I think that this is the forum for this.
On May 1, Orlando and the Central Florida area will experiment with light rail transportation.
For almost three decades now, Congressman Mica and others have been trying to get the money for some kind, any kind, of train transportation system here. And for all that time I have been fighting it. Writing Congressmen, writing the Orlando Sentinel, and calling into local TV and radio.
Here's my beef with it and some predictions:
1. The SunRail will cost more to build and run than it will take in. The people running it haven't supplied the numbers yet, it isn't fully operational though.
2. Almost no one will ride it. Oh sure, it's a novelty at the moment, and for the first few weeks, perhaps even the first several months, there will be a lot of people trying it out. Once they see that it doesn't work for them, the ridership will fall drastically.
3. It's hot here in the summer and the summer lasts 9-10 months. The train will not take you to your place of work's doorstep so you are going to have to walk in the heat.
4. The government (local and county) will have to recoup the money they will be losing in some way. Likely they will increase transportation costs to those who do not take the train and instead use their car.
For instance my scenario:
Driving, it takes me 35 minutes to get to work. That's from leaving my house to walking into the building.
Let's say I lived in a place other than where I live, a place even remotely close to a train station, but not close enough to walk there. I have two choices; I can walk to a bus stop and wait for a bus, or I can drive my car to the train station. Let's eliminate the driving since it's pretty dumb to drive to take a train.
So I leave my house in the morning, in my scrubs and lab coat. In the summer, it's at least 80 degrees in the morning before the sun comes up. Walking to the nearest bus stop in the 90+% humidity, I begin to get a little damp, it's about a half mile. Then I have to wait for the bus. If I time it right I shouldn't have to wait more than 10 minutes. Ride the bus to the train station, MAYBE I'll get lucky and I'm the last stop the bus makes before it heads to the station (not likely at all). Then when I get to the station, I have to walk to the proper train, and wait for it to arrive. Now, I'm very fortunate in that I know that there is a train station two blocks from the hospital. once I arrive at the station I have to walk again in the Florida heat and humidity in my scrubs and lab coat, the two blocks to the hospital.
Sorry, that is not going to happen. There is no way I can do all that in 35 minutes or less. Not worth it. Unfortunately, it's too late now to reverse the bad decision, scrap the train and go back to fiscal comon sense.
On May 1, Orlando and the Central Florida area will experiment with light rail transportation.
For almost three decades now, Congressman Mica and others have been trying to get the money for some kind, any kind, of train transportation system here. And for all that time I have been fighting it. Writing Congressmen, writing the Orlando Sentinel, and calling into local TV and radio.
Here's my beef with it and some predictions:
1. The SunRail will cost more to build and run than it will take in. The people running it haven't supplied the numbers yet, it isn't fully operational though.
2. Almost no one will ride it. Oh sure, it's a novelty at the moment, and for the first few weeks, perhaps even the first several months, there will be a lot of people trying it out. Once they see that it doesn't work for them, the ridership will fall drastically.
3. It's hot here in the summer and the summer lasts 9-10 months. The train will not take you to your place of work's doorstep so you are going to have to walk in the heat.
4. The government (local and county) will have to recoup the money they will be losing in some way. Likely they will increase transportation costs to those who do not take the train and instead use their car.
For instance my scenario:
Driving, it takes me 35 minutes to get to work. That's from leaving my house to walking into the building.
Let's say I lived in a place other than where I live, a place even remotely close to a train station, but not close enough to walk there. I have two choices; I can walk to a bus stop and wait for a bus, or I can drive my car to the train station. Let's eliminate the driving since it's pretty dumb to drive to take a train.
So I leave my house in the morning, in my scrubs and lab coat. In the summer, it's at least 80 degrees in the morning before the sun comes up. Walking to the nearest bus stop in the 90+% humidity, I begin to get a little damp, it's about a half mile. Then I have to wait for the bus. If I time it right I shouldn't have to wait more than 10 minutes. Ride the bus to the train station, MAYBE I'll get lucky and I'm the last stop the bus makes before it heads to the station (not likely at all). Then when I get to the station, I have to walk to the proper train, and wait for it to arrive. Now, I'm very fortunate in that I know that there is a train station two blocks from the hospital. once I arrive at the station I have to walk again in the Florida heat and humidity in my scrubs and lab coat, the two blocks to the hospital.
Sorry, that is not going to happen. There is no way I can do all that in 35 minutes or less. Not worth it. Unfortunately, it's too late now to reverse the bad decision, scrap the train and go back to fiscal comon sense.
