[TriLUG] OT: your RTP commute? my office is relocating to RTP from Cary

[Jeremy Portzer]

I agree with David, the proximate cause can be blamed squarely on the TTA
- they failed to get their ducks in a row in time, before the Federal
Transit Administration changed the rules for federal funding.

However, in a larger scope, many feel the Bush administration (not to
mention the little detail called Congress) should be increasing the
overall funds made available for transit projects.  The reason the FTA has
made the rules harsher is because there is a limited pot of money and they
must dole it out fairly.  Charlotte's project was approved earlier and is
more cost-effective according to the rules.  I think the FTA is doing a
good job of being fair about it - keep in mind that even northern Virginia
can't find a way around the rules as they pertain to the Metro's westward
expansion (Silver Line project).  That project had to make major changes - 
ugly elevated track instead of a tunnel - because of the FTA 
cost-effectiveness rules.

There are many cities getting in the game for limited federal transit 
funds.  Other regions realized before the Triangle did that public transit 
is energy efficient and worth spending money on it, and frankly, other 
areas have better urban planning that allows such a project to be cost 
effective.  But this is probably oversimplifying.

This is way way OT.  I don't think the trains even would run Linux :(
Maybe the internetworkers list is a place this could be discussed if folks 
want to continue.

--Jeremy

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007, David McDowell wrote:

> Magnus, Tom Ed is right in at least one way, b/c federal funding has
> been granted to the Charlotte project, which irks the piss out of me.
> RALEIGH is the capitol city, yo respect us, you damn federal lackies!!
>  Oh, but Charlotte is graced with more banking and taller buildings
> than we are... whoooptee.  OK, ranting sorry.  The point is, the TTA
> was slow... too slow by the feds terms.  The feds up'd the req's
> before TTA got their stuff turned in making it even more difficult for
> TTA to meet the fed req's, thus failure to get the federal part of the
> funding needed for the project.  Of course, I have my own ideas about
> how completely screwed up TTA's phase I was conceived.  Who links 2
> central downtowns???  Rail is to move people from the outside in and
> back out again... or around, not between.  For example, why in hell
> would someone in downtown Raleigh wanna just "hop on the train" to go
> to a bar in Durham when there are gobs in Raleigh?
> 
> anyway, this thread is going so far off from my office location.  At
> least I can say the TTA's rail plan was it is/was would have gone past
> NCSU (my station) to the huge Miami (RTP Central) station which would
> have actually been perfect for this upcoming office move.  Ah well.
> :(
> 
> thanks jmack for your drive time estimates.  Today I tried something a
> little more creative... Tryon -> Cary Parkway -> 54 as a test run...
> not bad... but no clue what it will be like during rush hour.  *sigh*
> I love my condo and how cheap it is.  I don't wanna move!!
> 
> later folks!
> David
> 
> 
> 
> On 3/7/07, Magnus <magnus at trilug.org> wrote:
> > Tom Ed White wrote:
> > > The denial of funding can be traced directly to our democratically
> > > elected president, George W. Bush.
> >
> > Hmmm I'm no fan of the talking monkey myself but in all fairness he can
> > hardly be blamed for what is entirely a local/state matter.  There is no
> > reason that taxpayers in South Dakota should foot the bill for a train
> > in Raleigh.
> >
> > The local guys are the ones you should be grabbing by the ears and
> > demanding better answers from.  Right on up to the governor.
> >
> > --
> > "Showing off is the fool's idea of glory." - Bruce Lee's observations of
> > people at TriLUG meetings who won't shut up and let the guest speaker talk
> > --
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> >
> 

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| Jeremy Portzer        jeremyp at pobox.com      trilug.org/~jeremy     |
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