Light Rail lawsuit

[WesternGulf]

IMO, the LRT shouldn't be a glorified bus route (which is what we have now), it should actually strive to save commuters time so that more would be willing to use it.

Honestly, I do not think the current LRT is that bad if you are not using it for full commuter purposes such as riding from Fannin South to Main Street Square. Parking is still too cheap in downtown and 30 minutes on a tram is not better than spending at the most 8-10 minutes driving 288 to downtown. With that said, for anyone who has visited Portland and has been on the yellow line, it is very comparable to the current Red Line. The Red line goes to Downtown to Reliant Park and the yellow line goes from downtown to Portland's Expo Center. Both are about the same distance and average out to about 30 minutes for the 7 mile ride. Now why does the Red Line have almost triple the number of passengers a day as the Yellow Line in Portland? Our glorified bus route is doing something right.

Edited May 3, 2007 by WesternGulf

[musicman]

Our glorified bus route is doing something right.

it may have more riders, but how many drivers has it affected due to closed/blocked intersections? probably more than ride it daily. but if you're only looking at people who ride it and ignore its effects, then i see your point.

[713 To 214]

Any news on the actual lawsuit?

[TheNiche]

The fact that some on here are talking about Westpark having fewer stops and longer stretches of grade seperation is very telling. It almost sounds like we are talking about commuter rail rather than neighborhood transportation. The argument about placing light rail on Westpark rather than the heart of places like Greenway Plaza is like placing the current line that goes through the TMC on Almeda vs Fannin.

So Richmond is to Westpark as Fannin is to Almeda? None of the above routes are the least bit comparable.

And by the way, several months ago, I'd stated that a Westpark route would absolutely necessitate good pedestrian connections to Greenway Plaza, and my suggestion seemed to elicit at fair bit of positive support. Specifically, I'd recommended a large pedestrian bridge of design such that it would be considered an elegant new landmark, connecting directly from a station along Westpark into the heart of Greenway Plaza. It would need to have pedestrian-moving conveyor belts, just like at airports, and would need to be air conditioned. Do that, and then you've got excellent service to Greenway but also good access to an upscale grocery-anchored shopping center from a single stop that is integrated into a truely-rapid form of transit that is easy to keep seperate from traffic. But if METRO can't do that, Westpark doesn't make the least bit of sense east of Cummins. I'm just disappointed that items such as these seem to have been completely overlooked as options.

[WesternGulf]

So Richmond is to Westpark as Fannin is to Almeda? None of the above routes are the least bit comparable.

If that comparison was not good enough I would then say Braeswood Boulevard. It seems like they both, Almeda/Westpark and Fannin/Richmond are on seprate ends of their respected business districts and one runs through the heart of it rather than the outskirts. Although you would have the barrier of 59 to go under dealing with Westpark.

[TheNiche]

If that comparison was not good enough I would then say Braeswood Boulevard. It seems like they both, Almeda/Westpark and Fannin/Richmond are on seprate ends of their respected business districts and one runs through the heart of it rather than the outskirts. Although you would have the barrier of 59 to go under dealing with Westpark.

Braeswood/Westpark is a much more comparable pair, but still imperfect. Westpark would still provide access to a large grocery-anchored shopping center; Braeswood would not. Besides, the most important part of the University Line is that it connects DT & TMC to Uptown. Braeswood doesn't connect anything of note to DT & TMC.

[RedScare]

Any news on the actual lawsuit?

Yup. The Judge says, Zip. Zilch. Nada.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/...ckCurrentPage=1

Andy Taylor says he's going all the way to the Supreme Court. Frankly, I hope he does. Rarely has a lawsuit had less merit. I will enjoy Mr. Taylor getting the legal equivalent of T-Mac dunking on Shawn Bradley.

[ricco67]

This is great news, perhaps she will go broke (or the lawyer tired of working pro bono) before anything seriously happens with this.

My fear is that a lawyer will take it pro-bono just so he can try to make a name for himself.

[RedScare]

Andy's office doesn't look like he works for free. I think this may be a loss leader, though. He represented the Republican (Talmadge Heflin) that lost to Hubert Vo. I think he is making a name for himself as the lawyer for Republican causes.

Sad to think that fighting mass transit is a Republican cause, but apparently it has become so. The good news is, Andy lost the Heflin case, too.

[musicman]

Sad to think that fighting mass transit is a Republican cause, but apparently it has become so.

visit carol alvarado's office....i think you'll find differently.