Comments on: Light Rail Plan B

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:22:59 +0000

Yes Bill, thanks.

At last night’s forum there were a couple of great comments made about the issue of density and to how a light rail line (or fast streetcar) will compete with people driving their own cars. I think these are probably the most important issues to making the line a great success ridership wise and economically.

Right now there is little incentive (or disincentive) for people to give up their cars. Parking is easy and cheap, and it’s just as fast to drive somewhere. why would someone (besides a tourist w/o car) take the train?? We as a city should be looking at implementing overall urban design parameters and guidelines to be sure the line becomes an preffered option.

By: DaveKCMO

DaveKCMO — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:49:26 +0000

from an earlier comment of mine:

“…the BNIM plan approximates the route in almost every diagram in their proposal (typically represented by a pink line along broadway, compared to the red line along main/grand).”

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:08:02 +0000

Mike, did you ever get an answer to where we can find plans to compare the proposed lightrail routes??

By: KC Light Rail » Message To Funkhouser: Think Regional, Act Local

KC Light Rail » Message To Funkhouser: Think Regional, Act Local — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:17:48 +0000

[...] today’s Star — and in many other places where light rail is being discussed (here, here, here, and here) — there is consensus building that a 5-mile, locally-funded starter route [...]

By: Light Rail forum tonight : BlogKC

Light Rail forum tonight : BlogKC — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:47:19 +0000

[...] recently mentioned an alternative light plan from BNIM Architects that won a KC Design Center competition. The KC Light Rail blog mentions that plan was the topic of [...]

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:36:10 +0000

If you were walking, you’d see even more, things go by a lot faster when driving, you miss a lot. And imagine the revised skyline at night on a return trip on a gondola…talk about beautiful!

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:18:46 +0000

Oh, and what’s the “big deal” with walking 100 steps all uphill? It would be if you were 80 years old…and I can also imagine people from out of town at Union Station looking up at Liberty Memorial and thinking “I can’t believe they didn’t make it easier to get from here to there!”. Hell, a lot of people practically get in their car and back it down the driveway to get the mail out of the mailbox…sad, but true.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:07:35 +0000

Union Station made some money by getting the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Would’ve been nice if they’re would’ve been an easy, fun and unique way to get all those people up that huge hill to see the museum too, like a gondola, not waiting, waiting, waiting on some stupid shuttle that may or may not come. If you don’t make it easy and fun, a lot of people won’t bother. And we don’t need cars or buses in a designated green space, and people speeding through parks endangering pedestrians. KC needs to become a lot more pedestrian friendly, but we still need some way to get all those people, especially the old ones, up that huge hill. Gondolas would be a good way to do it. Get money out of people while they’re here every chance we get, that way WE don’t end up paying for everything we’re doing to improve the city. Get the visitors and conventioneers to pay for it, if it’s something unique and fun, they won’t mind. They’ll pay for a breathtaking gondola ride before they’ll pay for some crappy shuttle.

By: DaveKCMO

DaveKCMO — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:38:52 +0000

union station is no longer teetering on the brink of anything. this will be the first year that income will cover operating expenses… hardly spiralling into economic doom.

on the topic of the WWI museum, it’s a great experience regardless of the subject matter… and what better way to learn about something you dont’ know anything about? they do, however, need to be more concerned about connectivity with the neighborhood. perhaps a free low-emissions summer weekend circulator between city market, crown center, liberty memorial, union station, the plaza and the zoo would be a good first start.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:38:24 +0000

Yeah, but a lot of the people interested in WW1 are old. It’s easy for you or me to say just walk, but most people under the age of 60 don’t know anything about a WW1 and don’t care and time is running out for any audience for a museum about it. I wouldn’t walk across the street to see it, much less up a 100-step hill. Make the money while we can, and make it handicapped-friendly. Honestly, how much do most people know about WW1? If they don’t know, they don’t know, they don’t care. And not very many 80-year-olds care or know enough to walk 100 steps uphill.