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Transit in Nashville


FrijolMalo

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Thanks for that link drewbert, and by the way welcome to the boards! It looks like MTA has some tough cutting to do. It looks like Nashville is not totally immune to the crappy economy. Obviously high gas affects everyone. Hopefully, Nashville will do better than other areas in the country during these times.

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An article on the Tennessean this morning is proposing street cars similar to the system that serves Memphis.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...40408/1001/NEWS

The start up cost would be in the neighborhood of 100 million. IMO, that sort of nixes the idea as far as Metro goes. They seem to be short sighted as far as to the cost vs. the benefits. I would like to see it happen, but doubt it will.

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I have never really been a fan of streetcars because they would seem to provide no benefit over buses. What Nashville really needs to consider is investing in light rail and concentrating development around the stations. Part of the plan should also be in linking either existing or new bus routes to the light rail stations that would exist on the line.

Light rail is expensive and federal help is difficult, but not impossible to get. (may become easier in 2009 depending on the party that ends up controlling the government) While streetcars might not be quite as expensive they might end up costing the city more because federal funding for a streetcar system is almost impossible to get given the way the current set of rules are written.

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Oh I agree. Problem is, the only thing we have are the buses and one leg of a rail system. With the current budget crisis in the city and the state< I doubt anything will be done for at least 10 years. Metro has to study the options to death. I have a feeling the federal funds are going to dry up too.

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I wouldn't say 10 years... but yes, I think maybe if reelected to a second term Karl Dean would be supportive of a light rail or a street-car system.

Monsoon I agree that the street car system is similar to a busing system. However, unfortunately too many Nashvillians look at busing as "for lower class only", and are not open to change. Streetcars seem much more trendy, and I believe a routing system that connected downtown, sobro, and midtown would persuade a lot of people to move into the city and make the trade.

Portland is an excellent example of a successful streetcar system. If it can work in Portland, it certainly can work in Nashville.

Whatever it may be, light-rail or streetcar, I do believe we need something other than busing to incorporate more riders, more urban dwellers, and more music city star users.

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..

Portland is an excellent example of a successful streetcar system. If it can work in Portland, it certainly can work in Nashville. ....

The Portland system works because 30 years ago they set up an urban development boundary that essentially said no development could occur outside that zone. It's a very European way of controlling development which I don't mind seeing but would seem to be politically impossible to pull off in most places. Without it, streetcars become very expensive buses that don't move very many people relative to the cost.

I would think a better example for Nashville to follow would be Norfolk and Charlotte which both recently opened or are building their first LRT lines. I say that because they would seem to be closer to Nashville in makeup than Portland.

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All I can say is.. I dont want to wait 20-30 years for a decent transit system in this city.. we need it as soon as possible.. and if streetcars are a faster solution than LRT, so be it. I don't have a problem with them at all..

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NCP article

Attached for your edification is a City Paper article about an African-American advocacy group that is protesting the MTA fare increase and route cut proposal. While the group's assertion that transit is underfunded relative to road construction has some merit (but is debatable), I fail to see a program of racial discrimination in the cuts. After all, several of the cuts are either in Madison or in south Nashville (to include Oak Hill!), neither of which to my knowledge have significant African-American populations. I am sympathetic to fixed incomes and know that everyone is feeling a pinch right now, I just don't see this particular angle in this instance. I also don't see how stripping federal funding can be in any way productive.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought this was an interesting article about Nashville and the need for better transportation modes and smarter development.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

There was a discussion about this article and transportation issues in general on this morning's live call-in show on Newschannel5+...

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/categor...p;nav=menu374_9

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There was a discussion about this article and transportation issues in general on this morning's live call-in show on Newschannel5+...

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/categor...p;nav=menu374_9

Thanks for the link! Unfortunately it took high gas prices to get on the bus (pun intended) for better transit in Nashville. Also Nashville seems to be behind the curve, but it looks like we are slowly headed in the right direction.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So where does this high-speed bus lane go? Does Gallatin Road gain extra lanes or does it get reduced to two lanes? Perhaps that's one way to force people to use the bus system, turn an otherwise extremely crowded corridor in to a two-lane, multi-light traffic nightmare for autos.

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There's no way they could ever get away with taking away two lanes from traffic, unless it was time sensitive and people could dirve there if there wasn't a bus; people are resistent enough without taking away driving lanes.

Exactly. I always wondered if the bus would take over the turning lane in the center, but then I also wonder what would happen where the railroad tracks cross over Gallatin in South Inglewood.

Maybe the city would end up demolishing a lot of the rubbish buildings along one or either side of Gallatin or take over space that is currently parking lots for a BRT lane. I'm not advocating eminent domain, I am just pointing out that it really is hard to hurt that street beyond what it is currently like.

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i've been at Bonnaroo, so i have missed news over the past couple of days. however i found this article from the Nashville Post. It's just the teaser, but it says something about funding being in place to restore the lines that were cut. Did i miss something important? Was funding actually granted to MTA to restore service? If so, where did the money come from? If true, this is excellent news! thanks.

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well, after more research i found this article from the city paper.

excerpts;

The Metro Council Budget and Finance committee approved a substitute budget, which gives $1 million back to the Metro Transit Authority, at its meeting Monday.

The funds MTA will use to restore some of the seven bus routes cut because of an anticipated budget shortfall did come with a cost.

The Adventure Science Center took a $100,000 reduction from its hotel/motel tax funds in order to give money to MTA. The Adventure Science Center, which will have its brand-new Sudekum Planetarium open June 28, had already seen its hotel/motel tax funds drop from $265,300 a year ago.

The extra $1 million will come from several Metro contingency accounts in addition to the city

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