Thursday, September 16, 2004
Voters approve rail, then agency cuts service
Last November, Houston voters approved the diversion of transit money that had been intended for bus improvements to construction of rail transit. The transit agency, Metro, assured voters that there was plenty of money for both rail transit and buses.
Now the agency says that it is facing a shortfall, so it is severely cutting back bus service. Of course, it is still going ahead with plans to build rail and, in fact, has decided to build a very expensive tunnel (subway) underneath downtown for the light-rail.
Now the agency says that it is facing a shortfall, so it is severely cutting back bus service. Of course, it is still going ahead with plans to build rail and, in fact, has decided to build a very expensive tunnel (subway) underneath downtown for the light-rail.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Oprah's Big Car Giveaway
Oprah gives away 276 new Pontiacs
CNN Money article:
The billionaire talk show host told the audience that everybody will get a new Pontiac G-6 midsize 2005 sports sedan. Winfrey screamed and jumped up and down on the stage, shouting: "Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car!"
I think she may have improved their mobility in more ways than one.
Perhaps Oprah deserves an American Dream Hero Award!
Read here:
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14915,00.html
and here:
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271906191,00.html
CNN Money article:
The billionaire talk show host told the audience that everybody will get a new Pontiac G-6 midsize 2005 sports sedan. Winfrey screamed and jumped up and down on the stage, shouting: "Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car!"
I think she may have improved their mobility in more ways than one.
Perhaps Oprah deserves an American Dream Hero Award!
Read here:
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14915,00.html
and here:
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271906191,00.html
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Curitiba in Mexico
12 September 2004
Memorandum
To: All Urban Planners and Transit Planners
Re: Trip to Curitiba
You are all aware of the great success of Curitiba’s low-cost, high volume rapid bus system. Some of you are even fortunate enough to work in urban areas where the Curitiba experience can be spoken of openly, without fear of professional retribution generated by the railigious fundamentalists who have their priorities mixed up about what should be maximized (ridership, not spending). Despite the large budgets of many transit and planning agencies, it is not always a feasible to justify a trip to Brazil to see Curitiba’s rapid bus system in person. Fortunately, Curitiba is being recreated not far from the United States. The place is Leon, Mexico, only 600 miles from the US border and a two hour, $400 round trip flight from Houston. Leon is Mexico’s sixth largest urban area, with more than 1,000,000 residents. Leon now has a rapid busway system in operation that is in some ways superior to the Curitiba model. A trip to Mexico would probably be less expensive than traveling to the next APTA conference, and it is likely that much more would be learned.
See: www.rentalcartours.net/rac-leon.pdf
Additional new rental cars have been posted for
Guadalajara
Mexico City
Puebla and
Toluca
See: www.rentalcartours.net
Memorandum
To: All Urban Planners and Transit Planners
Re: Trip to Curitiba
You are all aware of the great success of Curitiba’s low-cost, high volume rapid bus system. Some of you are even fortunate enough to work in urban areas where the Curitiba experience can be spoken of openly, without fear of professional retribution generated by the railigious fundamentalists who have their priorities mixed up about what should be maximized (ridership, not spending). Despite the large budgets of many transit and planning agencies, it is not always a feasible to justify a trip to Brazil to see Curitiba’s rapid bus system in person. Fortunately, Curitiba is being recreated not far from the United States. The place is Leon, Mexico, only 600 miles from the US border and a two hour, $400 round trip flight from Houston. Leon is Mexico’s sixth largest urban area, with more than 1,000,000 residents. Leon now has a rapid busway system in operation that is in some ways superior to the Curitiba model. A trip to Mexico would probably be less expensive than traveling to the next APTA conference, and it is likely that much more would be learned.
See: www.rentalcartours.net/rac-leon.pdf
Additional new rental cars have been posted for
Guadalajara
Mexico City
Puebla and
Toluca
See: www.rentalcartours.net
South Jersey Light Rail Closes in on Absurdly Low Ridership Goal
Once again, it is proven that if you set your goals low enough, you can always meet them. New Jersey Transit reports that its South Jersey "River" light-rail line is close to meeting its ridership goal of 5,900 riders per day. In August, it carried an average of 5,600 riders per day. This is heralded as a great triumph.
The line cost nearly $1 billion to build and New Jersey Transit lost more than $9 in operating costs for every rider carried since it opened last March.
Just how good is 5,600 riders per day? In 2002, Cleveland had the lowest ridership of any modern light-rail line, yet carried more than 10,000 people per day on a route that is less than half as long as South Jersey's 34 miles. San Jose's light-rail line was the worst performer on a per mile basis, yet carried 26,000 riders on less than twice the miles of South Jersey's River line.
Light-rail systems in Sacramento, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, and Denver all carried between 28,000 and 35,000 riders per day yet all had fewer route miles than the South Jersey line. San Francisco's light-rail system is about the same number of miles as South Jersey; it carried 160,000 riders per day. Boston, the national champ, carried 246,000 riders per day on just 26 route miles.
No doubt we will soon be hearing rail advocates talk about what a great success the South Jersey line is.
The line cost nearly $1 billion to build and New Jersey Transit lost more than $9 in operating costs for every rider carried since it opened last March.
Just how good is 5,600 riders per day? In 2002, Cleveland had the lowest ridership of any modern light-rail line, yet carried more than 10,000 people per day on a route that is less than half as long as South Jersey's 34 miles. San Jose's light-rail line was the worst performer on a per mile basis, yet carried 26,000 riders on less than twice the miles of South Jersey's River line.
Light-rail systems in Sacramento, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, and Denver all carried between 28,000 and 35,000 riders per day yet all had fewer route miles than the South Jersey line. San Francisco's light-rail system is about the same number of miles as South Jersey; it carried 160,000 riders per day. Boston, the national champ, carried 246,000 riders per day on just 26 route miles.
No doubt we will soon be hearing rail advocates talk about what a great success the South Jersey line is.
