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Old Posted Feb 6, 2013, 7:45 PM
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electricron electricron is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Granbury, Texas
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Lightbulb

Quote:
Originally Posted by M1EK View Post
Forget that, though, even; the reason it should be compared to light rail lines is because it killed our best possible light rail line.
That best possible light rail line had already been killed by the 2000 referendum. I'll agree the route may be the best transit route, but I don't agree the 2000 light rail plans adequately addressed vehicle traffic in the corridor, therefore that wasn't the best possible light rail line for Austin.

They should have bitten the bullet and recommended elevating the light rail tracks though "The Drag", maintaining as many vehicles lanes as possible on the various streets. DART has many miles of elevated tracks adjacent and over streets; it's not a technically impossible task, just expensive. That would have been the best light rail line possible.

A small Vancouver automated style Skytrain would have been even better and even more expensive. Honolulu picked this style of train over its narrow streets as well. Those weren't included in the Austin's 2000 light rail plan.

Instead we got a proposal to eliminate two to three traffic lanes on Guadalupe or Lamar, rerouting all traffic with one-way permanent detours in the Triangle area, creating a traffic nightmare. Most on street parking, if not all, was going to be eliminated. Businesses requiring on street parking probably would fail without them, if they hadn't already failed from 2 years or more of construction at their front doors. You don't do something to please the few, you should plan to do something that pleases the many. I wouldn't be very proud of the 2000 light rail plan.

Last edited by electricron; Feb 6, 2013 at 7:57 PM.
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