Official: KCMO Light Rail

[LenexatoKCMO]

So Clay now has veto power over this project?  That is a worrisome development.

As the petition organizer - he does have the most standing to sue if/when the city deviates from the referendum mandate.  Its a double edged sword though - the voters have some standings as well and when they start trying to ax various parts of the plan (Gondola, Broadway, Route, etc.) they will be able to sue as well, regardless of whether Clay is agreeable to the changes.  This is why I doubt the city will have any serious discussion about what to ax until they are ready to present their "reformed" referendum to the voters. 

[kard]

that timeline is just insane. Not rational at all. A year to finish the contrustion of the right of way?  no way. no how. That power system hasn't even been tested in freezing weather. And it is not implemented anywhere in the US. The Feds would be all over that, if it was even allowed in such a large 1st deployment with no stateside testing.

If ONLY this wireless thing were as sexy as a rolling roof then we'd be all over it...

[lock+load]

why is this such a hang-up? are we simply not allowed to be cutting edge in KC? it's not like france is third world with no codes or safety regulations. alstom is a major player and has already recommended a possible solution for the cold weather problems. like chastain said, if it's technically not possible then he won't have a problem ditching it. to me, the only thing that this new technology will affect is the cost.

Typical Kansas City attitude.  If no one else in the US is using it, how could we possibly use it!?!  There is no reason we cannot be at the forefront of a new technology.

[DaveKCMO]

removing a road? that's just radical! it's as if main street and southwest trafficway were bumper-to-bumper all day long! someone tell me why i can't speed through the park at 50 mph!

oddly enough, the parks department is "intrigued" by the gondola concept. one down, one to go.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16111342.htm

[quote]Gondola rides through Penn Valley Park? Wow.

Ripping out Broadway through the park? What?

Those are common reactions as Kansas Citians contemplate the impact of Clay Chastain’s light-rail plan approved by voters earlier this month.

The ballot language specified “an aerial gondola tram systemâ€

[kard]

I think it will be fine.  Main southbound has been down to a lane or two by the park for a couple months now.  No problems at all.

[kard]

removing a road? that's just radical! it's as if main street and southwest trafficway were bumper-to-bumper all day long! someone tell me why i can't speed through the park at 50 mph!

oddly enough, the parks department is "intrigued" by the gondola concept. one down, one to go.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16111342.htm

I get the impression from the article that the Parks people are saying Broadway could be protected due to historical significance.  I think that's kind of strange.

[DaveKCMO]

I get the impression from the article that the Parks people are saying Broadway could be protected due to historical significance.  I think that's kind of strange.

yeah, it's as if every decision george kessler made was beyond reproach. if this part of the plan does get ditched, i would lobby hard for sidewalks along both sides of penn valley drive (broadway), a pedestrian-triggered stop light at 29th street, and a properly-lit trail system that connects outside of the park on all four sides.

[kard]

i ride my bike up kessler road all the time.  bike path, please!

[beautyfromashes]

yeah, it's as if every decision george kessler made was beyond reproach. if this part of the plan does get ditched, i would lobby hard for sidewalks along both sides of penn valley drive (broadway), a pedestrian-triggered stop light at 29th street, and a properly-lit trail system that connects outside of the park on all four sides.

How sweet would that be!!!!

[Ez Street]

Speaking of Spokane....





New $2.5 million dollar aerial gondola ride built by Doppelmayr CTEC - Golden, Colorado.
Replaces the popular gondola attraction from Spokane's World's Fair - Expo '74
530 persons per hour capacity
Traveling up to 600 feet per minute
Ride travels on a 2500 foot loop under the Monroe St. Bridge to the lower west side of the  Spokane River Falls
Offers the best aerial & up-close views of the spectacular Spokane Falls & river gorge area
Located at the southwest corner of Riverfront Park-Across from City Hall and Riverpark Square Mall
 
Prices:
$6.00 - Adults
$5.00 - Teens/Senior and military w/I.D.
$4.00 - Chilren 3 - 12 (Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult)

*pricing and hours of operation are subject to change*

[ShowMeKC]

Great, now we can possibly stop them from tearing out Broadway, a terrible mistake for the area around PVP and for SW Trafficway (and surrounding roads)

[Stockton]

I'm not sure I mind the idea of tearing out Broadway, Devin. Hopefully it will include redevelopment of the park with clear inlets/paths for pedestrians walking to the lightrail stop from the Union Hill area and whatever you call the area to the west. If Crown Center's residential development comes along, that would help. I just wonder how likely it is for the SW TFWY side to be developed. If done right, I think Chastain's right and the park could become a cool urban space. If it goes through the center of the park it may mean even more spurred development, rather than just along Main.

