Bill filed to reverse ban on Indy light rail

[scraphauler]

As big as a convention host as we are..it blows me away that light rail was not put in from downtown to the airport at least.  We're twenty years behind other big cities!!

And yet the conventions still come.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) traffic and parking is NOT a problem in downtown, no matter how much we complain about it.  It is simply not bad enough to force the population as a whole to demand better options.  Yes it would be nice to be proactive and have a vibrant public transportation system BEFORE the ultimate need arises.  But let's face it, any Politician of ANY PARTY who comes to Indianapolis (or any other similar city) and spends hundreds of millions or billions of dollars on PUBLIC, I can't drive my car there, TRANSPORTATION, regardless of how noble his/her intentions, is NOT getting re-elected.

Best we can hope for is a repeal of the prohibition on light rail which could possibly someday lead to a startup downtown circulator streetcar type system,  similar to Cincinnati.  Cincinnati Streetcar is a dismal FAILURE as a transportation system.  It's still very controversial and the democrat mayor still wants to ax it.   It's mainly used by the downtown lunch crowd and by locals and tourists moving between entertainment districts.  No one commutes on it.  And it require a large operating subsidy.  BUT it is a huge success as a economic development driver, concentrating new development along it's lines (development that arguably could have happened elsewhere in greater Cincinnati) and has turned what was once in the top 5 for most dangerous ZIP codes (per capita) in the US into a thriving and growing entertainment district.  Is it perfect, hell no.  But it's light years better than where it was a decade ago.   And it is slowly bringing the density in commercial, entertainment, AND housing that requires better public transit and, more importantly, making the idea of hoping on public transit something that is more palatable to the suburbanites who's taxes pay for it. 

[hobodano]

St. Louis Light Rail is impressive in what they have accomplished since Starting in 1994. They built 14 miles of MetroLink from Lambert Airport to downtown. The capital cost to build the initial phase of MetroLink was $465 million. Of that amount, $348 million was supplied by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Although the city population is (62nd), 317,000 and (62) square mile area is dwarfed by Indy’s (16th) 862,000 and (391) square miles. Of course, St. Louis has a slight edge of Metro population, (2 million to Indy’s 1.8 million) Metro area. After expanding to 46 miles, the system features 38 stations and carries an average of 53,123 people each weekday. As of the first quarter of 2015, it is second only to Minneapolis Metro Transit's in terms of ridership, and is the 11th-largest light rail system in the country. Irrespective, of residual benefits from housing, business, traffic, parking, convenience, pollution, the idea has merit. Of course, this only touches on the fringes of consideration and alternative viability. Good Point Scrap! 

[crblue]

Fortunately (or unfortunately) traffic and parking is NOT a problem in downtown, no matter how much we complain about it.  It is simply not bad enough to force the population as a whole to demand better options.

Given that IndyGo's Red Line project is reducing the number of travel lanes on the streets that it uses, my cynical brain sometimes wonders if this isn't a ploy to convince the driving public in Indianapolis that more transportation options are needed in a city this size.

Between the mostly un-used bike lanes and the Red Line, driving north and south between downtown and 38th Street is becoming a PITA.

[DUPER]

Long ago, passenger rail went out of business because there were not enough people to go from the fixed point A to the fixed point B that any rail line traverses.  The interstate highway system ran passenger rail out of business because it was a network of roads, not just a parallel road going from the same point A to point B.

People arriving at the airport have far more destinations in Indy than just downtown.  And people in Fishers have far more destinations than downtown.  In fact, I'll wager that downtown isn't a big destination for either group (outside of special events), so why even bother running a rail line to downtown at all?

[IndyHog]

Yes traffic or gas prices will have to increase dramatically before lightrail is feasible. We're not there yet.

[TomB]

St. Louis Light Rail is impressive in what they have accomplished since Starting in 1994. They built 14 miles of MetroLink from Lambert Airport to downtown. The capital cost to build the initial phase of MetroLink was $465 million. Of that amount, $348 million was supplied by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Although the city population is (62nd), 317,000 and (62) square mile area is dwarfed by Indy’s (16th) 862,000 and (391) square miles. Of course, St. Louis has a slight edge of Metro population, (2 million to Indy’s 1.8 million) Metro area. After expanding to 46 miles, the system features 38 stations and carries an average of 53,123 people each weekday. As of the first quarter of 2015, it is second only to Minneapolis Metro Transit's in terms of ridership, and is the 11th-largest light rail system in the country. Irrespective, of residual benefits from housing, business, traffic, parking, convenience, pollution, the idea has merit. Of course, this only touches on the fringes of consideration and alternative viability. Good Point Scrap! 

MetroLink is also plagued by very high crime and people are starting to avoid it.  Numerous articles on www.stltoday.com document it.

[hobodano]

MetroLink is also plagued by very high crime and people are starting to avoid it.  Numerous articles on www.stltoday.com document it.

To quote Scraphauler’s original post, “Is it perfect, hell no?  But it's light years better than where it was a decade ago. And it is slowly bringing the density in commercial, entertainment, AND housing that requires better public transit and, more importantly, making the idea of hoping on public transit something that is more palatable to the suburbanites whose taxes pays for it.”
From the early start (1994), Federal aid, Airport to downtown, residual benefits, and economic development would be considerations for light rail. Current trends in crime and ridership are a major concern, secondary to viable options for public transportation in a large city and are separate issues against a startup light rail project.
 

[ScottFlood]

The bill passed the House 89-5. Now on to the Senate.