KCRag Forum

Chastain to ride the rail again

Coming soon to a grocery near you: Clay Chastain.

The signature-gathering activist who left KC a few years back for Tennessee and later Virginia is riding once more to our rescue, this time for light rail.

“I’m heading back to Kansas City to try to change the direction of the city,â€

So the Star considers Chastain's Light Rail initiatives Entertainment.  Nice.

Kudos to Clay for trying again in the face of adversity, hopefully the media attacks his plan on its own merit instead of just smearing him. But either way, who the hell is going to pay for it? It's not like we're bathing in cash these days.

oh my, oh my...

maybe people are so sick of him that they will vote for it to get him to be quiet?

or this could be the final nail in the coffin for light rail in kansas city?

maybe he will finally do it?

obviously he still has an ego issue...

stay tuned...

that being said - i don't know how i can't support such a thing...

warwickland wrote: that being said - i don't know how i can't support such a thing...

Yeah, I honestly don't care if Mr. Bean is the one backing the light rail initiative, I'd be for it regardless.

Tosspot wrote: Yeah, I honestly don't care if Mr. Bean is the one backing the light rail initiative, I'd be for it regardless.

this should be interesting...hopefully the plan is a good one, a simple one, and hopefully enough people will thing the same thing. smartmoves must be augmented with an LRT spine sooner or later, so i don't see it as competition at all.

Michael® wrote: I'm 100% for this... and like him or not at least Clay Chastain is persistent.

I wonder if he consults govt. traffic engineers before coming up with a plan?

From the zoo (Swope Park... ughhh almost strike 3 alone there) to the airport is a poor plan.
Why not spike it east-west at the Plaza (south end) to go east to Troost and West into Mission.
That's a real line that would capture the most people. And people won't take rail to the zoo here.
The zoo is a family thing and people want to have a family outing in the car when they go to the zoo (once a year).

Michael I would have to agree with your thoughts on the zoo and the lack of ridership. If it was presented as more of an all encompassing park and ride for the many residents around a 5-10 mile radius of the zoo than that would work, but not just only for the zoo.  If I lived in Raytown and was going to an event at the Sprint Center I would consider leaving my car at the zoo to take rail downtown.

Even though the direction of the zoo isn't the most romantic of directions, It would definitely gather a lot of riders. That's an area that, like Midtown(in the 30-something streets) is home to a high number of not-so-affluent folks that would make heavy use of transit options.

This plan would undermine the plans to put MAX service in place of the ATA's 25-Troost route, so I think it would get a lot of pushback from established transit organizations.

That said, I think it's a great idea. I'll sign the petition and vote yes, if it comes to that.

Leave it to KC, though, to involve Jackson County, or someone else that'll greed it up.

i'm worried that if they have a rail line from the zoo to the airport black people from other cities might fly here and rob the animals from our zoo.

Haha!

But seriously, who could foot the bill?

Maybe this will spur other items...in the thought that "Hey, we can't afford this--we have to build new sewers and other deferred infrastructure items."

And, what's the the bit about no cables above ground?  A Magic Train?

Kard wrote: Maybe this will spur other items...in the thought that "Hey, we can't afford this--we have to build new sewers and other deferred infrastructure items."

And, what's the the bit about no cables above ground?  A Magic Train?

well, i think some trains in euro take power from the rails...but i thought there were some in north america, i guess not.

my real fear is that no matter what plan is put forth, having clay chastain's name attached to it gives anti-public transportation advocates all the fodder they need to kill the plan.  this man, for all his apparent passion, is a thorn in the side of everyone who wants to see meaningful progress made in kc mass transit.  

chingon wrote: i'm worried that if they have a rail line from the zoo to the airport black people from other cities might fly here and rob the animals from our zoo.

that is f*ing hilarious!

Michael® wrote: I'm 100% for this... and like him or not at least Clay Chastain is persistent.

I wonder if he consults govt. traffic engineers before coming up with a plan?

From the zoo (Swope Park... ughhh almost strike 3 alone there) to the airport is a poor plan.
Why not spike it east-west at the Plaza (south end) to go east to Troost and West into Mission.
That's a real line that would capture the most people. And people won't take rail to the zoo here.
The zoo is a family thing and people want to have a family outing in the car when they go to the zoo (once a year).

You're right. KCK to Independence and Mission/Merriam to Raytown cross lines would complement and make useful a N/S spine, that could be NKC to Waldo iniatially.
Forget Swope Park.

I think you're understimating the ridership there would be if the line went southeast, toward Swope Park. I think it's a good idea.

bahua wrote: I think you're understimating the ridership there would be if the line went southeast, toward Swope Park. I think it's a good idea.

For what reason? There's mainly single family dwellings if you draw a SE arrow towards there.

there's mainly single family dwellings in waldo as well.
i think swope park is a great idea, and could help development on the southeast side.
maybe eventually there could be a secondary spine that went from mission through midtown/westport and then east down linwood to the truman sports complex.