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Originally Posted by bcp
I'd really recommend going with two technologies 1) the existing bus system and 2) some type of light train
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Great in theory but that ties out hands in practice. If we decide to do all rail, that means we'll only be able to cover a couple of corridors. If we decide to do all bus, we're arbitrarily excluding rail from the places it might really make sense. I'm very hesitant to tie our hands and not allow what works in other cities, just to keep things simple. Matching the mode to the needs of the corridor means we can maximize our efficiency, and thus stretch out dollars the farthest.
Denver is actually a pretty unique city, with it's single transit operator. Most cities have more than one operator, more than one brand, and more than one mode. It works because each operator/mode can focus on what it's best at. The key is coordinated marketing and fare payment, but those are really not difficult to accomplish.
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Originally Posted by bcp
can we avoid any talk of subways and futuristic BS?
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I agree. I do think ultimately Denver is going to have to build a downtown spine subway, but if our budget is about the size I think it is, even a short subway would gobble up too much of it. I'd rather have a citywide network than a 1-mile subway, given limited resources. So I'm happy to put the subway problem off for another generation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bcp
should an all BRT system (dedicated lane) be considered as a second option that queues itself up to graduation to a dedicated rail in the future
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Any BRT line could be improved to rail later, but it's never easy and it's more expensive than just doing rail right away. Anywhere we feel that we really need rail, it would better to just plan for rail.
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Originally Posted by RyanD
My only fear is that people won't ride an 'enhanced' bus system on say, Colfax.
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Really the goal of "priority bus" lines would be to make them about as good as Colfax is now. I agree we should shoot for something more on Colfax.
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Originally Posted by bobg
The metro mayors caucus and others are talking about a state sales tax
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Another potential option is internet sales tax. If Congress passes one, every state will have to decide where to put that money. If Congress doesn't, Colorado could still adopt its own (New York has). But either way it's dependent on the state, not something Denver can do locally.