BIKE: Commuter Rails with Trails

[alan_drake]

> I don't know where you're getting either one of those statements 
> from.
> 
> 1. The Ramada Inn is TOD? A _hotel_? You must have a definition of 
> TOD  quite different than the standard one. There's nowhere useful to
go 
> from  there - this is 5 minutes from my old home - I know the area
quite 
> well.

As you said, the only attraction to building a hotel next to the
Deerfield TriRail station is, well, the TriRail station. 
That, IMO, makes it TOD.

 It is an inexpensive and convenient "jumping off " point via TriRail to
much of South Florida.

> 2. I've never seen a projection even coming close to 90,000 daily 
> ridership. From one of Patrick's links, and note the word 'wants':
> "Tri-Rail wants to boost ridership to 68,000 a day by 2015, which 
> would reduce the cost per rider from a current $8.81 to $5.06. Back in 
> 1999, the agency's then-director, Linda Bohlinger, gave the commuter 
> system five years to accumulate 20,000 riders a day, opining that if
that 
> goal weren't reached, "either we don't know what we're doing or the 
> public  doesn't really need it.""

The 90,000 figure came from a "Public Information Board" at the
Tri-Rail/MetroRail transfer station.  It was for the matured ridership
circa 2025 or so. (I forgot the exact date).

Expenses of $5.06/ride are quite close to current fares, so the public
subsidy may be a small % (if any) of operating expenses.

The operating limits imposed by sharing a single track with a major
freight line & Amtrak did hurt ridership significantly.  When double
tracking is finished next year and they speed up, go to 20 minute
headways, offer later northbound service, etc. ridership will definitely
improve.  The question is how much.

Given the growing population & congestion in South Florida and higher gas
prices, the ridership should increase with time as well.  One can spend
$5 today just on gas in stop & start freeway driving from Ft. Lauderdale
to Miami.

Alan

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