BIKE: Commuter Rail (was The Most Heinous Menace...)

[Phil Hallmark]

Mike,

I see your point about how maddening it is that the commuter-rail 
proposal serves the far-out 'burbs that do not financially support Cap 
Metro. I also agree that limited run-frequency out to the 'burbs will 
not be a great catalyst for Transit-Oriented Development. However, I 
want to make a couple of points on this topic:

Even if every single rider on the commuter train is from a non-Cap-Metro 
service area, it actually DOES serve and benefit the entire region in 
terms of less congestion and pollution.

I think this is an opportunity for us to be magnanimous in the face of 
suburban meanness/stinginess on the Cap Metro issue. I think once the 
folks living way out there get a taste of express train service, they 
might be willing to support Cap Metro in the future.

A limited-stop commuter rail solution may not be the most-preferred way 
to start, but I would wager (even in the face of your noted perfect 
prediction record!) that once rail is introduced to the region, it will 
crystallize broad-based support for more.

This seems to me to be a fairly quick, cheap way to introduce rail to 
the region. Not perfect, but perhaps quite sellable in November.

Regards,
Phil Hallmark


Mike Dahmus wrote:

I was on the 590 KLBJ morning show this morning (6:38 and 6:51). Due to 
their format, I only got about ten sentences in - but I did point out 
that the commuter rail line does not serve the medical complex, UT, or 
the capitol complex.

Not surprisingly, the suburban-tilted Sgt. Sam was pretty strongly in 
favor of commuter rail. I did manage to get the fact in that the city of 
Austin voted in favor of the premature 2000 light rail package, and that 
their hand was forced by Mike Krusee at the legislature.

If anybody was listening this morning and heard what callers or hosts 
had to say after I got off the phone, I'd love to hear from you.

- MD