Showing posts with label expansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expansion. Show all posts

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Tensions of Light Rail Travel

Although some of us are disheartened by the failure of Proposition M, we are not entirely surprised with the results. For the past several months, tensions regarding the funding and expansion of the light rail have been running high.

Many citizens in the area rejected the bill because they are unaware of the benefits that come with having a highly competitive public transportation system. Many citizens who do not use public transportation frequently see the expansion of the light rail as a waste of money and resources.

And, they also think that the light rail will bring crime from the city to the suburbs. (Several studies have disputed these assumptions).

Other regions very close to ours seem to be under the same kinds of pressures that come from a misunderstanding of the benefits of light rail travel. A recent article entitled “KC 'blew it’ On the Light-Rail Vote” explains how some observers feel that Kansas City made a mistake by rejecting a vote for bringing light rail transit to their city.

"Kansas City blew it with that vote,” Christopher Lienberger, an urban scholar, was quoted as saying. "It's an essential part of infrastructure in the 21st century. It would have been like not building freeways in the 1960s.”

Indeed, the addition of a new system would have likely been transformative for the city. Nonetheless, the voters in Kansas City spoke and decided against the development of a light rail system.

Actually, the tensions involved with light rail expansion or public transportation expansion in general are hardly new. Encouraging voters to approve projects that come at the expense of increased taxes is perhaps always a hard sell.

Given our own role as observers and cultural commentators on the subject of light rail, we’ll continue trying to assess the implications of this form of public transit, especially now as services will surely become more and more limited.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The November Vote


While the nation anxiously prepares for the presidential election, another vote in November will have important consequences for light rail commuters in the Metro East region. On Election Day, St. Louis county residents will vote for the next president of the U.S., but they will also vote for or against a proposed half-cent increase in the transit sales tax.

If approved, the revenue from the tax increase would go toward Metro operating expenses and future MetroLink expansion. People who support the increase argue for the need and value of investing in a better public transportation system. Opponents charge that the increase would tax large numbers of people who hardly use the MetroLink.

Whatever the case, the need to raise the level of its image going into the election, perhaps influenced officials at MetroLink to recently announce its intention to double the number of fare inspectors” on the light rail. Commuters have long complained that too many passengers ride the train free because of an “honor system” that many say leads people to ride the light rail without paying.

Having more fare inspectors helps ensure that passengers are actually paying for the service. More importantly though, raising the visibility of more fare inspectors perhaps assists the MetroLink’s public image, a necessity for success on the transit sales tax increase in November.

For now, we’ve been primarily paying attention to the light rail here in southern Illinois. However, it’s worth noting how the political issues in St. Louis County and the objective of MetroLink to add more fare inspectors will likely have effects on the experiences of Illinois light rail travelers as well.

We’ll keep following these developments. You can help us build knowledge on the situation by passing along links to relevant articles or sharing your insight on the topic.