Daniel Krause, vice-chair of Californians for High-Speed Rail, asked me to write a blog post about the situation that we find ourselves in, with city leaders arguing for a distant greenfield station for HSR, rather than the natural downtown location that ought to be chosen.
Also, while I re-hash many of the issues I have previously addressed here, the post is NOT a re-post of anything I've previously written. Go read it!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
There is No Such Thing as a Green Car
From yesterday's Carbusters blog:
I concur.
The basic point is this: there is no such thing as a green car. It is not sustainable for individuals to hop into a two, four or eight thousand pound metal box for mobility.
I concur.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Help Me Block Car Ads
It has come to my attention that ads for things like the local Jeep dealer, and Progressive car insurance, are popping up on my blog. Google is picky about what sorts of categories of ads you can block- "Video Games" is one, for example, but "Automobile & Suburban Sprawl" is not. Therefore, I have to block these ads on a per-company basis. If you see an ad that is antithetical to the mission of this blog, please let me know what web site it links to.
September Service Changes
The details of the September service changes are out, and the good news is that there aren't any serious cuts to be had. The one major cut is the removal of service on the 25 through Grand Terrace, but replacement service on that route will be provided on the new Omnitrans 325. In fact, since Omni's service changes go into effect on September 7th and RTA's on September 12th, there will actually be a few days of overlapping service. (Yes, I'm going to try and ride through there on one of those days, just for the hell of it.) With that, let's take a look at what's coming next month.
Minor Schedule Adjustments
The following routes have only minor schedule adjustments coming, mostly to improve connections to other routes or local schools and colleges: 1, 7, 8, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 40, 41, 51, 79.
Corona Transit Center
The following routes will change routing and schedules in order to provide service to the new Corona Transit Center: 3, 206, 216.
No longer serving Tequesquite Loop
The 29 and 49 will terminate at Downtown Terminal, no longer providing service to Tequesquite and Pine.
14 combined with 25
The 25 will be discontinued, and the 14 will run what used to be its route, serving Highgrove and the Loma Linda VA hospital, but terminating at Tyler Mall. There will be no service through Grand Terrace, with the new route 14 using I-215 and I-10 for service to the VA Hospital.
Pierce Street Shuffle
Because the 14 will no longer serve Pierce & Sterling, the 15 will be extended from Tyler Mall to Pierce & Sterling via Indiana. The 12 will pick up the former 15 routing along Hole and Pierce. All segments will actually see either the same or more frequent service.
New service to Bonsall
The 202 will now serve Hwy. 76 and Camino Del Rey in Bonsall.
Understand that we're not out of the woods yet, but economic forecasts are looking more stable at this time. We may have seen the worst of the transit funding crisis.
Minor Schedule Adjustments
The following routes have only minor schedule adjustments coming, mostly to improve connections to other routes or local schools and colleges: 1, 7, 8, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 40, 41, 51, 79.
Corona Transit Center
The following routes will change routing and schedules in order to provide service to the new Corona Transit Center: 3, 206, 216.
No longer serving Tequesquite Loop
The 29 and 49 will terminate at Downtown Terminal, no longer providing service to Tequesquite and Pine.
14 combined with 25
The 25 will be discontinued, and the 14 will run what used to be its route, serving Highgrove and the Loma Linda VA hospital, but terminating at Tyler Mall. There will be no service through Grand Terrace, with the new route 14 using I-215 and I-10 for service to the VA Hospital.
Pierce Street Shuffle
Because the 14 will no longer serve Pierce & Sterling, the 15 will be extended from Tyler Mall to Pierce & Sterling via Indiana. The 12 will pick up the former 15 routing along Hole and Pierce. All segments will actually see either the same or more frequent service.
New service to Bonsall
The 202 will now serve Hwy. 76 and Camino Del Rey in Bonsall.
Understand that we're not out of the woods yet, but economic forecasts are looking more stable at this time. We may have seen the worst of the transit funding crisis.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
This Week in Transit, 8/22
For those of you who missed it, check out the epic comment thread on this post.
Here's your week in transit.
Here's your week in transit.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Another reason to build HSR downtown: to beat Corona.
