CATA Ridership on the Rise

[fisher191]

I think to get the express lanes and timed lights, that is simply a matter of making sure that the proper people are told about it.

Honestly I have weighed in where I could to push this idea, and I had not thought about timed lights and lanes, I have never lived in a larger city, so the express bus is foreign to me. Hopefully it has already been considered. I would be happy to simply to get it to stop at just a few certain drop/pick up points, instead of the normal Cata bus that stops every 50 freakin feet.

Anything to make it faster would be great.

My approach to getting things done, is to get an idea (hopefully a good one) and make it happen, watch it fly, and make it better when you see the application. So many municipalities/bueracracies talk things to death, that nothing happens, I don't like that approach, but I would rather see action, even if it fails (of course no one sets out for that), rather than inaction.

[hood]

I highly doubt that this "trolley" will have dedivated lanes, it will very likely have the same new technology that police and fire use to switch lights green for themselves and red for everyone else, at least that would make sense.

I don't like the idea of this trolley system unless it does not involve buying any new equipment, Lobbying for light rail could easily take 10 years from official interest by the city to actually beginning the project, we have no time to waste, we must begin the process right NOW so that we will be able to see the results while were still somewhat young. I also beleive that putting a line from REOtown or Old Town to downtown would be a waste of money and effort at this point, that's something that should only be attempted in the future after a downtown Lansing to downtown East Lansing route is established via Michigan Ave/Grand River Ave, and this must be light rail, not BRT or express buses. The entire concept of why light rail works is because in places like lansing, perceptions are that if you ride the bus or something like it, you probably have pretty much screwed up your life, therefore a completely new idea, light rail, must be introduced to get better off, "creative class" people to readily use mass transit. Lansing has a great shot at getting light rail sooner than others, largely due to CATA ridership and the fact that there is already a route that is virtually guarunteed to be feasable. If we don't get the ball rolling very soon we may lose out permentently.

[RustTown]

Another good point.

Unless the "express trolley" as now proposed, has its own lane there are very little advantages of taking it over driving yourself. That's why I also fear that the trolley bus may actually HURT light rail. It could completely turn people off to the idea of supporting future REAL endevours.

Unlike a bus, the whole idea behind light rail is that it's supossed to be decidedly more convient than an automobile to reach key destinations in any given area.

So, now I'm leaning back towards if you're going to do it, take the bull by the horns and do it all the way and never look back. I really have no doubt in my mind that this city really deserves, and can support, more than it's already given.

Most other small cities, like I said, would kill for the building blocks we have here to make a successful center city.

[hood]

That's one of the great things about Lansing, it is a mid sized city with a relatively big city atmosphere and attitude. That's part of why I'm willing to stay here. And I also think Lansing really can support light rail without much trouble, but it really does take a painfully long time to get funding aligned, just like expanding the Lansing Center and doing any other large projcts they must be started well ahead of when you plan on having them. You don't have the luxury of working in the gere and now, you must work 5 or 10 years down the road, and hope nothing bad happens between now and then.

[fisher191]

If Granholm or any politician were to say that it will be 10 years to make something happen, that will help the economic infusion of an area. That is flat out unacceptable, and in the history of most major projects, usually a kiss of death.

Perception of poverty to a bus line, and a stigma with a weekend express or entertainment bus is all in how you market it. A taxi cab or metro car, both cars of about the same size, one is a chevy caprice the other a town car, affluent folks use the metro car. If the trolley stops at Shaw hall on MSU, non college people are less likely to use it as the perception is that it is for the kids. Have it stop in front of Cosi.

The express bus/ trolley whatever we want to call it, is to connect the districts that are trying to reach critical mass, REO and Old Town are too small to do it on their own, even with major anchors like Cadillac Club and Temple. Its to far to walk from Majority to 621, so hey why not just skip it and go home.....oh look here comes the short bus, sorry the express bus, what the hell we should grab it and have a cocktail. You connect Old Town to East Lansing, to bring the students, lets face it live music at Temple is more attuned to the college scene.

Whatever area you connect is a major push for the direction of development. If you connect downtown and East Lansing then that encourages redevelopment along Michigan avenue. If you don't connect REO and Old Town soon thereafter, then you snub the developers that have taken VERY large risks in these districts, which politically is not that wise. Quite a few infill developers live in REO and Old Town.

[hood]

I'm still have a little bias against Old Town and moreso REOtown myself, thats where some of my opinion comes from. But also because in the long term I see light rail as the only option, it should be explored first and foremost with a temporary system put in place explicitly as a temporary system, it's crcial to not to comfortable with an express bus or so called trolley. The reason light rail takes so long to develop is purely red tape, mostly at the Federal level, and it typically costs over $10 million per mile. so it would be about $30 million+ for light rail along Michigan alone, that's at today's prices.