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Started By
Message
re: Do you think the NOLA-BR rail could work?
Posted on 4/8/14 at 1:44 pm to TJG210
Posted on 4/8/14 at 1:44 pm to TJG210
quote:
Would be a completely absurd idea.....almost as dumb as the ferry crossing Lake Pontchartrain. Aside from the final stop in New Orleans (and even that's a stretch) what are your public transportation options to get to point B, and won't that raise the cost of your overall trip, and leave with you less freedom. People going to get off at Zephyr Stadium and walk to work? Unless they work at Winn Dixie or McDonalds across the street I doubt it. This would be a tremendous waste of money.
lolwut?
People will be getting off at Zephyr Field to watch Zephyr games, just as people getting off at Union Station will be right next to the Superdome (for Saints games) and the New Orleans Arena (for Pelicans games). I think that may be a part of the point, making it easier for people to get to the games.
The public transport from Union Station in NOLA is excellent. There is a streetcar right outside to take you to Canal where you can catch a streetcar going to City Park/Fairgrounds area, or the St Charles line taking you to points uptown.
As far as Baton Rouge public transportation, no one on this board seems to want any.
So the argument against the train is basically, "We won't ride it because we don't want it, and we don't want it because we won't ride it."
I'd probably ride the shite out of it. I used to take the train back and forth between Lafayette and New Orleans all the time - and that just runs every other day.
4
Posted on 4/8/14 at 1:52 pm to WildTchoupitoulas
If I still lived in baton rouge I would ride it frequently. The worst part about visiting nola is having to drive back or get a hotel because you consumed too much.
The problem is the majority of those in baton rouge and the south in general are too lazy for public transportation.
"Um what?? They expect me to have to walk a mile or wait 10 min for a bus. I don't have time for that. it's too hot or too cold, blah, blah, blah"
The problem is the majority of those in baton rouge and the south in general are too lazy for public transportation.
"Um what?? They expect me to have to walk a mile or wait 10 min for a bus. I don't have time for that. it's too hot or too cold, blah, blah, blah"
Posted on 4/8/14 at 2:05 pm to WildTchoupitoulas
quote:
People will be getting off at Zephyr Field to watch Zephyr games
Do you have any idea how many folks the Zephyrs draw on a per game basis? I'll bet a hefty amount the people driving from Baton Rouge to New Orleans just to go to a Zephyrs game is fewer than a couple hundred.....for the entire season.
quote:
just as people getting off at Union Station will be right next to the Superdome (for Saints games) and the New Orleans Arena (for Pelicans games). I think that may be a part of the point, making it easier for people to get to the games.
Ok.....do you realize the Saints have 10 home games? The Pelicans have more...but still doubt the amount of folks will be coming from Baton Rouge would make it worth it.
Justifying it on the basis of sports is insane......you would have a ton of traffic for a handful of days each year.....but you would still need to pay for maintenance/fixed costs year round.
quote:
There is a streetcar right outside to take you to Canal where you can catch a streetcar going to City Park/Fairgrounds area, or the St Charles line taking you to points uptown.
Why wouldn't I just drive? I'll use your example of the City Park/Fairgrounds Area, if you took the rail to go to these places it would probably take you close to 2 1/2 hrs. If I drove it would take me 1 1/2 at most. Why in the hell would I take the rail?
This post was edited on 4/8/14 at 2:08 pm
Posted on 4/8/14 at 2:08 pm to TJG210
quote:
Why wouldn't I just drive? I'll use your example of the City Park/Fairgrounds Area, if you took the rail to go to these places it would probably take you close to 2 1/2 hrs. If I drove it would take me 1 1/2 at most. Why in the hell would I take the rail?
You can't get a DWI if you're not driving. Would be less money in the hands of the popo for DWI stops.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 2:27 pm to mylsuhat
quote:
Only stipulation would be that BR needs to get some fricking taxis that show up on time and/or know where they are going
Fixed.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 2:28 pm to TJG210
quote:
Ok.......how would you get from the end of the rail line to your final destination?
Take the street car to your destination. A .5 mile trek isn't terrible to walk. You may even get a workout.
quote:
What if it's raining?
