The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread

[Guest]

... a MSNBC/NBC/Esquire Poll vs. a Gallup Poll.... 'nuff said

but yeah for Mayor Dean's compromise.....

[mirydi]

MSNBC...

[fieldmarshaldj]

^That's the Ronan Sinatra network, ain't it ? The one whose show is getting beat in the ratings by 30-year old reruns of "The Golden Girls" ?

[mirydi]

^The Al Sharpton show is the best...

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hold the phone, MSNBC actually employs a Black person ?

[ruraljuror]

I'm with y'all.  MSNBC is 80% partisan cheer leading--Infotainment that barely reaches minimum levels of either information or entertainment.  Of course, this is the model that seems to be working the best in the shark tank that is the cable news industry, so I guess they're just doing what they think they've got to do to compete.  Not the way I would've gone were I in charge, but it's such an uphill climb that I'm not sure there ever was a right answer.  Besides, it's 2014, what kind of people still get their news on tv anymore?

Edited April 2, 2014 by ruraljuror

[mirydi]

I'm with y'all.  MSNBC is 80% partisan cheer leading--Infotainment that barely reaches minimum levels of either information or entertainment.  Of course, this is the model that seems to be working the best in the shark tank that is the cable news industry, so I guess they're just doing what they think they've got to do to compete.  Not the way I would've gone were I in charge, but it's such an uphill climb that I'm not sure there ever was a right answer.  Besides, it's 2014, what kind of people still get their news on tv anymore?

Hell me either...I would have just hired a bunch of hot chicks with short mini skirts, that always seem to accidently not close their legs so you can get some nice upskirt shots like Fox News. That direction seems to be working quite well...

[BnaBreaker]

I agree that Gallup is a more reputable pollster than MSNBC. 

 

That being said though, the two polls posted are about totally different things, in my eyes.  Labels are labels are labels.  I don't think they should be, but the labels are important to a lot of people.  What people consider themselves to be can often be very different than what they actually are when you break it all down.   The image people want to paint for other people to see usually isn't a great indicator of what they think on an issue-by-issue basis.  I'm not making any presumptions about what the results might have been if the Gallup poll was about specific issues, but it seems to me that it would yield at least somewhat different results, and I'd be very interested to see that poll. 

 

Also, cable news in general is just pure crap, in my opinion.  I saw some of CNN's coverage of the lost Malaysian Airlines plane and it made me cringe.  There was actually brief discussion about whether or not the plane might have gotten sucked into a tiny black hole.  I mean, I know they have 24 hours to fill with...something...but good god. 

Edited April 2, 2014 by BnaBreaker

[producer2]

... a MSNBC/NBC/Esquire Poll vs. a Gallup Poll.... 'nuff said

but yeah for Mayor Dean's compromise.....

It's not an MSNBC poll, just reported by them, but the sad part is we have come to the point where we have separate networks who we look to for "the news." What does that say about how we view things? You can find reports on this from a variety of outlets that have the same variety of numbers. The more important issue is we, as a society, are now so against any discussion unless it is "our way" that important issues like Mass Transit don't get solved they get debated. At least the Mayor is open to some compromise in order to move this project forward. My fear is both sides are so far apart that is will never happen. It's also not lost on me that in the end, ideology is the deciding factor. East Nashville loves it and West Nashville hates it and a guy who sells automobiles and one who sells gasoline are the leading opponents.

[Vrtigo]

East Nashville loves it and West Nashville hates it and a guy who sells automobiles and one who sells gasoline are the leading opponents.

 

I also don't think it's lost on anyone that the section directly in front of Beaman's car lot downtown is conveniently without a dedicated lane... If direct, obvious pandering to this guy doesn't warm him up a bit then I don't know what will.

[12Mouth]

I also don't think it's lost on anyone that the section directly in front of Beaman's car lot downtown is conveniently without a dedicated lane... If direct, obvious pandering to this guy doesn't warm him up a bit then I don't know what will.

 

Indeed, but this part strikes me as a decent compromise (in that it should have only a minor impact on the whole route). Throwing the AMP into mixed traffic for 3 miles (round trip) just to get to St. Thomas, however, seems really dumb to me. It is going to make the timing of the entire route unreliable. Having a quick, reliable public transit line was supposed to be the whole point, right? I think they'd be much better off just ending it at 440. I suppose this would be a problem when the AMP Yes chairman is president and CEO of St. Thomas, though...

[producer2]

At least we are having a conversation about how to fix it not how to stop it! 

