The concept is if the public doesn't want something and New Urbanist acolytes like Benton and the city planning department do, create a task force stacked with "business and community representatives" who already agree with you, meet and talk for a few years, and the coup de grâce bring in a consultant whose specialty is... "transit-oriented development."
Our experts are recognized nationally as leaders in these strategies, having contributed to more than 70 light rail station areas.The reality is that this trolley down Central Avenue will only serve about 5,000 people a day - if that. (Mario Burgos has an interesting analysis here.) At a cost of $28 MILLION a mile and $3.9 MILLION a year we could buy a whole lot buses, build all kinds of bike and walking trails, and fix a whole lot of roads throughout the city. The estimated $106 MILLION would go a long way towards fixing the Paseo/I-25 interchange which serves far more people on a daily basis.
Isaac Benton and the Almighty Alcalde would have us believe that rails embedded in Central Avenue will carry the trolley to utopia. In reality, it's the worst sort of government wealth redistribution scheme aimed largely at legacy building not solving transportation problems. To make matters worse, these yahoos are considering wasting our money at a time when city hall is trying to avert a budget crisis and squabbling about how to do it. It's just more 19th Century Streetcar stupidity that'll end up costing all of us MILLIONS of dollars up front and for years to come.
23 comments:
How is this different from the proposal to build an arena with even more public money to serve fewer people? Is entertainment more important than transportation?
UNBELIEVABLE!
You may have noticed the long term comments over a number of months on Duke City Fix where most of the respondents generally agree that the street car is not what the city needs right now.
A trolley running smack dab down the middle of Central? Just another thing for Albuquerque drivers to crash into!
The problem with light rail is similar to that with the Railrunner train to santa fe, etc... unless you live near the tracks one still has to park a vehicle nearby. In a problem not limited to our area but affecting nearly all rail station parking areas, thieves target the vehicles. Recently on a trip back east I was in a suburb community that has rail service to most of NY and I pulled into a parking area for the train station just to check my map... I was approached right away by a transit officer who, upon conversing with him, told me that his job was to patrol these parking lots all day to keep thieves at bay. I constantly wonder how long it will take our local thieves to figure out the same thing. Light rail from nob hill will make a nice way to shop up and down Central on a Saturday, but where do I leave my car and what kind of shape will it be in when I get back?
Your car WON'T be there when you get back...
Everyone in Albuq. is SO not willing to give up their vehicle, myself included. Call me un-politically correct and/or environmentally irresponsible, but this is not NYC, Boston or Baltimore where there's plenty of mass transit and a plethora of uniformed officers to guard your stuff. Albuq. is a sprawling mess and to quickly get from point A to point B you can count on your vehicle and nothing else. Many is the time I've tried the bus/transport system here and it is a nightmare. A trolly system going from San Mateo to Downtown??-step away from the crack pipe!!
C'mon the trolley system would be great. Just like the D-Ride downtown is primarily for transients, now they could move from Nob Hill to Downtown and back again just as easily!
You know - the last run of the day when it is all transients and hobos and crack heads? We could just put them all on a Southbound train and let El Paso deal with em. THat method would clean up the "Central Ave Corridor" and make that area worth visiting again.
Tax Money to burn -
$700,000 for a STUDY to build a Down Town arena. Meanwhile, back at Tingley Coliseum that needs replaced.....surely Hizzoner and Big Bill can come to an agreement on a new arena there...or are their egos just too big to cooperate a joint project?
$28 MILLION per mile for Marty's Trolley up Central.......don't let that tax levy expire in 2010.....
Crime rampant - don't buy ice cream from a vendor, eat in a Chinese restaurant, go to the car wash, beware of the car on your block with seepage from a rotting body in the trunk....be careful of the jail maintenance crew working over your backyard fence......
HOW ABOUT SPENDING SOME MONEY ON PUBLIC SAFETY INSTEAD OF 'BREAD AND CIRCUSES', Mr. Mayor.....
What's amazing is how much we've spent on Railrunner (half a billion?) and the number of people that serves a day (couple thousand?).
Where was the public input and vote on that one?
Wouldn't it be nice if government responded to an expressed need of those they serve?
"Gee I wish there was a trolley car."
to which government would respond by creating a trolley car system that was effective and efficient.
Instead of "governors" getting together to cook up one stupid idea after another, which we then have to labor to put down; or suffer the consequences?
I think it is time to rewrite the rulebook of government; beginning with the city council.
During the course of any given week, I need to travel from my home in the mid-NE heights to Double Eagle Airport, the UNM area, The Stadium area, Paseo del Norte/Tramway, High Desert, Paradise Hills, and Cottonwood Mall several times a week. My day typically starts at 5:30am and on a good day I get home by 6:30pm.
Can anyone recommend the appropriate bus route combinations that will allow me to do this?
I didn't think so.
Viva la TDI Jetta and Muck Farty's RLC's!!!!!!!!
Wouldn't it be nice if government responded to an expressed need of those they serve?
The problem with that question is the assumption that the government serves the people. They wont serve the people until they fear the people. At which point serving and listening would go hand in hand.
I hate to write on a different subject but, I could not help this one, as I have been a victim myself.
Nice article in the paper how APD is trying to increase the number of female officers. TJ oviously did not do his research in the federal courts and see how many lawsuits have been filed by APD's own female officers, as a result of being mistreated by APD!
APD has a long history of discreminating against women. Ray Schultz is one of the biggest women haters the dept has ever had. So, I say this is all bullshit that TJ is being fed so Ray and his boys can look good!
TJ, talk to the female officers that still work there and you will see what I am talking about! Make sure there is no way for the 5th floor to find out what they tell you or they will be punished for speaking out!
