Poll of the Week | Will you use BRT?

I ask this question after reading an article in the El Paso Times today about the future of Bus Rapid Transit in El Paso. 

News Link

A Streetcar named…El Paso??

Wouldn’t you love to have a street car line running from UTEP to downtown…I would.  My  mom sent me an article from the San Antonio Express News and they are now seriously looking at getting streetcars up and running there in the next 2-3 years.  The project has all the major political and private big shots supporting it and after the study is completed, it will just be a matter of funding it.  Which leads me to my next question.

Should El Paso seriously consider a street car line and if it were to happen, where would you place it? 

from the collection of Joseph Testagrose

If I had my way, I would create a street car line that goes up and down Mesa from downtown up to around UTEP or maybe even Executive.  I know this idea isn’t revolutionary here and has definitely been thrown around recently, but I always like to bring up topics that are important to me and I seriously want your opinion.  Would a street car line spur rapid development along its corridors?

Does mass transportation really have a future here in El Paso?  I haven’t ridden on the BRT yet, but I probably should…only problem is that I have to drive there to jump on it…or I guess I could take the city bus and then transfer.

So next time you think of Marlon Brando yelling for Stella, think of a Streetcar named El Paso.

 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Stay cool under the canopy

So I was taking care of some business downtown yesterday and I walked from City Hall  over to the Chase Building.  As I was walking past the library/history museum, I saw so many people waiting for the buses and fighting the heat…even under the canopies.

I would like to propose that the city put up misters around the canopies to keep people cool who have to wait for transportation.  I’m not sure what the cost would be, but it would be a nice gesture.  I know there is a new terminal going in downtown, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put up a temporary solution right now.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Would you ride the train?

There was and currently still is a story on the front page of elpasotimes.com that talks about a proposed study for a high speed rail link between Denver, Albuquerque, and El Paso.    The study costs $5 million and the three states are hoping to get the FRA to pay for it.  If it is approved, then this proposed rail line could be on the Obama Plan for mass transit…which would be great…as long as it happens.  I have seen too many promises and not enough action for me to be a firm believer.

Senator Shapleigh wants this corridor to go into Mexico and connect Juarez, which is something I have wanted to see also.   However, the more I think about it, the more complicated this gets.  Mexico would have to pony up the dollars to build their rail link and then we would have to create the port of entry.  I can see a massive train station downtown where these high speed trains are coming and leaving but getting delayed because of customs.  Realistically, how many years will that take to get done, especially with all of the turmoil down there.

Next is ridership.  On any given day, how many people will be traveling on daily basis further than Las Cruces?  I am very interested to see the numbers work.   I have friends and family up in Denver but I can’t see myself going to visit them more than once or twice a year. 

Finally, the cost factor.  How much are we going to have to pay for a round trip ticket to Denver?  How much will a quick trip to Cruces and back cost? 

I really do hope this works out because it would be a great self esteem boost for the city and maybe give them that push they need to keep moving in the right direction.   

This is a step in the right direction and could create stronger ties between the isolated cities of the southwest.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Light rail on I-10 and US 54?

It is a crazy question, I know, but an idea I wanted to throw out there.  I would ride this for sure.  Travel times from the East side to West Side  can be a pain some days.  It would be great to have a system in place where we could hop on BRT that would take us to changing facility where we would then jump on (input your choice of mass transit) to take us to different stops along the interstate.  After that, we would jump back on BRT to our destination.  You could do the same thing on 54 when headed out to Fort Bliss or the neighborhoods out there.  Check out this video I found on youtube on what they want to in Nevada.

I know El Paso doesn’t have a subway system, but check out how CBS Outdoor is getting ready for advertising in the future in the London underground.  I would embed the video, but the uploader has disabled this feature.  Please click on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Ri9rBdnAQ&feature=related

Here is a discussion on future of mass transportation.  We might be able to do this here.  Please click link to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bkVbaEeGTA

 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

I’m late…I know…but read this

Today was a really busy day for me.  So busy that I didn’t get a chance to write a post on the borrowed computer.  However, as late as it is right now (8:39), I do have something to talk about.  I read an article a few days back about Senator Elliot Shapleigh pushing a city rail based-transit plan.

“The proposed project would use the railroad tracks that Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains already use in El Paso for trolleylike mass transit.

