From: randolph@cognito.ebay.Sun.COM (Randolph Fritz)
Newsgroups: ba.transportation
Subject: Re: Reflections on public transit
Date: 6 Nov 92 22:06:23 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: St. Dismas Infirmary for the Incurably Informed
NNTP-Posting-Host: cognito.ebay.sun.com

[The following was written for alt.planning.urban.  It occurs to me
that it might be of interest here.  __R]

Wendi, you sure are rabble rousing!  I do indeed have some ideas for
new urban designs.  But more-or-less seriously, I don't think we will
build new urban designs at this time.  We've already built our cities
(and I include edge cities in the term).  Now we have to live in, or
perhaps with, them.

The problems are more political and social than technical.  We are
capable of building any number of things--but it's very hard to get
public funding for anything other than automotive roads and the
occasional train (light, heavy, or special-purpose).  The only way I
can see to fund these services is to break up the services into a
common part (probably rail) which is publicly funded and private parts
which directly serve and are funded by large businesses and property
owners.  This will put most of the cost of the "last mile" of transit
(the largest cost in any network, computer or transit) on the users
who link their ends of the service, alleviating government
expenditure.  Electric vehicles could be used throughout, lowering air
pollution.

In Silicon Valley, which is the area I know best, it would be
reasonable to link the major malls and old downtowns with rail
service.  I really think that the last place we're going to get people
out of cars is in the regular morning commute.  Shopping, though,
you've got a chance.  You might be able to sell most of the major
property-owners along Stevens Creek Boulevard (a major Silicon Valley
strip) on a rail line up Stevens Creek--the two big malls might even
be persuaded to build their own stations.

Sun currently runs a commute shuttles to existing rail lines; I'd like
to see this service extended and expanded.  Does anyone know if other
Valley companies do likewise?

The last, and worst, problem is going to be the links to residential
areas.  Giant parking lots strike me as uneconomical and ugly; perhaps
the best approach would be to look to the property owners in the area
to fund a modest, semi-private service.  I would hope such a service
would be democratically governed; I really would hate to create yet
another oppressive shadow government.

I think, to be a practical replacement for cars, all services would
have to provide support for light cargo carrying, and handle bicycles
and strollers as well.  Handicap access is a necessity.  

Ideally, the regional rail network should be owned and managed by a
democratic regional government.  The rail network would have to be
organized at the regional level, however managed.  Simply
standardizing light rail for the Bay Area makes all kind of sense; I
am astonished the standard was ignored when BART was built.  In the
long term, I'd like to see high-speed local rail services designed and
standardized.

Having set out a proposal, I am now expecting a small bonfire to form;
I hope for more productive discussion, as well.  I hope that we can
discuss this as a practical possibility, rather than in terms of ideology.

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| \/||  | || | ||  Randolph Fritz
| | ||  | || | ||  sun!cognito.ebay!randolph
| | ||  | || | ||  randolph@ebay.sun.com
| | ||  | || | ||  Mountain View, California, North America, Earth
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