Get an umbrella.
quote:
Even further, how are you saving any time if it already takes 1hr30 to drive to the city and the train is the same
It won't take an hour and a half to get from anywhere closer than BR. If they cut out a few more stops it can get there even quicker.
I think you're missing the convenience factor here.
-Do you like sitting in traffic?
-Do you like paying parking tickets?
-Do you like that legally fuzzy no refusal blood DWI stop?
-Do you like worrying about if your car will be in the same shape you left it parked at Jax Brewery?
-Do you like worrying about if that last beer put you over .08?
I really think at the very least a commuter rail going to at least to the MSY & La Place would benefit the area. If built to BR it would boost the economy there as well. People in NOLA would take it to BR for LSU games just to not have to worry about the drive back.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 2:46 pm to NYNolaguy1
quote:
People in NOLA would take it to BR for LSU games just to not have to worry about the drive back.
OK.....but you can't build something that expensive and it only get heavy use a handful amount of times per year. What about capacity? If you manage to take two loads up to Baton Rouge on game day, are you going to have people at the station at 1am waiting to get on to come back to New Orleans if the first train leaves BR after the game at 10?
quote:
-Do you like worrying about if your car will be in the same shape you left it parked at Jax Brewery?
I park there occasionally.....never had an issue.
quote:
-Do you like sitting in traffic?
Generally not a problem on weekends....
quote:
Take the street car to your destination. A .5 mile trek isn't terrible to walk. You may even get a workout
No problem with that, but what if you work at the Freeport building/Harrahs at opposite ends of Poydras....probably a lot farther than .5 mile..how about the medical center?
The only viable commercial use would be to have a dedicated following of work commuters and I just don't think the demand is there for that. What do you think the percentage of people who work in the CBD and live in Baton Rouge is?
What about Baton Rouge commuters who live in the outskirt areas....O'Neal Lane, Bluebonnet, Highland Road near the Interstate. Would it make sense for those folks to drive downtown to take a train?
Think about how much more time that would take on a weekly basis.
This post was edited on 4/8/14 at 2:47 pm
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:02 pm to NYNolaguy1
The proponents made a study, and they estimated 210,00 riders a year.
That's not enough to justify spending 200 million plus initially and over 6 million a year maintaining the system.
Their own study shoots down the idea of this thing being profitable or even breaking even.
That's not enough to justify spending 200 million plus initially and over 6 million a year maintaining the system.
Their own study shoots down the idea of this thing being profitable or even breaking even.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:09 pm to WildTchoupitoulas
quote:
I'd probably ride the shite out of it. I used to take the train back and forth between Lafayette and New Orleans all the time - and that just runs every other day.
Well in 2013 there were 6,590 on/offs in Lafayette, La. per Amtrak.
It doesn't appear that you had many friends getting on or off with you.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:26 pm to TJG210
quote:
I'll bet a hefty amount the people driving from Baton Rouge to New Orleans just to go to a Zephyrs game is fewer than a couple hundred
Right, but if it's as easy as just hopping on a train and hopping off at the game, then there may be more. That's the point of making it easier to get to.
quote:
Justifying it on the basis of sports is insane
I'm not trying to justify the entire rail idea on sports, I'm just saying it may have played into the location of the stops.
quote:
Why in the hell would I take the rail?
So you don't have to drive.
So you don't have to park.
So you don't have to get stuck in traffic.
So you can get loaded and not drive drunk.
So you don't have to worry about speeding tickets.
So you don't have to worry about parking tickets.
So you can read while in transit.
So you can surf while in transit.
So you can text while in transit.
So you can write while in transit.
So you can study while in transit.
So you can eat while in transit.
So you can drink while in transit.
So you can sleep while in transit.
So you can post in dumb threads on TD while in transit.
So you can just look out of the window and enjoy the scenery while in transit.
And for me to make the Fairgrounds from my house in BR in an hour and a half, I would have to exceed the posted speed limit. Also, if during Jazz Fest for example, I wouldn't have to spend a half hour driving around looking for a parking place. Also, it costs me about $25 round trip in my truck getting 20mpg - just to get to town, not including driving around town.
