KCRag Forum

sounds like people (RTA, MARC, ?) are going to take the smart moves plan to Jeff City and Topeka pretty soon to set up some sort of agreement for a regional transit system.....

anyone know the exact routes of these proposed lines?

Would like to see the two commuter rail lines into Union Station be the next target.  Trying to implement all of that at once is not very realistic.  Any timetable for delivering each line?

my understanding is that the whole thing is a 10 year plan.  No idea on which part will come first....

Honestly, having lived in Johnson County most of my short little life, I cannot imagine where in that area other than Johnson Drive in downtown Mission any kind of fixed-rail transit system makes sense (not talking about commuter rail, which would make sense along I-35). What exactly would the plan be for that blue line in the diagram? I just cannot picture someone taking the light rail to 103rd and Metcalf to walk across the parking lots to Hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings or Chuck E. Cheese's, or going out to "Shawnee West" to get some shopping done at Target and OfficeMax. Same for the other suburban stops like I-29/Barry Road and Independence Center. It sure is fun to dream about five transit lines through the city but I can't see any of those other than the red line being feasible.

Smartmoves is just an improved bus system, nothing more.  It's taking FOREVER to implement even a vote for it and when and if it does ever happen, it will not have any sort of rail component.  Trust me.

see, and that is so ignorant. they have went out of their way to devise a map system that even looks like a rail system, believe me, it looks identical to the metros in washington.

kansas city, with a new arena, after they solve the stadium issue, needs to focus immediately on transportation. with all these thousands of people downtown that were not there before, kc will need a way to move them, and the buses even they do it efficiently, suck.

Rail is at least 20 years away in KC.  Right now we just don't have the density, geography, or mindset to support it.  Unless public sentiment changes drastically because of higher gas prices.

Smart Moves is about just catching up to what we need today, especially compared to other cities.  It's stupid to dream about trains when we have so much work to do in other areas before trains are even realistic.  Just like we are catching up with everyone else in doewntown redevelopment, urban housing, life science research, road maintainence, etc.

well, i think smart moves needs to go ahead, even if it's only bus technology.  I don't think surface light rail would be much better than a properly well funded/implemented BRT system in terms of moving people quickly and efficiently.  If we wanted to get to the next level of efficiency we'd either need off street light rail (have it's own right of way) or heavy rail (which i dont' think we'd really need, and is insanely expensive).

We need to implement a regional bus system as described by smart moves, with the commuter line, and also start a started light rail line that connects the River Market to the Plaza.  I think if we did go for light rail, however, it should have its own right of way (be it underground, elevated, etc).  St.L new metrolink expansion has a stretch that goes under Forest Park Parkway, they basically dug a trench and put a lid on it (i.e didn't do it subway style where you basically dig a tunnel dozens of feet underground).  From i hear this is cheaper, and gets around the street issues..... and wouldn't be bad under Main and Grand.

dangerboy wrote: Smart Moves is about just catching up to what we need today, especially compared to other cities. 

Yes, but the way the region is growing, Smart Moves won't be enough to enable transit service to catch up with the needs resulting from outward expansion.

We need to forge a consensus about how we want the region to grow in the future -- continued and unrestrained outward expansion, or some more rational and resource-efficient form.  Then we need to make deliberate use of public policies to make it come about.

Ah, but who will lead? 

If gas prices remain over $2.50 long term, this may be the time to strongly pursue commuter rail on the existing tracks along I-35.  It's great to see JoCo people taking transit!  Come on JoCo, make rail happen to Union Station.  MAX will get you through the rest of the urban core.



http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... st=b_ln_hl

Bus riders crowd The Jo as gas prices soar

Most of The Jo's four morning express buses from Olathe to Downtown were standing-room-only this week as rising gasoline prices pushed commuters onto Johnson County's mass-transit system.

"We've never had three or four trips that were SRO," Chuck Ferguson, assistant director for Johnson County Transit, said Friday.



Ferguson said ridership also rose sharply in August, compared with 2004. The average percentage increases by route were:

Route B from Olathe, up 27 percent.
Route D from Lenexa, up 19.9 percent.
Route L serving Olathe and Overland Park, up 54 percent.
Route I offering reverse commute from Downtown to Olathe, up 22.3 percent.
Route N from south Overland Park, up 27 percent.

ignatius wrote: If gas prices remain over $2.50 long term, this may be the time to strongly pursue commuter rail on the existing tracks along I-35.  It's great to see JoCo people taking transit!  Come on JoCo, make rail happen to Union Station.  MAX will get you through the rest of the urban core.



http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... st=b_ln_hl

Bus riders crowd The Jo as gas prices soar

Most of The Jo's four morning express buses from Olathe to Downtown were standing-room-only this week as rising gasoline prices pushed commuters onto Johnson County's mass-transit system.