APD is not a good place for women to work, especially under this chief!
That article was such bullshit!
DITTO ON THE ABOVE POST! READ TODAY'S METRO SECTION ON THE TWO FEMALE OFFICERS THAT HAVE A SUIT AGAINST APD.
APD HAS A LONG HISTORY OF DISCRINATING AGAINST FEMALES OFFICERS THAT HAVE CHILDREN. IN FACT, APD WILL NOT LET YOU TRANSFER TO CHOICE UNITS OR GET PROMOTED IF YOU ARE A FEMALE OFFICER WITH CHILDREN. THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN PROMOTED DID NOT HAVE CHILDREN AT THE TIME. ONCE THE CHILDREN COME, THE ADVANCEMENT UP THE CHAIN STOPS FOR THOSE FEMALES OFFICERS!
CHIEF RAYMOND SCHULTZ WAS THE DEPUTY CHIEF AND MADE THE DECISION NOT TO LET THE TWO OFFICERS IN TODAYS PAPER TAKE THE COMP LEAVE THAT HE HAS LET SO MANY OTHER MALE OFFICERS TAKE.
CHIEF SCHULTZ IS LINKED TO MOST OF THE FEMALE OFFICER DISCRIMINATIONON ON APD IF YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH YOU WILL SEE THAT.
THESE TWO ARE NOT THE ONLY FEMALES OFFICES THAT SUED APD FOR DISCRIMINATION. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS THAT HAVE ALREADY WON LARGE SETTLEMENTS FROM APD FOR THE SAME STUFF!
EYE, WHY DON'T YOU DO A STORY ON THIS!
The chief also treats women officers that have been injured different than their male counter parts. The male officers are given much better light duty assignments, as opposed to the women officers who are lucky to even get a light duty assignment at all. Most women officers are are told they will be fired if they don't come back full time. This even happens with on the job injuries!
Women officers on APD are treated way different than the male officers! We just would like to be treated as an equal being that we all do the same job!
In addition, please don't hold us back or punish us for having children they are the future!
All the above comments about women being treated different is true, I know. We could never do a story on it because we could never speak up.
Back on topic, I have actually started using the public transportation currently offered. I tried the 92 Taylor Ranch Commuter for a day or two and ultimately decided on the 790 Blue Line Rapid Ride. I have about a 10 minute walk down to Coors and then the bus ride is just as fast as I could drive myself downtown. The bus runs every fifteen minutes.
Now, I will admit that this is the exception rather than the rule, but for those people who do have access to the commuter lines, they are not full of transients, but business commuters and students.
I know people who would be willing to take the Rail Runner, but unfortunately there is no middle of the day service. If there was some urgent reason to return home, it's impossible, you have to wait until the END of the day in order to get the train back. Additionally, not having the Rail Runner on the weekends is just stupid! I'm sure there are people in Los Lunas, Belen and Bernalillo that would like to come to town for a movie or shopping on the weekend, but the Rail Runner doesn't run!
Do I think we need the trolley? No, we need to continue investing in our existing public transportation system and work out some of these issues before opening ANOTHER can of worms!
It's real simple folks..repeal all taxes and make everyone fend for themselves....No more property tax, tax for libraries, museums, buses, fire fighters, UNMH, animal control, construction code enforcement, law enforcement, welfare....get rid of it all and make everyone fend for themselves....what a sight that would be.
As far as females complaining about mistreatment with the Police Department. Until entry guidelines are the same for all (not 1.5 mile run for males in 11:45 minutes and females 16:30 minutes or what ever it is) there will be a disparity. A cop needs to be able to shoot acurately and kick ass when necessary (along with having the ability to verbally difuse a situation). Gender may or may not be an issue. Just as a 5' male may not have the same impact as a 6' male the job needs tob completed by someone who can do and many times do it when they are by themselves when going against a male that is 5'11, weighing 220 lbs and high on drugs or drunk. Louisiana State Patrol requires all applicants to be at least 6 feet tall. Other organizations limit the age to 37 (to inclued many federal agencies). This discriminates against those (both male and female) who have previously retired at the age of 37 but can still contribute to the country and economy.
Taxes are way to high because of bullshit programs and politicians trying to fill their pockets. Law enforcement agencies are finding it tough to fill their ranks and are reducing or modifying their requirements to fill numbers and apease the politicians. John (Joan) Q Public are feeling the negative impact of all of this.
Get rid of the politicians that have been in office for years (many simply because thier relative was their before them) the same goes with many city or county government employees in this state. It's the status quo that is nagatively impacting the citizens. Until the citizens pressure the media and the government for change it will not happen. In New Mexio it will never happen... to many folks are receiving free money from the government and/or are employed because of who they know not because of their qualifications. Homeless folks will continue to migrate to Albuquerque because of the free benefits they receive yet Veterans have to fight tooth and nail just to see a Doctor.
It all boils down to having some intestinal fortitude to do what is right. Sadly, to get what is right many will have to move to another state because New Mexico is infested with bottom feeders and greedy families.
I cant help being off topic -- re. women officers, did you ever notice that whenever they need to do a recruiting brochure or any sort of photos for literature for the city you women are always desperately needed on that day to represent APD? Funny how politicians think of you on those days but not on the other days. About 50% of the photos in the recruiting brochures are of women, they also manage a huge minority turnout, only folks you rarely see in APD materials are White men. Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Ray Schultz hates women with rank! He drove the last two female commanders out! They knew they had hit a glass ceiling with in his command and would never go any higher. Education and exprience did not ccount on Ray's dept. Just the good old boy system!
Yeah but look at what Luther did to DCOP Kudis .. Ray is just following along in the footsteps of that loser
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