If you just don't want to take a train, it's extremely easy to come up with reasons why. If you want to take the train it's just as easy to come up with reasons to. Personally, I like trains, I like the idea of not having to worry about driving, I would take it often as I already go down about once per month. I may go more if it's easier.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:30 pm to Hawkeye95
quote:I have been accused of race baiting for saying this in the terms that everyone is thinking of.
Lots of people won't use public transit b.c poor people use it, and they don't like being around poor people.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:32 pm to TJG210
quote:
No problem with that, but what if you work at the Freeport building/Harrahs at opposite ends of Poydras....probably a lot farther than .5 mile..how about the medical center?
Dude, the streetcar stops AT Union Station's door:
Loyola/UPT Line
The most recent addition to the growing New Orleans streetcar network is the 1.6 mile Loyola Avenue/Union Passenger Terminal loop that opened in 2013. For passengers arriving in the city by surface transportation, either by Greyhound bus or Amtrak trains, the Loyola line will enable them to get from the station to Canal Street and the French Quarter where the city's major hotels are located.
The streetcars running along the Loyola loop are of more modern vintage than those running along the St. Charles Avenue route and they have more conveniences than the earlier Perley Thomas models. They are fully air-conditioned with wider doors that allow for handicap access.
From Union Passenger Terminal, the Loyola Streetcar's first stop is at Julia Street, the major corridor of the city's Warehouse Arts District. Also at this stop is the city's main post office. The next stop is at Poydras Street, the site of New Orleans' City Hall and the center of the city's Financial District. The third and final stop before reaching Canal Street at Tulane Avenue, the hub of the city's Medical District and site of the New Orleans Public Library. At Canal Street passengers can transfer to other streetcars in the city's network, including those that run along Canal Street, St. Charles Avenue and the Mississippi Riverfront.
LINK
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:48 pm to WildTchoupitoulas
quote:
the hub of the city's Medical District
OK.....if it's pre-Katrina
2 miles from Loyola to the VA/New medical center....and there's no way in hell I would want to make that walk on a consistent basis.
quote:
Dude, the streetcar stops AT Union Station's door:
Freeport/Harrahs is still a hike from Loyola
quote:
Right, but if it's as easy as just hopping on a train and hopping off at the game, then there may be more.
They can barely draw locals......
This post was edited on 4/8/14 at 3:50 pm
Posted on 4/8/14 at 3:57 pm to doubleb
quote:
It doesn't appear that you had many friends getting on or off with you.
No, because I didn't ride it in 2013. I was riding it in 1982-85.
There were also on/offs at Shriver, Franklin and New Iberia.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 4:03 pm to TJG210
quote:
What about Baton Rouge commuters who live in the outskirt areas....O'Neal Lane, Bluebonnet, Highland Road near the Interstate. Would it make sense for those folks to drive downtown to take a train?
That's why they're proposing a stop at Essen Ln.
or
You could drive to Gonzales if that's quicker.
quote:
Think about how much more time that would take on a weekly basis.
You can actually get stuff done on a train that you can't or shouldn't in your car. So think about if someone is driving back and forth to NOLA every day, that's 15 hours per week of just driving. If you took a train, that would be 15 hours of time made available to you for other things such as reading, writing or eating. So while you say a train would take more time out of someone's week, it would actually ADD time to someone's week.
To argue against mass public transit is just absurd. It IS more efficient. The problem in America is that people don't want to be more efficient - THEY JUST WANT THEIR CARS.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 4:09 pm to TJG210
quote:
OK.....but you can't build something that expensive and it only get heavy use a handful amount of times per year. What about capacity? If you manage to take two loads up to Baton Rouge on game day, are you going to have people at the station at 1am waiting to get on to come back to New Orleans if the first train leaves BR after the game at 10?
There's festivals and things to do around NOLA year round. NBA, NFL, Mardi Gras, Jazzfest, French Quarter fest... It might even encourage BR to have more to do around their downtown area. I doubt ridership will be an issue. Even if it is, you don't have to have empty trains running. You can adjust supply based on demand. The less you run the trains the less it costs to upkeep them.
quote:
If you manage to take two loads up to Baton Rouge on game day, are you going to have people at the station at 1am waiting to get on to come back to New Orleans if the first train leaves BR after the game at 10?
Speaking from experience traffic getting out of Tiger Stadium is atrocious, regardless of where you are going. I'd much rather walk and have a spot on the train waiting for me than be parked on either Nicholson, College, or Highland trying to leave LSU.
