could link up with the new passenger rail service opening soon in the Austin/CP/Leander area.
” Unlike European cities, US cities are not designed for foot traffic, and public transportation sux. Let us not even discuss the cost of renting a vehicle at the destination.”
Autotrain is the answer you take your car with you at 200 mph. Give me a 225mph Autotrain from DFW to Austin at less than $60 round trip and I will be home in Central Texas 2x a month at that price point. It costs $40 round trip just in fuel now even at $1.69gal at $3.98 it was over a bill. no highspeed rail with the option of Autotrains is the winner for less than 500 miles distance.
Does anyone know of a light rail system that actually makes money?
[crickets]
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