KC Star: Vote yes on light rail
The Kansas City Star endorsed the KCMO and NKC light rail questions on its editorial page today, a move that was expected given the broad consensus between elected officials and the business community.
Unlike the 2001 city-backed plan — or any one of the Chastain-backed petition initiatives — the current plan takes the best ideas and distills them down to an easy-to-understand starter route that connects to two major freeways on both ends, crosses the river, and serves KC's top three job centers. In short, it makes sense to all but the most stalwart anti-transit curmudgeons.
Couple all of that with an expected makeover of federal transportation funding, the rapid rise in environmental awareness, and an increase in local transit demand and you've got a great setup for victory on November 4.
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Let’s see $1.3 billion for the first 14 miles. W want regional transit. So in 10 years we go for $1.3 billion and will only build 7 miles and 10 years late we get 3 and a half miles, 21 years later we have gone 20 miles for $3.9 billion . We have 300 sq. miles for Kansas City.[ not counting Kansas] We will be rebuilding our first phase before we can start another half mile for $1.3 billion, So you see it will never happen. The Northland won’t get weekend bus service to the Airport,later evening hours to get from downtown, and no bus shelter’s to get in out of the rain, and snow. If NKC doesn’t pass this we won’t even get Light Rail North of the River. All because no one talked about modern streetcars folr a third of the cost.So what happen at the meeting that no one wanted to talk about anything but Light Rail and not give people info on streetcars, which could have been done for a third of the cost.
OMG your comments make no sense, but i’ll wade through and try a response anyway.
it’s not at all obvious that modern streetcars would really save KC any money since the utility relocation costs will double as money we would have spent on the sewer plan. also, you got the price tag WRONG. it’s LESS than a billion dollars and we’re only paying HALF of that. and before you prattle on about no federal dollars blah blah blah, if there is no federal match then there is no billion dollar plan since the sales tax wouldn’t raise that much money.
i’m sorry you don’t see the part of the route that goes north of the river. it’s there, trust us… all the way to vivion road at great expense. no transit plan could cover the ENTIRE northland, but connecting bus routes will do the trick for lowest population densities in KCMO.
So this is a sewer project not transit for the people. Now we know. This is total cost with interest. So with no federal plan everything stay south? After all the people voted for transit,so if we can go but 8 miles that’s OK to build a route? So no transit plan could cover the Northland, thank you now I know we will never get good transit for the Northland. We seem to get the short end of the stick all the time even when we pay most of the taxes for Kansas City. If I were a betting man I would bet it might make it to the Church just south of I-29. Guess what a end point to no where,with little density. I think the people know to look what’s on the ballot and there is no route, no stations, like voting for a pig in a poke. If I promised everyone a car in the Crestview area if they voted for my idea and paid a tax for 25 years and it passed with a vote. I didn’t say it would be a new car, I didn’t say it would have a heater,or radio, or AC. So why don’t we get the whole story? After all we should have more answers after a year of input, even when you used on a little of the people’s input.
wow northlander, maybe you should consider moving south of the loop.
No thanks. So this is just a bail out program for the poor planing that our City Leaders have got us into. The meetings on transit were just to get input to the fed’s,and not follow any of the neighbor input. How honest of you.
“most” taxes would be more than 50%. the northland generates about 1/3 of all sales tax in KCMO. with that in mind, the northland is getting two of the most expensive sections AND a new river crossing with ped/bike facilities. so there is plenty of equity for those north of the river.
regardless, this is a plan for the entire city that is attempting to meet the criteria for federal funding. running light rail 20 miles only to the airport through low-density subdivisions is not going to do that. thank god you’re not the lead consultant.
the synergy with the sewer plan — and that’s an assumption on our part since no one from the city or the project team has EVER indicated that — is just that: synergy. the first priority is transportation choice and improving transit funding in the metro. being transit-dependent by choice, we can tell you there is a very long way to go and this is just the start.
