urbanSTL

Continuing until 7...

There are a lot of crazy arguments against streetcars, and this isn't the craziest, but I completely fail to understand the argument that a bus already serves the area. I mean, why the hell would anyone ever want to build a streetcar where there is no bus service - that is, no demand for transit. The opposite is obviously true. We should buiuld streetcars along our busiest bus routes.

I think the arguement that it is expensive and doesn't offer anything that fundamental couldn't be supplied by the bus system that currently exists is a valid argument against streetcars.

Questioning the claims that streetcars are somehow magnets for development that may or may not have happened without them (see Portland).

I also think the arguement that the ridership on the streetcar will compete with ridership on Metrolink valid as well. If they had chosen a N/S route this would not be an issue.

All valid arguements against IMHO. Decrying the impact on traffic a parking are silly however and fail to understand what a streetcar would do.

goat314 wrote:http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/03/27/ ... n-trolley/

Ahhh....Charlie wants his choo-choo. He sounds like a man whose being hit up for more spousal and child support. I guess the city-county lovefest is in jeopardy.

In my opinion, Dooley is being a dumbass. Whining like a b****. If anyone ever wonders why the region St. Louis is ass backwards at times, all they have to do is read this article. Geez.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Central Corridor is the heart of the region. With nearly 90,000 jobs, downtown is still the region's primary jobs center. Plus, there are more cultural, educational, convention, medical and research facilities and entertainment options in the Central Corridor than the Westport area could ever imagine.

Not that Westport is insignificant, because it has high-profile corporations and distribution facilities out of the wazoo, but I am willing to bet that 50% of the inbound traffic into Westport is coming eastbound from (St. Charles County) and areas around Westport (West St. Louis County). They like luxury cars and private jets - not light rail. (I kid).

"And plus, St. Louis County is paying more than anybody to the Metro for operation."

Why is Dooley complaining about how much St. Louis County is contributing to Metro? Maybe if he wants his train to Westport he should complain about why some of that massive highway construction spending (Page Avenue Extension phases, 270 expansion, 141 etc.) isn't going to Metro for light rail expansion. While Westport Plaza could stand to update its building stock, the Westport area in general isn't hurting to the extent of desolate/undeveloped parts of the Central Corridor.

This comment could be all for nothing because isn't the streetcar mostly based on a taxing district in St. Louis City?

Hey Charlie.....St. Louis County can have the Rams new stadium if you support the streetcar trolley for the Central Corridor.

arch city wrote:Hey Charlie.....St. Louis County can have the Rams new stadium if you support the streetcar trolley for the Central Corridor.

It's funny, but it might just work. What would be interesting is if the city dissolves as a county and becomes a municipality within St. Louis County - would Dooley still be against the streetcar, or would it be OK because it would be in STL County?

I'll defend Dooley. After listening to the audio of the board meeting, he comes across as much more reasonable than the KMOV article makes him out to be. His biggest point, with which I will agree, is that the streetcar project is moving too quickly. On the same day the final feasibility report came out, the Partnership is already requesting permission to proceed with a formal environmental study. Dooley's argument was that saying yes to this request would be equivalent to letting this brand new project jump in line in front of other transit projects already on the list, such as Westport, and this would present a possible conflict of interest for him. He supports the initial concept of the streetcar, but needs -many- more questions answered before he can vote in favor of the project.

^Isn't it amazing how quickly something can be demolished for a parking lot, but the brakes are put on when real progress can be made!

^ I'll criticize Dooley. One of his main points was how if the streetcar was given permission to proceed to the next step with formal environmental studies, it would jump in front of various MetroLink lines such as Westport and MetroNorth in the planning process. Okay, that's fair, but what effort has Dooley made to advance a Westport line to the next stage? … … …

The streetcar will be debated at EWGateway next month when Mayor Slay will have an opportunity to make a case for the project. He was in Jeff City, yesterday.

It's unclear how much Dooley is actually going to stand in the way of this. It would have been nice if Mayor Slay had been at the meeting.

^ By East/West Gateway let's be sure we mean the EWG board. The staff at EWG is awesome and does some great work. They're then trumped by petty and divisive politics.

^ And I would propose it's the Ehlmans and Kerns more than those two.

^Yep. And yet we continue to hear "It's just $0.02 on a $10 purchase" or even, "$780M over 20 years is a tiny, tiny amount compared to the regional economy." Unreal. Just imagine what could be done with $780M over 20 years for international flights, local transit, historic tax credits...on and on and on and on.