[Vrtigo]

I have very little experience driving west of 440 at rush hour simply because I don't have much need to go to that part of town. Can someone with experience in this area comment on how jammed up it gets during peak times? When I have driven it, there seemed to be very little congestion between 440 & St. Thomas, but that could very likely just be coincidence.

[12Mouth]

I have very little experience driving west of 440 at rush hour simply because I don't have much need to go to that part of town. Can someone with experience in this area comment on how jammed up it gets during peak times? When I have driven it, there seemed to be very little congestion between 440 & St. Thomas, but that could very likely just be coincidence.

 

During rush hour, I've had the opposite experience (particularly as you get closer to White Bridge), but to be fair, I haven't driven it enough to make a claim that it is like that every day. Any regular users of that route? Judging by the concerns expressed by the Richland area folks who were very opposed to losing a lane (or two), my assumption is that traffic is already pretty congested there. 

[Hey_Hey]

From my experience there seem to be choke points around the 440 overpass (especially on days when 440 itself is backed up) and between MBA and White Bridge. The area in between seems to flow pretty smoothly most of the time.

[calebbink]

During rush hour, I've had the opposite experience (particularly as you get closer to White Bridge), but to be fair, I haven't driven it enough to make a claim that it is like that every day. Any regular users of that route? Judging by the concerns expressed by the Richland area folks who were very opposed to losing a lane (or two), my assumption is that traffic is already pretty congested there. 

I live right next to MBA on West End and I'm a pharmacy intern at Saint Thomas, so I'm there a lot during the week. Between 4:00 and 6:00pm if you're coming from West End making your way to White Bridge Road, you're going to be bumper to bumper. Even if you try to go around the traffic (i.e. going down Wilson and turn right behind MBA and down past Ensworth) you still hit bumper to bumper traffic. So yes, I would say from experience traffic is horrendous M-F.

[ariesjow]

It's definitely a congested stretch during rush hours and busy but manageable during the remainder of the day. 

[Vrtigo]

I live right next to MBA on West End and I'm a pharmacy intern at Saint Thomas, so I'm there a lot during the week. Between 4:00 and 6:00pm if you're coming from West End making your way to White Bridge Road, you're going to be bumper to bumper. Even if you try to go around the traffic (i.e. going down Wilson and turn right behind MBA and down past Ensworth) you still hit bumper to bumper traffic. So yes, I would say from experience traffic is horrendous M-F.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Not good for the AMP, of course, but maybe once people see the actual performance of the thing when it's stuck in traffic they will agree to a future revision of that stretch in the coming years.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Vrtigo

[calebbink]

Thanks for the clarification. Not good for the AMP, of course, but maybe once people see the actual performance of the thing when it's stuck in traffic they will agree to a future revision of that stretch in the coming years.

Agreed - if they put the AMP in with the normal flow of traffic with no dedicated lane (I believe this is what they're planning to do?), I don't see what the benefit will be. It's not going to get me from point A to point B any faster than if I were in my car.

[12Mouth]

Thanks for the clarification. Not good for the AMP, of course, but maybe once people see the actual performance of the thing when it's stuck in traffic they will agree to a future revision of that stretch in the coming years.

 

I think it is (unfortunately) far more likely that people will complain about the unreliable service, lack of ridership (as a result of the unreliable service), and say, "we told you that the AMP was a bad idea and a waste of money." Ending it at 440 could at least prove the concept and keep the service (mostly) reliable. 

 

A compromise suggestion (which obviously won't happen): running express shuttles from the pre-440 final station out to St. Thomas and the Park and Ride. 

[nashvylle]

Agreed - if they put the AMP in with the normal flow of traffic with no dedicated lane (I believe this is what they're planning to do?), I don't see what the benefit will be. It's not going to get me from point A to point B any faster than if I were in my car.

 

Bus drivers of BRT Lite will at least have the technology to keep the lights green as they approach the traffic signals, which will help the flow of traffic.

[smeagolsfree]

Monorail proposal off track.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/02/monorail-proposal-comes-track/7229313/

[CenterHill]

Monorail proposal off track.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/02/monorail-proposal-comes-track/7229313/

so to speak. LOL

[nashvylle]

Lee Beaman apparently is not impressed at all with Karl Dean's compromise to take the dedicated lanes off 440 to St. Thomas and in front of his property. He doesn't want dedicated lanes anywhere.

 

When was Lee Beaman elected mayor? The latest proposal is a fantastic compromise. Even Beth Harwell said so. 

[UTgrad09]

Take that part of the deal off the table (not the part west of 440, just the part in front of his property). 

 

Maybe Amp doesn't go through. But if it does, don't compromise with him. I don't think he's worth the effort. He doesn't propose any alternatives. Just roadblocks.