Local puff media fails again

Posted on July 18, 2006 | 4 Comments

Apart from KUT, nobody bothered to get a remotely critical reading on Capital Metro’s latest PR blitz other than Jim Skaggs’ Neanderthal Act. And even KUT let Cap Metro off the hook, as it turns out. (Note that the Cap Metro flack responding to my comment that the shuttle bus or eventual streetcar would not be reliable or fast since it’s sharing a lane with cars said that the commuter rail train would take the same amount of time every day – which is true – good dodge, CM flack; I salute you).
There’s really only one question you need ask Capital Metro:
How are passengers on the train going to get from the train station to their office in the morning, and how are they going to get back to the train station in the evening?
The rail line doesn’t even go close enough to downtown offices for people to walk; and there’s zero chance anybody’s going to walk the mile or two to UT or the Capitol. So, again, why is nobody asking Capital Metro how they’re going to get to work in more detail?

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4 Responses to Local puff media fails again

  1. Rad Tollett | July 18, 2006 at 9:09 am |

    They are already working on that, we just haven’t heard much about it. One plan calls for the commuter line to extend to Seaholm, which would obviously open it up for more access. But the main idea is to have a street car system aligned with commuter rail arrival times so that people can trolley to their office once they get off the commuter line.
    This won’t happen tomorrow, or even next year, but it surely will happen. Once the commuter line is in place the general concensus will be to build a larger system. See Dallas’s plans with DART for further explanation as to how synergy comes with patience.

  2. M1EK | July 18, 2006 at 9:19 am |

    Rad,
    Thanks for commenting. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite of what DART did – DART took their first light rail line right into the heart of downtown, so that essentially everybody who rode the train could walk from the station to work.
    A transfer to a shuttle-bus is bad, I hope you agree; but think about why a transfer to a streetcar would be any better. Remember – this streetcar doesn’t have its own lane (unlike light rail); so if cars are choking the road on which it travels, it’s not going anywhere fast.
    What South Florida’s experience has shown is that you can promise “buses to meet the train”, but (A) it’s very hard to do, and (B) even if you do it, the whole point of rail was to attract commuters who don’t want to take the bus – because people know in their gut that the bus isn’t reliable, and it isn’t fast.

  3. Gerardo | July 18, 2006 at 9:26 am |

    The question is a valid question. I understand and agree with what Capital Metro is trying to do. I personally believe that it would solve a lot of traffic problems and it is a convinient way of travaling. Yet, The question posted in the blog is 100% valid. What is the used of catching a train when I can not still get to where I want to go. I, for one, try to use public transportation as much as I can. Yet it is difficult to use when there are not enough busses going from south to north and/or the times are not available. I do wish iof capital metro wants to gain more of our business they need to communicate exactly how they plan to answer these kind of questions. Otherwise, it will be the same problem as I encounter, not enough lines and/or time of busses.

  4. DSK | July 18, 2006 at 9:32 am |

    “other than Jim Skaggs’ Neanderthal Act…”
    Cue the metrosexual cavemen from the Geico commercials…