Back in this post, I talked about some of the reasons to build the HSR station downtown, rather than in bumblefuck nowhere near March Field. (By the way, you should read the comments- the spirited discussion is a vindication of my decision to allow anonymous comments.) Here's another: so we can ensure that we get the station instead of Corona. The High-Speed Rail Authority is required to evaluate potential alignments and station sites in terms of the potential they hold for dense development and connections to existing transportation infrastructure. Well, let's take a look, shall we?
As you can see, the most credible argument that we, as a city, can make to the Rail Authority about why they should choose a Riverside alignment over a Corona alignment is the thing that we have and that Corona lacks- a dense, urban downtown.
Also, many have argued that the Riverside station is a better bet for ridership from the populated areas of the Inland Empire- that Corona, situated on the edge of a mountainous wilderness and a nearly impassible canyon, would be too far away for San Bernardino residents to get to. They're right, of course, but March Field is only better if you believe that people will still be driving well into the 21st century- which I do not. For transit riders, especially from San Bernardino and Rubidoux, a downtown Riverside site is a significant improvement over Corona, with connections via both Metrolink and local bus services. However, getting to a March Field site will be yet another transfer to undoubtedly lousy service on either the Perris Valley Line or infrequent RTA bus service- these riders might find a Corona site much simpler.
In summary, the tension between a downtown Riverside station and a March Field station may be a moot point. It may be a choice between a downtown Riverside station, and one in Corona.
| Site | Potential for Density | Transportation Connections |
|---|---|---|
| March Field | None- Greenfield set in suburban sprawl | 1 local bus line, 1 (to-be-built) commuter rail line |
| Corona (Downtown) | Some- I-15 skirts downtown, with potential for infill | 5 bus lines, one of them express, 2 commuter rail lines |
| Corona (Dos Lagos) | None- Greenfield set in suburban sprawl | 1 bus line |
| Riverside (Downtown) | Explosive- urban downtown undergoing significant investment | 10 local bus lines, 5 express bus lines, a planned BRT line, and 4 commuter rail lines |
As you can see, the most credible argument that we, as a city, can make to the Rail Authority about why they should choose a Riverside alignment over a Corona alignment is the thing that we have and that Corona lacks- a dense, urban downtown.
Also, many have argued that the Riverside station is a better bet for ridership from the populated areas of the Inland Empire- that Corona, situated on the edge of a mountainous wilderness and a nearly impassible canyon, would be too far away for San Bernardino residents to get to. They're right, of course, but March Field is only better if you believe that people will still be driving well into the 21st century- which I do not. For transit riders, especially from San Bernardino and Rubidoux, a downtown Riverside site is a significant improvement over Corona, with connections via both Metrolink and local bus services. However, getting to a March Field site will be yet another transfer to undoubtedly lousy service on either the Perris Valley Line or infrequent RTA bus service- these riders might find a Corona site much simpler.
In summary, the tension between a downtown Riverside station and a March Field station may be a moot point. It may be a choice between a downtown Riverside station, and one in Corona.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Our long national nightmare is half over.
One of our two wars, the one in Iraq, is officially over. Of course, this is the war that has been "officially over" so many times it's not even funny, but this time the announcement comes accompanied with the sight of American vehicles trundling across the Kuwaiti border 50,000 servicemembers will remain in Iraq for "Operation New Dawn", which is what the military is calling the attempt at training Iraq's military and police forces.
Whether we won or lost the war is a question I will leave to military historians. And, of course, this isn't an ideal situation- I'd much rather see every American out of both Iraq and Afghanistan tomorrow. However, this is a sign that things are moving in the right direction, and a victory for those of us who seek peace.
I look forward to next summer, when President Obama has promised that the same sights will come out of Afghanistan.
Whether we won or lost the war is a question I will leave to military historians. And, of course, this isn't an ideal situation- I'd much rather see every American out of both Iraq and Afghanistan tomorrow. However, this is a sign that things are moving in the right direction, and a victory for those of us who seek peace.
I look forward to next summer, when President Obama has promised that the same sights will come out of Afghanistan.
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