BIKE: Monorail opens in Vegas; liar, liar pants on fire!

[Roger Baker]

When you have billions in infrastructure and buildings blocking options
in a crowded corridor like the Strip in Vegas, monorail may make good 
sense.

But if you have options left and are really serious about moving many 
many
people cost-effectively along corridors, light rail has no peer. 
Someone should
do a study of what it would cost to retrofit light rail in Dallas with 
monorail
giving the same level of service. Part of the problem is that monorail 
is not
so flexible in design change and has lighter construction and lower 
capacity.
Also monorails may not transfer at ground level where pedestrian 
transfer is
most natural and efficient.

The real screw-up is that Austin has abandoned light rail planning under
pressure from Rep. Krusee, who is promoting toll roads. Now it appears 
that
the local ruling class are lining up in favor of the regional rail up 
to Leander,
coming up for a vote in November.

This regional rail is a baby step in the right direction of passenger 
rail, but
is the result of subversion of citizen choice as reflected in Envision 
Central
Texas, and the fact that the planners have silently abandoned light 
rail planning
within about the last year.

Of course when world oil peaks and gas prices soar, all this will be 
academic
and people will clammer for some affordable way to get out to the 
suburbs, and all
there will be is one lousy passenger rail line. -- R

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Important policy quotes concerning toll roads:

EXHIBIT A:

"...the Texas Transportation Commission has made our choice as a region
very clear; we can have no roads, slow roads, or toll roads."

  --Mayor Will Wynn in an July 16, 2004 Stateman op-ed editorial 
explaining his vote on toll roads

EXHIBIT B:

"Austin -- Local officials will set the priorities on how limited 
transportation funds are spent in the
state's fight to reduce urban traffic congestion under a plan requested 
by Gov. Rick Perry and approved
today by the Texas Transportation Commission.

"Today's action by the Texas transportation Commission offers yet 
another innovative way to
relieve traffic congestion  in our largest cities and improve roadway 
safety, " Perry said.
"This plan will allow increased local control in the planning funding 
and delivering  of
highway, road and rail projects that will help meet the growing 
transportation needs of our
state. "

-- From a August 28, 2003 press release  by TxDOT, titled  "Urban 
traffic congestion target of mobility plan".

(The planning announced in this press release has now resulted in the 
submission of the toll roads promoted
by both TxDOT and the CTRMA, and a matching component; CAMPO's $27.8 
BILLION local component of
the Texas Metro Mobility plan, approved last Monday along with the 
roads. The planning process was speeded
up by CAMPO to meet an August deadline announced by TxDOT, but recently 
disputed by Gerald Daugherty).

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