Light-rail debate in Vancouver, Washington
Posted by Christian in TriMet on Apr 11th, 2008 | 9 commentsRead a recap of Wednesday’s light-rail forum for Vancouver over at the Columbian today. The meeting reportedly brought out 100 Vancouverians (is that how you call them…?).
The forum was to bring about a discussion on the Columbia River Crossing Project (which installing a light-rail system is included in the four billion dollar project in replacing the I-5 bridge)… instead, the discussion mainly hovered around the future of gasoline & the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.
One of the best things in the recap article written was about Michael Ennis, transportation director for the Washington Policy Center. He presented conclusions after studying the light-rail systems for Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles & San Diego. His conclusions were that light-rail systems:
- Serve about 2 percent of the work force.
- Remove only 0.39 percent to 1.1 percent of cars from freeways and roads.
- Require government subsidies to cover 73 percent of operating costs.
- Cost 35 to 100 times more to attract a new riders to light rail than it would to a traditional bus system
“Cars are the solution,” Ennis said. “Cars are not the problem.” Really? Cars are indeed the solution when we bring about a means to end our oil dependency. They’re the solution when more than 2% of the population (an estimate) drive a hybrid.
From how I see it now, and with how our slow adoption rate of hybrids and looking for cleaner fuel alternatives, thinking that “cars are the solution” is a way of saying, “Let’s use oil til the last drop and then figure out another way to drive the main mode of our transportation system.”
9 Responses to “ “Light-rail debate in Vancouver, Washington”
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Also noted:
“Prior to Wednesday’s forum, TriMet submitted some information to The Columbian, including:
* Since the light rail line along Interstate Avenue in north Portland opened in 2004, weekday transit ridership has nearly doubled.
* Since the line to Portland International Airport opened in 2001, ridership is more than 2.5 times higher than it was when the airport was served by buses.
* Since the line to Washington County opened in 1998, transit ridership in the corridor has tripled.
If lightrail came to Vancouver, I wouldn’t even own a car! The only reason I do currently is because it takes so long to get to Portland by bus, that I would rather drive. I never drive my car in Portland though, I always use Max. I think lightrail coming to Vancouver is an amazing idea, that all of us as residents could use!
[...] DeVore has his own take about the Vancouver light-rail forum which I wrote about that took place last Wednesday. Jon brings about some good ideas, including this one: “As [...]
Portland’s light rail is the best. I’m planning to move to Vancouver. I’m just waiting to see where the light rail goes so I can buy a home near the terminal.
I think the idea here is just that it is important to take the first steps…. when you look at mature cities like New York/Newark or Paris (not that Portland/Vancouver is or ever will be their size), they all started with a rail line and gradually expanded it over many years to be comprehensive. If we as two cities can make our light rail system(s) convenient, it can potentially remove the need for cars a few years down the road. Planning is important.
And when I say a few years I mean many years… haha…
[...] I don’t see the point of building them an expensive light-rail line that they’ve told us repeatedly they don’t want and can’t afford to [...]
Firstly, I am a Vancouverite and not a “Vancouverian.”
More importantly though, I have been so frustrated by the Washington side of this discussion. What I would give to have Max extended into Vancouver! It is beyond me why the city of Vancouver continues to place residential sprawl and strip malls before the implementation of a transit system that would benefit the entire urban area far into the future.
@Jared – Vancouverian, Vancouverite, Vancouvie… same’s same
Sorry if I offended you in any way..
Jared, you are right. What’s unfortunate is that our city is so spread out that it will be difficult to place transportation systems among existing infrastructure.
Folks,
Unless and until the Regional Transportation Authority changes its current decision regarding the trunk line transit mode in Clark County — Bus Rapid Transit — bringing the Max across the river is wasting half a billion dollars we don’t have.
I love riding the Max; when I worked out a Nike I’d park at Delta Park and take the going-out-of-service 6:29 or 6:59 train to Elmonica and read The Economist all the way. Getting home wasn’t so easy because the coming-into-service trains leave Elmonica during the 4:00 hour, before an arrival at 7:50 or 8:20 allows departure. Still, I did it because it made sense economically and environmentally.
Whenever I visit a city with a light rail line I make a point to ride it. So I’m an LRT “fan” through and through. Do not tar me as a “loot rail” wingnut. I’m not.
But I still think it’s crazy cubed to spend an additional half billion dollars bringing the Max over the river for a mile and a half stub! A stub which would get to within five blocks of Clark College but doesn’t bother to go there. Oy-vey!
I’m not certain the “Rapid Bus” will survive the crazy traffic between Chkalov and the Hospital, and the Highway 99 route is too short for Rapid Bus to make much difference in running time, but they’ve made their decision and it’s not likely to be replace with LRT once in place. The buses might become TB’s some time when the eastern gorge is filled with windmills and power towers, but tracks are not going to be laid on Mill Plain, Fourth Plain, and Main Street.
I do think one out of three BRT runs on each the Hwy 99 and Mill Plain routes when developed should cross the bridge to Delta Park in order to make a single transfer ride to downtown Portland via the Max.