I don’t recall seeing pink or blue hair curlers, but maybe I was just in the wrong spot?

And if you know of a (much more expensive) heavy rail plan that supports the same corridors with serious political support, let us know and we’re likely to support it.

Until then, we’ll support a project that’s already approved, thanks.

Obviously, you don’t think any sane person would live here-so why not leave us to wallow in our misery?

BTW all light rail is sucky. Build a subway, like a real city.

In our region we merged two transit agencies, TRT and PennTran. What emerged is called “HRT” and HRT now offers less transit services at more than a 30% increase in adminstrative costs. Instead of a regional merger yielding an economy of scale and cost savings, we end up with less service at greater costs. This includes adjustments due to inflation.

Now HRT is hard at work lobbying to build low capacity Light Rail that fails to offer any meaningful return on investment to the taxpayers targeted to pay for its construction, operation, maintenance, and system upgrade expenses.

We have much higher priority needs in our region then diverting needed transportation funds to support speculative TOD projects. In light of the recent crash of the global economy and the inavailability of credit to be used to pay for the promised TOD, the rational for the public’s “investment” in the proposed Light Rail line no longer exists.

Never had much reason to shop at Neiman Marcus, but Kemper just gave me one. You know, he owns about twenty cars and two motorcycles. Lives in sight of the East Channel Bridge, and must use ear plugs to go to sleep because of I-90. This guy is so Old Bellevue; the whole Eastside will take a hundred steps forward when he dies.

Strangely enough, the freeway mega project price tags are always minimized (double deck I-5 through Seattle is Kemper project #1) and the transit projects always go “over budget.”

Remember, folks. These are the clowns who want to build another freeway through the Snoqualmie River valley. You’ll never see John Niles criticize an insane freeway project, or bankrupt bus system – but he will nitpick the rail projects to death.

Check out this Niles doozy from above: “it’s not reasonable for citizen volunteers to “plan and fund a BRT demonstration line.””

Really? Well, there sure is lots of planning that goes on in BRT circles. Never gets off the drawing board…how strange… Witness Niles bragging about it back in 2005. Wonder whatever happened to this brilliant study?

——
David Sucher writes: “I’m intrigued (and a bit mystified, in truth) by the notion that BRT could connect Fremont and Capitol Hill. Could someone describe how such a segment would work? What it might look like? Its configuration? Thanks.”

John Niles: Challenge accepted. I’m actually funded to work on this!

Such a BRT line would be an all-day express bus with ten minute headways minimum, and shorter if demand warranted in peak periods. The size of the vehicle would depend on passenger demand, and would be increased over time. The stops between Fremont and Capitol Hill would be no less than 1/2 mile apart.

Transit signal priority (TSP) would be in effect, which is NOT like an ambulance or a Tacoma Link light rail trolley turning traffic lights red in all directions as it goes through intersections.

In the future world of Seattle BRT, every stop on a BRT line would have its own telephone number, and dialing that number on your cell phone would display the minutes until the next bus arrives. (See http://www.busmonster.com for a hint of the future.)

Let’s see, what else — off-bus fare payment, like on the BRT lines in Paris, probably SmartCard based in Seattle futureworld.

Now, I need some help from you on routing. In what other places (neighborhoods) would you like your BRT to stop between downtown Fremont and (say) Seattle Community College on Broadway? Then I’ll go away and study a map with traffic densities to find a route.

I’m going to need a strong, green mayor and SeaDOT boss to get this done (Nickels and Crunican will do) and some money (what will be left over when the Seattle Big Dig — five mile light rail tunnel from Pine Street to NE 75th — finally goes toes up will be enough to do arterial BRT all over town!)

I may need to kick some curb parking off the street in peak, like is already done in world class cities like Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.

So give me some help on intermediate stops you’d like to see. This is not going to be a helicopter ride or flying magic carpet! Provide me with a target travel time while you are at it, but let’s not try to change arterial speed limits.

Posted by: John Niles | Dec 5, 2005 11:37:41 PM

http://cascadiascorecard.typepad.com/blog/2005/11/bashing_bus_rap.html

Only commies and terrorists like public transit.

One person per car = mom, apple pie, God and freedom.

Sounds reasonable. I can see why John Niles would want to take Kemper’s money. He is “pro-transit” afterall.

I like Kemper’s example of getting diapers at 11pm. As if public transit would ever want to compete for these trips!

“Free mobility?” When was the last time Kemper or any of his retiree cronies hit the roads at rush hour? Or, lunch hour in Bellevue??? What’s Kemper gonna do, widen downtown Bellevue streets? Put another lane on those commie guvmint-mandated sidewalks he fought back in the 80′s?

Anybody who tries to defend this garbage has some real guts!

All of John Niles’ heroes and their “research” come from the Interstate Era. Aside from all the loony Libertarians he collaborates with now…and all they crank out is simple junk science, paid for by right wing think tanks which are funded by, noneother than, Kemper Freeman!

The perfect circle.

http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/seis/I-90_bridgerailjoint0406.pdf

Modern, flexible bridges carrying rail. Which aren’t 140 years old.

Could the FUD-meisters come up with something better than this gargbage to defend their leader over at Kemper Development Corp.

http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1815/18151250.htm

C’mon on. Do you really think we are all that stupid? Stick with talk radio, bud.

Tacoma Narrows…
Hood Canal
I-90
…. Yeah, the best civil engineering there is.