Streetcar desire
Imagine streetcars replacing the MAX bus line up and down Main Street. Can you see it? Visualizing deeper to see a sleek silvery rail-ship slithering north and south to and from the airport? East (well not too far) and west connecting downtown with Johnson County? No need to drive to drink at the Power and Light public alcohol spigot.
Public transportation - so energy efficient. Carefree movement. Connection and interaction.
Empty Kansas City schools could serve as terminals; 21st Century re-use and redevelopment. Sleek safe conveyances to convey our children out of the city.
Do you ride the MAX bus now to get a taste of things to come? I like the MAX drivers, the vehicles too. When it’s really hot, they charge you half price. I doubt any regular riders read this blog, though. This mass transit, public experience probably doesn’t fit into your life. But, you’re visualizing and imagining, so that’s good. Can you handle being connected and being publically transported?
Do you have what I call a “commuter kit”? iPod, earbuds, maybe an e-reader. Backpack, waterbottle, basic-black-shades of grey, maybe brown outfits. Those colors hide the publically absorbed workaday grime of reality. Umbrella, don’t forget that. Comfortable shoes for walking and puddle-jumping. Head to Northface for your urban uniform.
In the meantime, I visualize deeply and can see it vividly. I’ve lived places with tolerable workable scheduled public transport in places across the pond. I visualize an accessible-on-your-handheld-device public access app with training spots, public announcements, even training videos; “Time to dress warmer for that commute”, “Fun healthy snacks you can smuggle”. We’ll need some tail-kickin’ WiFi on these streetcars; be sure that’s in the RFP, Sly.
“Hello, Google?…yes we need some fibre…sorry, you spell that with an “er”? OK. Yes for streetcars. Our transiteers, yeah, like Mouseketeers without the ears. We deeply desire digits for the streetcars. MAX bandwidth, baby. Who’s payin? Just send us a bill, we’ll figure that out. How many digits?”
Face it. You’re not ready for this. Don’t worry, you’ll adapt. Get some practice. Ride the MAX during your city “downtown / MidTown / Plahzah / Brookside jaunts. Believe me, you’ll need some practice. And start saving on parking by parking on a MidTown sidestreet for free, walk a block or two east or west with your family and catch the bus at 39th and Main. Practice. Connect with the public and keep visualizing, imagining, and desiring those streetcars.
Kent Mueller
1 year agoTom, have you seen projections for the average cost per ride? I would like to see that number.
Tom Ryan
Crossroads, Kansas City
1 year agoHaven’t researched that…yet, Kent…will share when I do… :-)
Tom Ryan
Crossroads, Kansas City
1 year agoInfo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatistreetcars#Feasibilitystudy Cincinnati’s streetcar adventure
[edit]Feasibility study A feasibility study was completed in 2007 that focused on a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) loop from The Banks, through downtown and Over-the-Rhine.[19] According to the study the city would gain between 1,200 and 3,400 additional residences, raise an additional $34,000,000 in property taxes, and yield $17,000,000 in retail activity per year from new residents.[3] Within a quarter mile of the line there are 97 acres (39 ha) of surface parking lots along the downtown and Over-the-Rhine line.[3] The potential yield of the parking lots for redevelopment is 3,787 housing units or 7,412,900 sq ft (688,680 m2) of commercial/office/hotel space.[3] The study says lots would create between $54 million and $193 million additional redevelopment per year, with a conservative estimate of $112 million per year.[3] A total property value premium of $379,000,000 plus $1,480,000,000 of redevelopment over 10 years (conservative estimate) would equal a total of $1,911,000,000 of benefits for the city.[3] The study concludes that the benefit-cost ratio of the downtown and Over-the-Rhine line would be 15.2 to 1, which means for every dollar Cincinnati spends it will receive $15.20 in return.[3] The University of Cincinnati “checked the math” of the study and found that the “projections of the benefits of ridership and economic development” are “credible.”[20] The study projected that a 2010 opening year would draw an estimated 4,600 riders of the downtown and Over-the-Rhine portion of the line each weekday.[3] According to city leaders, if 2 percent of downtown workers, and 2 percent of convention attendees, and 2 percent of Over-the-Rhine residents ride the streetcars it will meet that daily ridership.[15] By 2015 about 6,400 people are estimated to ride the streetcars per weekday.[3] Ridership numbers for the uptown line were not included in the study. The 2007 study also claims the streetcar system would have four significant economic effects: Customer base and customer access will expand for existing businesses. Improved market values of existing properties. Catalyst for new transit-oriented development where less parking is required. Supporting neighborhoods by making them more walkable.
Kent Mueller
1 year agoThanks Tom. I’m not familiar with that system. Was it built? Are those numbers occurring as projected?
I have to admit. The 15.2 to 1 ratio is really difficult to buy. Of course, for one thing, it appears they are including all projected construction costs as a dollar for dollar benefit for the city. It doesn’t work that way. If it did work that way, then the city should pay for a third of all construction because, by definition, it would get those dollars plus the other two thirds back, which would result in a 3 to 1 payback ratio…..obviously, not true.
Tom Ryan
Crossroads, Kansas City
1 year agoa link to the City of Cincinnati Streetcar page :-) http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/noncms/projects/streetcar/
Kent Mueller
1 year agoTom, thanks for the link. Here the portion that discusses funding: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/noncms/projects/streetcar/streetcar_cost.cfm
This illustrates most of my point. If we take the high end of projected fares (675k) and the naming rights (200k), that makes up 35% of the projected operating costs. Those are the only revenues created by the system. The other 65% of the annual operating costs are to come from casino revenues (unrelated taxes) and parking meter revenue (unrelated fees for service. Both of those sources could be used elsewhere. Or maybe even left in the pockets of the citizens (Yes, I know that is a wacky thought!!). So, at best, the fares will pay for only a third of the annual costs. Of course the 600 lb gorilla is the construction costs. 99.5 million. I don’t know what the 6.5 million of private money is, but there is 93.5 that will come from the city (financed by city taxes, of course) and from the federal government. The federal portion is all borrowed money because the federal govt is running deficits for as far as we can see.
Why is it that when we look at train systems so many people put blinders on that prevent them from seeing that we cannot afford them. The numbers are so ridiculous that it is hard to fathom why we are even having this discussion.
A side question. Will people flock to public transportation in the form of a street car when they don’t use the existing buses now? At what percent of capacity do the buses run? How realistic is it to think much greater numbers will occur on a street car?