KC Light Rail

No big news on KC light rail planning, but here are some other recent transit-related tidbits:

• KCATA has updated their trip planner: it's now MacOS friendly. Think you can't take the bus to work? Better check again!
• Last night, KCPT and By The People held a follow-up to the Oct. 20 transit forum. This event was not televised, but this time we were chosen to participate. We'll post the final report here once we receive it. The original forum will be re-broadcast on Jan. 4.
• MARC is also hosting a follow-up to their SmartMoves workshops that were held in various parts of the metro throughout the fall. This time there are only two sessions — Dec. 10 and 12 — and they're both accessible via public transit. RSVPs are recommended.
• Mayor Funkhouser will be on KCUR's Up To Date Wednesday and light rail will be a topic. Air time is 11:00 a.m. CDT and the call-in number is 816-235-2888. Also available as a live stream and podcast.
• MoDOT announced the winning design/build team for the new Paseo Bridge — soon to be "a landmark cable-stay Missouri River bridge expandable to eight lanes and capable of accommodating a future bicycle/pedestrian facility once connectivity is established" — on Nov. 14. While it won't accommodate light rail and will open by 2011, be on the lookout for a new river crossing upstream that will be part of the revised light rail plan from KCATA and HNTB. The Heart of America and ASB bridges are out of the picture. We're guessing that will make Grand Avenue the south shore landing point and Swift Avenue in North Kansas City the north shore landing point.
• Bike racks have been installed along 12th Street as part of the downtown streetscape improvements in that corridor. If you've got more than a few blocks to walk to the bus stop near your home, remember that every city bus has a fold-down bike rack on the front. Instructions and pics are here. Word has it that bike racks are also coming soon to the Power & Light District as a last-minute addition. City bike parking rules are here.
• Charlotte's new light rail line is attracting solid numbers now that fares are being collected. The next light rail newbie, Phoenix, has started testing their new line — which is on-time and on-budget; it's due to open in December 2008. New Haven is seriously talking streetcars, and there is chatter that Savannah will be launching a streetcar circulator next year. In the bad news column, St. Louis Metro lost its lawsuit against the contractors who built the "Cross County" light rail extension to Clayton.
• Expanding Amtrak service to Oklahoma is the topic this Saturday as the Northern Flyer Alliance holds a public meeting at Union Station to build grassroots support for plugging a big hole in Amtrak's national network. Only 200 rail miles separates Newton, Kansas, from Oklahoma City, and Wichita (the largest city in Kansas) is not currently served.