Comments on: Anti-rail flow chart

By: John Davis

John Davis — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:57:54 +0000

Where is it that stations will be built around downtown through the plaza and beyond? Does the city own 10+ acres in which to build a maintenance yard along the projected line? One of the things that caused this initiative to fail is the fact that the council was so adamant about getting it out there without even hammering out any details. No ridership projections, no details about the ‘larger’ items. I have spent enough time in big cities to know that a rail system usually has a maintenance yard at either end of the line, and ALWAYS has one at one end, with a smaller yard at the other for turnarounds and whatnot. Explain to me where this yard should go, and if the city doesn’t own the land, and needs 10+ acres for something, what they do then. I’m all for transit, believe me, but you gotta hand out some more details. Why does Portland have a great system? The local officials are very pro-active with transit, the citizens are highly educated, living in a denser area, and things such as a billion dollar+ initiative are detailed out prior to anyone voting on them. KC? Re-active. Oooh, crime rate doubled again from last year? Buy more steel plates for the roads. Losing population? Raise the property tax levy for the schools. You could melt a boat in the toxic MO River around downtown? Build a pier at the river market to nowhere for a few million.

Educate your people.
Be proactive with solutions, not bandaids.
Explain the issues.
Infighting leads to outflow.

By: William Rockhill Nelson

William Rockhill Nelson — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:37:22 +0000

John, What are you talking about with eminent domain? The light rail project is going to be within existing street right of way. No houses or businesses will be taken to build the rail system. This is a lie being pushed by the foil hat crowd.

By: John Davis

John Davis — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:38:47 +0000

Do you blame some of the people involved? Eminent Domain will probably take $150 Million of the well-over-a-billion dollars this project will be estimated at, just one day after the election. This will include some people’s houses and hard-earned businesses, who inevitably will get the screw and in fighting for what’s fair for them will get bogged down for years in the courts. But as long as we can have a pretty train…Too bad they couldn’t just expand the MAX to cover 50 miles for 1/10th of the cost.

By: Hippstar

Hippstar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:11:14 +0000

This chart is why I hate politics and can’t bring myself to be moved by any political candidate of any party. Depressing.

At least I’ll always have alcohol.

By: Mark Forsythe

Mark Forsythe — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:48:58 +0000

Nice work on the flow chart. I hadn’t thought about why the Citizens Association has been silent on the light rail proposal until now.

By: William Rockhill Nelson

William Rockhill Nelson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:25:11 +0000

It doesn’t claim that Brooks is still on the Council. It just shows he gave money to the Citizens Association.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:09:44 +0000

Your flow chart is a little bit flawed. It doesn’t show the next layer down and it still thinks that Alvin Brooks is a councilman.
Some of the machinations that have taken place with this election are because extreme pressure in the form of verbal suggestions that some organizations and persons would have their projects slow up or derailed. Wait until this election is over. You will get rumors of some very upset individuals seeking revenge, payback.