By Frank on October 20, 2008
The P-I’s solid endorsement of Prop. 1 has just passed 200 comments. I haven’t clicked… I don’t need the heartburn just now. But that’s a lot of talk!
Meanwhile, hugeasscity’s post on land use patterns is another worthy read.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Frank on October 20, 2008
Speaking of D.C., it looks like “big train” is actually going to become a legitimate lobby. The winds are blowing for more infrastructure investment here in the U.S. Paul Krugman recently argued that it would make sense as part of a financial stimulus package. Plus you’ve got the 5-year federal transportation spending bill up for renewal in 2009.
All of it adds up to a potential big boon for transit and infrastructure.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Frank on October 20, 2008
I was going to wade in to the political blogosphere debate on D.C.’s building height limit, but I’m glad I waited for Ezra Klein to post this email from a reader, saying the focus on the height limit is misguided, and that D.C. should focus on more pressing issues. His second issue is particularly interesting:
(2) Single-use zoning currently chokes development in more than half of the city. A lot of prime real estate around the Red and Green lines goes wasted because developers aren’t allowed to build even a 10-story office/retail building, let alone a skyscraper.
Seattle’s pretty good about mixed use zoning, and we sort of take it for granted. It’s much more restricted in places like L.A. and D.C., and it makes transit-oriented development much harder.
As to the building height issue, I have to agree with the reader that it’s sort of a red herring in D.C. It’s just not that big a city to have a big downtown. Some folks think the height limit contributes to D.C.’s european feel, but it’s worth remembering that even Paris has downtown skyscrapers, they’re just in a part of the city that no tourists hang out in. But of course, Paris has 10 million residents. D.C. has about half a million.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Frank on October 20, 2008
Today, a piece of the Alaskan Way Viaduct fell off and crashed onto the street below.
Also today, America’s civil engineers gave America’s infrastructure a grade of “D”.
Weaving these two pieces of information into a brief, entertaining blog post is left as an exercise for the reader.
Posted in Eastside
By Frank on October 18, 2008
Martin at STB notes that Metro’s going to put off the fare increases they were talking about a few months ago.
It seems pretty clear to me the delay is being driven by the rather sudden drop in fuel prices we’ve seen over the last couple of months. The average cost for a gallon of gas on the West Coast peaked at $4.28 in July, according to the DOE, and is now sitting at about $3.37. Oil futures have dropped in half from their high this summer, on fear of a slowing economy.
It seems pretty clear that oil prices will rise again. Demand is still bumping up against available supply, and the market panic has probably panicked a bit more than is rational. Now would probably be a good time for Metro to lock in “cheap” gas at current prices, or face an even worse shortage down the road.
Posted in PPP
By Matt the Engineer on October 17, 2008
I’ve now heard two people threaten to leave Seattle if ST2 doesn’t pass. I certainly understand the frustration, but is this a logical choice?
Despite the popular sentiment about what a given project would do for your commute, using personal benefits as a factor in transportation planning seems like a terrible way to decide things. Let’s assume you live in Lynnwood, right next to the possible future station. The station won’t be available to you until 2023. That’s 15 years out. I don’t know about you but I’m not sure where I’ll be living in 5 years, let alone 15. I’m sure you don’t know where you’ll be working in 15 years. And even if you don’t move and don’t change jobs, you’ll be living your life for 15 years in a way that would otherwise cause you to move?
The reason I’m a supporter of ST2 has nothing to do with my life. If I wanted only to experience a good transit system, I’d move to New York or the other Washington. Why I support ST2 has more to do with a beneficent feeling about how a city should work. We know we’re running out of oil. We know that it’s a waste of human life for millions of people to sit in gridlocked freeways. We know that cities with fewer cars are more enjoyable places to live and work. We know that efficient transportation systems increase quality of life.
I live here because I like Seattle. I’m voting for ST2 because as much as I like Seattle, it could be better.
Posted in sierraclub, Trail
By Frank on October 16, 2008
Somehow in my past posts on Personal Rapid Transit systems, I’d overlooked the one that’s been running in Morgantown, WV for 30 years. Weird.
Serial Catowner mentioned it in one of the comments to a previous PRT post, but I hadn’t looked it up until Autopia mentioned it today.
Generally, I think this stuff is a boondoggle for city-wide adoption, but in specific settings with specific needs (such as Heathrow Airport, or a small Appalachian college town with a campus separated by a steep hill), it might make sense.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Frank on October 16, 2008
…to borrow a line from Atrios.
Here’s a study comparing driving habits in two outer-borough neighborhoods in New York City: Park Slope and Jackson Heights. The Slopers drive less. Why? It might be because they don’t have guaranteed parking in front of their house:
despite Park Slope having higher car ownership, Jackson Heights residents are 45 percent more likely to drive to work in the Manhattan Central Business District and 28 percent more likely to commute by car in general.
Posted in rural roads
By Frank on October 16, 2008
This map, showing the position of trains in and out of Zurich, is very cool. But what’s even cooler is the “disclaimer”:
The current view is based on the Swiss traintimetable, and does not yet show the actual GPS-positions of the trains. But, as Swiss trains are almost always on time, most of the time the position is accurate.
I’m jealous on multiple levels.
Posted in routes
By joshkelley on October 16, 2008
Apparently, I’m the first to post this article. Crosscut’s David Brewster has a good article on what the dangers of Prop 1 failing this year might be.
There’s a good chance the Proposition 1 ballot measure to expand light rail will fail, stalling for years comprehensive transportation planning in metro Puget Sound.
It’s a scary thought that this really may be our last chance!
I did have to laugh to myself about the first comment: the poster in opposition to the measure wants to sound like he knows completely what he’s talking about, but he references “Sound Move?!”
[via Crosscut]
Posted in bicycles, i5, lightrail, Port, ronsims, sr509
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