[ShowMeKC]

It'd also mean that PVP becomes even more of a dull void, empty area in relation to the surrounding area. As well as a huge border between the west Crossroads and Midtown. Not to mention increasing traffic along SW Trafficway more than it already is.

No use in eliminating Broadway when it would do bad things for the surrounding area. PVP is already way out of scale for the surrounding area, no reason to make it even more so.

Eliminating Broadway is a horrible idea, an even better idea is making it a tunnel, or capping over it.

[kard]

How does Broadway going through PVP help the park?  It acts like I-70 in the loop--it cuts the park in half and just shuttles people through it.  It doesn't help bring more people in to the park.

[ShowMeKC]

I never said it helps the park, or brings more people to the park, I said that it doesn't help the surrounding area, or SW Boulevard by eliminating Broadway. There are much better things you can do to the park to get people there, and Broadway can be used to encourage use of the park. It doesn't have to divide the park, like I said, you could gradually turn it into a tunnel, or cap over it, allowing pedestrians to stroll/ride/run over the road.

Like I said, you could do a lot of things to help encourage use of PVP. But you must remember that people in the suburbs won't travel to PVP daily or weekly. It will be people in the surrounding area, and right now, the park is just too big and out of scale in relation to surrounding neighborhoods and the area.

I suppose you don't remember my ideas for PVP, Broadway wouldn't be too hard to cap over, as it is on somewhat of a hill, next to the bluff.

[Highlander]

I never said it helps the park, or brings more people to the park, I said that it doesn't help the surrounding area, or SW Boulevard by eliminating Broadway. There are much better things you can do to the park to get people there, and Broadway can be used to encourage use of the park. It doesn't have to divide the park, like I said, you could gradually turn it into a tunnel, or cap over it, allowing pedestrians to stroll/ride/run over the road.

Like I said, you could do a lot of things to help encourage use of PVP. But you must remember that people in the suburbs won't travel to PVP daily or weekly. It will be people in the surrounding area, and right now, the park is just too big and out of scale in relation to surrounding neighborhoods and the area.

I suppose you don't remember my ideas for PVP, Broadway wouldn't be too hard to cap over, as it is on somewhat of a hill, next to the bluff.

Broadway is not going to be closed in PVP.  It just is not going to happen so I would not fret too much about it.  Vote or no vote, the entire notion goes beyond silliness to being a rather naive suggestion.  We are getting a light rail trunk system that will experience, at best, light commuter ridership regardless of the route and it's not going to eliminate the need for a high volume street like Broadway, especially with the IRS facility due to come on line soon.  There are indeed ways to make PVP more approachable without even touching Broadway and one would be to put in a bicycle trail network (as already mentioned here) with ramped pedestrian overpasses so they can used by bikes. 

[DaveKCMO]

press release from kay:

http://www.kcmo.org/mayor.nsf/88eb2dce5 ... enDocument

[quote]At the November 9, 2006, Business Session, Mayor Kay Barnes laid out the initial process by which the City will review the Light Rail Proposal passed by Kansas City voters on November 7th.

The Mayor stated that the voters sent a clear message that they want the City to implement a meaningful Light Rail plan by approving an extension of the 3/8 cents transportation sales tax. The Mayor also stated that she believed that voters approved the proposal understanding that elements of it may be impractical, financially and/or logistically.

Therefore the Mayor laid out an initial process to provide this and the next Mayor and City Council with a context by which to move forward. The Mayor recommended and the Council agreed asking Jeff Booth of Holland and Knight, the City's Washington based lobbying firm, to complete a review of the details of the proposal including an analysis of the climate in Washington following the elections for potential federal funding. Mr. Boothe has previously advised several cities on light rail proposals. The report is due in January.

Mayor Barnes reminded everyone that the sales tax for light rail will not begin to be collected until March, 2009. Until that time, all the current transportation tax dollars were mandated by the voters in 2001 to be spent on the existing bus system. As outlined in the November 17 edition of the Kansas City Business Journal,other cities have taken between 10 and 20 years from inception to completion before light rail was a reality.

“We have begun our due diligence on the light rail proposal approved by voters and it will take time to do it right. The first step is to review the analysis we will receive in January from a national expert on these matters,â€

[ShowMeKC]

more ego from what? and for whom? City Hall is not a bad guy in this situation, and Mayor Kay Barnes definitely isn't.

[tat2kc]

I saw no ego in that press release. Just what bothered you about this?

[phxcat]

Actually, that sounds like she is moving forward with the plan- just with the knowledge that parts of it may not have been fully planned out, and the will to go ahead and plan them out.