Shapleigh’s vision would create an international transit system, by using the abandoned Ferromex tracks in Juárez and connecting them to El Paso via the black bridge across the Rio Grande near Downtown El Paso.” 

The above quote is what I have been saying too.  There needs to be international rail based between Juarez and El Paso.  Enough people travel from city to city to make this a viable option.   It makes me happy to this conversation gaining traction and I hope international rail/light rail becomes a reality in the city of El Paso.

 

 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

How can we promote bicycling?

from smartbikedc.com

I was recently in Chicago and what I saw downtown made me think of what El Paso could have eventually.  No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump skyscrapers or a gigantic lake.  I’m talking about bike rentals and bicycle stations.  As the city continues to grow, my hope is that city planners will continuously add more and more bike paths from the inner city to the scenic areas.  For example, the desert trail off Resler should have a bicycle/rollerblade rental station.  Why?

• People who don’t own a bike can still ride by renting for $1
• The presence of a bike rental station will encourage ridership

How could this be accomplished?

• Through city, state, & federal funds
• donations from bike manufacturers & local bike shops
• on-site maintenance could be done by qualified volunteers
• make it viable by creating more scenic paved & unpaved bike trails

Another possible option could be a bike sharing program.  There are already many of these in place around the world.  I found an article that describes it really well.  Located throughout the city, people can rent a bike for up to a certain time limit.  However, before renting, they would have to go online to sign up and retrieve their pin number.  If the bike is out for more than the allotted time, some type of monetary fine would be assessed to the person’s account.  Check out how Washington D.C. is doing it.

Now, let’s talk about in-townbiking.   The people who would like to ride their bike to work, but don’t for one reason or another.  First, bike lanes need to be added to most city streets, especially near and in downtown.  Second, El Paso drivers need to learn to ride with inner city cyclists and vice versa.  Third, the city needs to construct several bike stations.  The first one could be downtown. 

So what is a bike station?  A bike station is place where bicycle commuters can store their bikes inside, have a place to change clothes, shower, and also get their bike fixed.  To use the station, commuters would pay either a monthly or yearly fee.  Check out chicagobikestation.com to learn more about it. 

Tell me your thoughts.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

A step in the right direction for mass transportation

The city  decided yesterday to issue $73.1 million in certificates of obligation.  More simply put, it’s non-voter approved debt.  Before you get upset, let’s take a look at what it will be doing, and then decide your feelings.  With the approval of this money, they city will be able to match state and federal funds for bus terminals, stormwater projects, etc.  The bus terminals are a big deal.  We need a better mass transportation system and it is logical to start with the bus situation.  Let’s take a look at the list of what will be funded through the debt.

Sun Metro projects:

Downtown transfer site, $509,000.

Glory Road terminal, $9.1 million.

Lower Valley terminal, $604,000.

West Side terminal, $1.4 million.

Oregon Street express line, $101,000.

Northgate terminal, $5.7 million.

Sun Metro administration building, $2 million.

Handicap improvements and shelters, $2 million.
Other projects:

Outstanding stormwater projects, $12.6 million.

Design of new Montana Avenue and Dyer Street rapid-transit corridors,”$2.6 million.

Design of Airway and Hawkins expansion as well as Alameda Avenue rapid-transit corridor, $7.4 million.

Land acquisition for Loop 375 and Northeast Parkway completion as well as development of Mesa Street rapid-transit corridor, $2.4 million.

Mandated public arts projects, $500,000.

Purchase of new Sun Metro buses, $16 million.

Replacement of city vehicles, $10 million.
Total:”$73.1 million.

The rapid transit corridors get me really excited.  This is the foundation for what will hopefully turn into some sort of light rail.  One issue that I hope the city will continue to work on is bike lanes or shall I say “Lane Bike”   

I don’t think there are enough of them and of the ones that are there, many cars use that an an extension of their lane.  I’m not quite sure how to fix the problem except to look at model cities like Austin, TX and Denver, CO.  Just found this article about bike lanes near Helen of Troy.  Also, check out the El Paso MPO site on bicycles.  I tried downloading some of the documents but my computer decided it didn’t want to.

 So tell me your thoughts.  Are you unhappy that you now have to pay some money for these projects to go forward?  Are you happy that the city is trying to take this city forward? 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.