Richardson: More light rail!
New Mexico governor and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson was in LA this week and made some very specific comments on why he supports expanding light rail systems in the US. Claiming he would make light rail "an equal partner" with highways, he also noted that the current administration has been absent when it comes to developing transportation alternatives. Richardson's home state has no light rail, but is home to Wi-Fi-enabled quasi-BRT lines (a second starting next month and another which will soon be replaced by a modern streetcar) and a very popular commuter rail line, all centered around one intermodal station in downtown Albuquerque.
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no one has ever said UMKC would not be included. the voter-approved route mandated a stop there and any formal discussions (including the TOD competition) has focused on the route between the plaza and the river. as you may be aware, UMKC is only blocks from the plaza.
from the official nov. 2006 ballot language:
“…Implement Kansas City’s new Heartland Light Rail System consisting of a north/south light rail spine beginning at the Kansas City Zoo in Swope Park and ending at Kansas City International Airport including, but not limited to, stops at UMKC, Nelson Art Gallery, Plaza, Westport, Union Station, Performing Arts Center, Convention Center, Power & Light District, Sprint Center, City Market area, North Kansas City, North Oak Trafficway, and Zona Rosa…”
[…] Via transit blog The Overhead Wire, we learned that Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is also jumping on the transit and infrastructure bandwagon (we noted Bill Richardson’s comments in an earlier post). Clinton proposes, amongst other items, to “increase federal funding for public transit by $1.5 billion per year”. This aligns with the prevailing wisdom that a Democrat in the White House means a higher likelihood for improved public transportation funding. […]