"Gary H. Lucas" wrote:

"Gary Coffman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 11:46:27 -0800, Koz
wrote:
It looks like the costs went up again for this thing...the Light rail
was voted upon at about $ 14,000 per foot and by the numbers given here
it's up to almost $ 19,000 per foot.

So, $100,320,000 a mile.

Snipped

OTOH, lets look at BART, a system designed by the same people
who designed MARTA. Because of the linear geography of the region
it serves, BART actually works fairly well. I don't have even approximate
cost figures for the system, but I do know that daily ridership is much
higher than for MARTA, and that it actually goes in the directions many
people need to go, thanks to an accident of geography which constrains
development to a linear strip between the mountains and the bay.

So mass transit *can* work, in certain circumstances, but it fails to be
practical or cost effective in more cases than not because those special
circumstances are absent.

Gary

Aw, quit your whining! In NJ we just spent $1.2 Billion to build a light
rail system between Trenton and Camden. Two cities that NO ONE wants to go
to, and neither of which have any jobs! When it comes to wasting money you
guys are going to have to get up really early to beat us!

Gary H. Lucas

And then there's the VTA here in Silly Cone Valley. Forgot
the actual figures, but it is something like $1.50 per rider
paid in fairs, and costs $5.00 and change for the ride.
Some folks voted to extend BART to San Jose with bond
money. Now the rat ******* politicans want to use the bond
money for operating expenses.

I've consistantly voted no on any transportation money since
they tricked me on raising the sales tax to widen the roads,
but failed to mention that they would be car pool lanes.
--
Regards,
Steve Saling
aka The Garlic Dude
Gilroy, CA
The Garlic Capital of The World
http://www.pulsareng.com/