Uhhh... I don't totally disagree with everything he said, but...
Wilson scoffs at rail test proposal
Carlisle's mayor suggests change, offers alternative
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
BY MATT MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau
CARLISLE - Mayor Kirk Wilson is lambasting Cumberland County commissioners over their stance on the proposed Corridor One commuter rail project.
The commission's demand that rail service first be tested on Amtrak's Lancaster-to-Harrisburg line is a pointless "apples to oranges" proposition, Wilson said in a letter to the county board.
Yet, he also is proposing his own radical change to the $76 million Corridor One plan -- a suggestion that the initial commuter line run from Carlisle to Harrisburg, rather than from Lancaster to Harrisburg to Mechanicsburg as now proposed.
In addition, Wilson is calling for consideration of a "bus rapid transit" option that the county transportation authority is expected to begin evaluating this morning at the commissioners' urging.
That idea would involve creating a bus-only thru-way along existing rail lines to rush West Shore commuters to Harrisburg.
Wilson is the latest official to weigh in on the Corridor One debate, which has become increasingly contentious since Cumberland commissioners demanded the Amtrak test earlier this year. Commissioners want a three-year trial run estimated to cost $25 million.
In his letter, a copy of which was provided to The Patriot-News, Wilson said such a test "is not possible to undertake."
"Amtrak is an intercity passenger rail provider, not a commuter rail service," the mayor wrote.
It doesn't have the personnel, equipment or policies to perform such a test, he said. Besides, Wilson added, a commuter rail test would go against a congressional order that Amtrak improve its city-to-city rail service.
He echoed claims by Modern Transit Partnership, Corridor One's main proponent, that a Lancaster-to-Harrisburg test would be useless in gauging potential Cumberland ridership because it "would not mirror rider levels on the West Shore.
"I have commuted between Harrisburg and Carlisle for 29 years," Wilson said. "My level of understanding of traffic patterns of both shores tells me that traffic gridlock is not far off in some communities.
"Commuter rail alone is not the answer, but neither is demanding an unrealistic [commuter rail] demonstration project," the mayor said.
Commissioner Rick Rovegno said commissioners got the letter yesterday, but had not read it. "We appreciate all the input on the critical issue of transportation in Cumberland County," he said.
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Then you see articles like this on the same day:
Will Cumberland County go for the Green?
Can't have it both ways, guys...