tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840511756286055487.post3203892391109951746..comments2024-03-29T04:22:07.879-06:00Comments on Illinois Transportation Issues: Time For An Open Source Model for Public Transit?Tom Bamontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08257129333713108323noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840511756286055487.post-16500715114536299442007-06-13T00:35:00.000-06:002007-06-13T00:35:00.000-06:00I'm not sure how you provide equity or predictabil...I'm not sure how you provide equity or predictability: through guaranteed minimum service levels? Despite many attempts to require taxis to take fares in underserved parts of the city, even calling a taxi on the south side is little guarantee that you'll get one even after a lengthy wait. Plentiful IT may work for Crackberry addicts like me, but not for grandmothers on the Southeast Side.<BR/><BR/>Predictability is crucial for rail, since its infrastructure is a fixed capital investment. As such, its presence allows others -- namely developers -- to plan around it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09283122571671344629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840511756286055487.post-46377618975776884672007-06-07T08:08:00.000-06:002007-06-07T08:08:00.000-06:00Let's get back to the topic. Maybe charter schools...Let's get back to the topic. Maybe charter schools will prove that an open source model will work. It is similar to transit, in that they way things currently are structured, neither can work without a massive public subsidy.<BR/><BR/>Let's see what "deregulation" has brought us in other areas. There is no competition for residential electric customers and a flawed reverse auction, where all power suppliers are given the highest price that will satisfy the demand, instead of having them bid for the lowest price. You have in telecommunications, at best, a duopoly, with neither company (AT&T or Comcast) particularly interested in customer service once it has made the sale. And all of them run incessant commercials through their front groups telling you to call your legislator on their behalf. The only place where there is competition is cellular, where the barrier to entry is not great, since the neighborhood need not be wired.<BR/><BR/>Maybe the place to start is the taxi industry. Instead of having demonstrations in front of City Hall petitioning for a fuel surcharge, why not just deregulate the taxis, subject to a license and inspection tax, and a prohibition on price fixing (including prices fixed by the leasing and dispatch companies). You would then have 4000 entrepreneurs ready to compete.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840511756286055487.post-40041491276480668552007-06-06T06:49:00.000-06:002007-06-06T06:49:00.000-06:00I agree with the commeter regarding Pace. However,...I agree with the commeter regarding Pace. However, another problem is the practice of one service board (Metra) dictating how much resources another service board (Pace) should get. THis is occuring now as the transit bosses consider how to divide potential new RTA sales tax revenue. Pace is a very weak organization that will never be able to rise to the occasion. Heck, DuPage County handed Pace a golden opportunity with the DuPage Area Transit Plan in which DuPage stakes its future on bus. Unbelievably Pace has shown little or no interest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840511756286055487.post-72397711666350951652007-06-06T06:46:00.000-06:002007-06-06T06:46:00.000-06:00The debate over whom is subsidizing who in the tra...The debate over whom is subsidizing who in the transit business belies the fact that today's transit system is a radial system for downtown Chicago and has been instrumental in preserving and enhancing the viability of the downtown area. In terms of who should pay for the system, the RTA sales tax rates are probably about right relative to the benefits returned. Users should absolutely pay more in fares, and downtown business/real estate interests should also begin to pay since they are the primary beneficiaries of the system which brings access to a regional pool of labor.<BR/><BR/>Lost in the debate over subsidies is when, how and who creates a transit system for the suburbs that primarily serves intersuburban travel and the major suburban activity centers. The RTA's Stategic Plan certainly does not address this question.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately for the suburbs, their transit system is not likely to materialize any time soon and not just for lack of money. New use of todays radial commuter rail lines to serve intersuburban travel does not appear likely, and these lines are not close to the major activity centers. Meanwhile, Metra is recklessly pursuing dubious expansions of its system that either are not proximate to the employment centers (EJ&E/STAR) or merely add more spokes to the radial system to downtown (UP/CSX/Southeast Service); and is seeking to commit the region to these speculative projects at a cost of billions of dollars.<BR/><BR/>Bus has lots of possibilities unfortunately the suburban bus company - Pace - does not. Other metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Cleveland, Boston have learned valuable lessons about how to diversify their investment in transportation by relying on new forms of high performance bus in smart arterial corridors, managed lanes or exclusive lanes. Los Angeles' highly acclaimed and very successful Metro Rapid features high performance bus in smart arterial corridors.<BR/><BR/>In our region, the suburbs have had to suffer 2o plus years with a suburban bus company that is a failed organization and constantly strapped for money. This also is not addressed in the RTA's strategic plan. Instead the RTA's strategy is to plant a few spies out in Arlington Heights to keep tabs.<BR/><BR/>Adding to Pace's woes is a strong bias in our region agaist bus fueled in part by Pace's own ineptitude, TOD advocates at MPC/ULI, the consulting industry, Metra, and a coterie of suburban mayors including one who serves on the Board of the bus company. Consider the following from Schaumburg mayor and Pace director Al Larson: "You can talk all you want about buses - how pretty they are. But people in the suburbs won't ride buses. They would ride rail". [Elk Grove TImes, March 18, 1999] Further, on Octobver 22, 1997 as the RTA was set to begin studying potential extension of the CTA Blue Line, the CHicago Tribune reported that: Larson, however, was not particularly pleased with the mention of bus transit as a possible alternative to a rail system. "We want something more than just an HOV bus lane on the toll road" said Larson. In other words, we don't want no damn bus. And this from a Pace director. Note to Larson. WHen talking to the press, boost the product.<BR/><BR/>So what to do? Lots of ideas have been floated to reorganize transit so here is another. Combine Metra and CTA - they serve the same travel market and Metra is really just an extension of the CTA. Metra should take the suburban feeder bus routes as these are just another form of station access, not unlike the commuter parking business in which Metra has been heavily involved since its inception. Abolish Pace. A new organization is needed with the leadership, imagination, experience, fianancial resources and political savvy to build and operate a transit system for the suburbs. This could be done as you suggest using the open source model. The suburban network should best rely on high performance bus in smart corridors, on expressway shoulders, exclusive lanes or managed lanes in order to diversify our region's investment in transportation consistnet with the shared use principles in the 2030 Transportation Plan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840511756286055487.post-79465314273893968112007-06-05T21:47:00.000-06:002007-06-05T21:47:00.000-06:00For motor transit from buses to taxis, it would be...For motor transit from buses to taxis, it would be easy to bid the services out every 2 years or so to private companies, who could offer a smorgasbord of service options at a defined level of service and competitive (compared to other bidders) prices. Rail transit operation would be more problematic to transfer to a private operator or operators because of the fixed plant and rolling stock expenses and limitations, as well as the unionized work force and work rules.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com