If it were up to me I'd have multiple trains leaving to fit the amount of people willing to ride. Let's assume 10k people take the train up. Have trains leave every 15 minutes. Assuming 110 people/car, and 10 cars, that's 4400 people/hr, assuming everyone sits, and no one stands. That means that if you start boarding people at say 9 PM (an hour before game is done), everyone would be on the train and homebound by 11:15 PM. You could even have a return trip for the late nighters that don't want to go home right after the game that leaves at 1 am. I don't think that sounds so terrible. There's room here to play with the numbers.
quote:Traffic is a huge issue for anyone that's ever been stuck in it- either in BR, NOLA, or between the two. It's def. taken me longer than an hour and a half to get from downtown BR to Downtown NOLA b/c of traffic.
Generally not a problem on weekends....
quote:
I park there occasionally.....never had an issue.
Anyone that's ever been to mardi gras will tell you parking is an issue. Same goes with Jazzfest. Same goes with most times where people come in town. Hell I was a local for 26 years and had my car broken into multiple times- in Jax Brewery.
quote:
The only viable commercial use would be to have a dedicated following of work commuters and I just don't think the demand is there for that. What do you think the percentage of people who work in the CBD and live in Baton Rouge is?
By opening up mass transit to new areas, you are giving incentive for people to move there. I'd make a bet it's cheaper/safer in some areas outside of New Orleans than within it. Same goes with BR.
quote:
What about Baton Rouge commuters who live in the outskirt areas....O'Neal Lane, Bluebonnet, Highland Road near the Interstate. Would it make sense for those folks to drive downtown to take a train?
If they live on the outskirts of BR I doubt they are coming to NOLA very often anyway. It also would give BR incentive to develop downtown further. Both economies benefit.
quote:
Think about how much more time that would take on a weekly/daily basis.
Who comes to NOLA on a weekly basis from BR? Not many. On weekends and individual trips? I would say a lot more. There is demand there now however for the system to act as a commuter rail for work within the NOLA metro area. I'm thinking you may misunderstand where I'm coming from here.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 4:09 pm to WildTchoupitoulas
quote:
It IS more efficient. The problem in America is that people don't want to be more efficient
Not necessarily, it works when you have a dense population living within or really close to downtown. It's great in New York and other northern cities where you have dense population centers. Wouldn't be worth a crap down here where everyone is spread out.
quote:
people don't want to be more efficient - THEY JUST WANT THEIR CARS.
Ok.....so you want to sell Pepsi, when everyone wants to drink Coke?
Posted on 4/8/14 at 4:10 pm to TJG210
quote:
2 miles from Loyola to the VA/New medical center....Freeport/Harrahs is still a hike from Loyola
Then take Loyola to Canal, and take Canal up to the VA.
OR
Take Loyola to Canal, and take Canal down to Harrah's.
OR
Walk three blocks down Howard to Carondelet, take the St. Charles line to Canal, and walk 3 blocks down to Harrah's.
OR
Take Loyola to Canal, take Canal to City Park, take the Esplanade bus to the foot of Canal and you're at Harrah's.
OR
Take the Express 71 bus from Union Sta. down to Nashville and St. Charles and take the streetcar to Canal.
Jesus fricking Christ, man, just say - "BUT, BUT, BUT I JUST WANT MY CAAAARRRR!!1!"
Posted on 4/8/14 at 4:15 pm to willthezombie
Maybe on both.. I go back and forth on this every year because I selfishly want to see it happen but my better judgement tells me it's not feasible and will be a money drain.
Posted on 4/8/14 at 4:17 pm to TJG210
quote:
so you want to sell Pepsi, when everyone wants to drink Coke?
No, I want people to buy Coke instead of trying to make cola soda in their homes. "Oh, but only poor people drink pop out of a can!"
And as a matter of fact, a mass transit system would work better in a spread out community instead of 100,000 cars with only one person in each making traffic snarls every single morning and evening. In case you haven't noticed, the traffic in BR SUCKS arse. Mostly because you have everyone using an interstate system to drive locally/regionally. This city wasn't designed for everyone to be driving alone in their car to and fro every day.
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