There is nothing in this proposal for south Kansas City. Not even a better bus route plan. Oh, yes, they say we can be at the end of a very long Troost MAX Bus route. And we will get shutled to 63rd and Bruce R. Watkins Dr. So we wait for the bus in south KC and then ride to 63rd and wait for the light rail train. This train by engineering statistics will go no faster than 19 miles an hour average.
This is a plan that goes no where and duplicates what little public transit now exists. This is not a region plan. We do not have a regional consensus as to how best serve the whole metro area.
It doesn’t go to the airport. Costs to construct in 2012 dollars at least 91 million a mile. KC’s bond rating is being lowered, so bonding costs will go way up. And we have yet to deal with the sewer issue in this town. The water bills are going up 400 to 500 percent in the next few years. On top of that increase, the city council will be asking for a sales tax increase right after the light rail tax. That tax will be for the sewers.
Now is not the time for this. In this economy the focus should be on the streets, the sewer problems, and basic services like bulky item pickup, not on raising taxes.
a) the entire bus system will be revamped to provide more frequent service that will connect with the southern terminus. stop pretending you know what you’re talking about and pay attention.
b) the “nowhere” claim has been debunked time and again. you’re welcome to stand at 63rd & prospect or vivion & north oak holding a sign that says “YOU ARE NOWHERE”. go ahead, we dare you. that doesn’t even begin to touch on all of the places in between the two terminii (”nowheres” like downtown, westport, plaza).
c) better transit service will serve the airport eventually. bus service today is based on low demand and limited funds and was almost cut until a vocal minority — us included, thank you — stood up to be heard. we recently rode #129 to KCI and were the ONLY riders once it arrived at terminal C. all other riders disembarked before barry road. a proposal to go to KCI would almost certainly mean the southern extension would be cut, which seems to contradict your bitchfest about south KC not getting served.
d) “now is not the time for this” is your opinion. lots of people disagree. the sewer plan is not fleshed out and will take 25 years to resolve once we figure out exactly what needs to be done. a greener plan hasn’t even been finalized for the feds.
So if it goes to Westport does that mean it will go down Broadway? And will the bus service be revamped before or after the Light Rail is finished? Gee no one seems to have any answers. How could we get a cost on the Light Rail when the stations for LR don’t have a design or a cost. Looks like the voters will be kept in the dark again.
a) westport includes more than just the intersection of westport road and broadway.
b) no reason to revamp bus services to reflect the addition of light rail until light rail service actually starts. meanwhile, increased service begins in the troost corridor when that BRT project is complete in 2010.
c) stations do have preliminary designs:
http://kansascitylightrail.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64
HNTB consultants, in the trough on this, should be asked to estimate the probability of securing federal funding since Wayne Feuerborn (one HNTB consultant) in September of 2007 indicated “the FTA has over 300 approved projects and only thirty of those are at the point of being funded so there is a line the City has to get in and federal funding is not guaranteed.” They should be further asked if the alternative analysis required by the feds has been completed, what it showed (perhaps that investment in busses makes more sense) and if Kansas City has even applied — gotten in line for federal funding. If, as I suspect, the probably that Kansas City will get federal funding is very slim — and, this side of 2025 — what business does the City have in soliciting taxes now and, if federal funding falls through, where will that money go or what will the public actually get — a streetcar that will not even make it over the river? Depending on the feds for 50%? An average of 21 mph — give me a break! Maybe cities will be next in line for a bail-out! To heck with retirement, give us more taxes!
Larry Banning you said it all.A light Rail that won’t go but 1 mph faster than the bus, but cost 65-70 million per mile.Just think of the buses we could add for just one mile of Light Rail.
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as an NKC resident living along swift avenue, i have to say this plan is a total dream for me - my only complaint is that it won’t magically appear on wednesday. the starter line would eliminate virtually all of the driving i do in the course of a week.
I can’t wait to vote yes for the Light Rail. Kansas City is such a large city, yet our public transportation is behind the times. The Light Rail will increase travel to downtown, thus increasing revenue. It will bring thousands of jobs to the city. It will reduce traffic, reduce pollution, reduce gas costs for the average driver. It’s such a great idea. I wish everyone could see the many benefits it will bring to our city.