"We've never had three or four trips that were SRO," Chuck Ferguson, assistant director for Johnson County Transit, said Friday.



Ferguson said ridership also rose sharply in August, compared with 2004. The average percentage increases by route were:

Route B from Olathe, up 27 percent.
Route D from Lenexa, up 19.9 percent.
Route L serving Olathe and Overland Park, up 54 percent.
Route I offering reverse commute from Downtown to Olathe, up 22.3 percent.
Route N from south Overland Park, up 27 percent.

Now they need a return trip that doesn't leave sharply at 5 or right after so it isn't a horrible option for most of the people I work with.  The JoCo-ites that see me as the "urban guy" have been asking about bus routes and it isn't practical for them to be so limited.  Nobody leaves here by 5:00.  Even if they ran one line at 6:00, I'm sure people would wait for it considering the cost of gas.

staubio wrote: Now they need a return trip that doesn't leave sharply at 5 or right after so it isn't a horrible option for most of the people I work with.  The JoCo-ites that see me as the "urban guy" have been asking about bus routes and it isn't practical for them to be so limited.  Nobody leaves here by 5:00.  Even if they ran one line at 6:00, I'm sure people would wait for it considering the cost of gas.

It's a problem with ATA's suburban express routes as well.  They need at least five departures during each rush, with evening departures until 6:30pm.  A mid-day outbound trip would also be good. 

Something that a lot of people don't know, if your employeer participates in the ATA's monthly farecard program you can get a guaranteed taxi ride if there is an emergency during they day when suburban expresses don't run.

man, if smart moves were up for vote this month, i'm guessing it would be a shoo in.....  hopefully gas prices don't fall precipitously by the time this plan goes up for vote.

if light rail, a cable car system, monorail, complete, total, 500billion subway, any of the above were on the ballot tomorrow, it would pass.

I dont have much time to talk about this, but anybody care to pick up a KC Star today? Pg. B7...

maybe somebody could link the electronic version.

"Local officials are wise to be  skeptical of this plan, called Smart Moves. It is premature, and it could waste a staggering amount of Money."

I'll take the high road and state my opinion that McClanahan is extremely uninformed. He goes on to say how we should have a regional transit system and keeps talking about how San Diego's is perfect. While simultaneously bashing smart moves, he refers to it as a regional funding program, thus contradicting himself. He also basically argues that putting money into transit is a waste because nobody does or will use it. Yet, he also says we should have a transit system like San Diego.

annnnd discuss...

In fairness to the Star - this was a point/counter-point opinon presentation.  Here is a link to the guest columnist who represented the viewpoint probably shared by most of the members of this forum

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 587847.htm

A vibrant urban center needs public transitBy KITE SINGLETONGuest Columnist

I couldn't even find a link to the anti-smart moves column in the electronic version of the Star. 

How can he even compare San Diego to KC, it is not even vaguely similar. First of all the San Diego metro is in a single state. Second of all the San Diego metro is in a single county. Finally 50%+ of the metro area population lives within the city limits. It would be extremely easy for the KC metro to plan regionally in a similar situation. Here in KC there are at least 2 states, 5 counties, and dozens of municipalities to be involved in this poject making it so much more difficult.

LenexatoKCMO wrote: In fairness to the Star - this was a point/counter-point opinon presentation.  Here is a link to the guest columnist who represented the viewpoint probably shared by most of the members of this forum

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 587847.htm

A vibrant urban center needs public transitBy KITE SINGLETONGuest Columnist

I couldn't even find a link to the anti-smart moves column in the electronic version of the Star.

well...i'm having trouble finding the pro-transit article in the print version! all i see is BISTATE PLAN MISSES THE BUS in the largest font possible with a graph showing declining transit usage thrown in for good measure.

warwickland wrote:
well...i'm having trouble finding the pro-transit article in the print version! all i see is BISTATE PLAN MISSES THE BUS in the largest font possible with a graph showing declining transit usage thrown in for good measure.

in the business section i think

One could posit that decling transit usage is a reason to implement a new system.