SAN ANTONIO | City and Metro Transportation Thread

[alexjon]

Um... you're expecting a little too much from a bus shelter

[sirkingwilliam]

VIA just hired a urban rail program manager to oversee mass transit rail development in San Antonio starting with the two downtown street car lines which VIA's CEO wants up by 2015.

Story

[oldmanshirt]

HNTB is a Kansas City planning and design firm with a very good track record. I'm glad Keith Parker is cognizant of the need to establish rail service while not compromising SA's already very good bus system.

[Boquillas]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...rs-1604355.php

A master plan is unanimously approved, now the hunt for funding is underway.

[miaht82]

Wonderful.

[SAguy]

From KSAT.com-

http://www.ksat.com/news/28685045/detail.html

[Paul in S.A TX]

[necropolis]

As much as I understand the need to try to provide a starter rail both north/south and east/west the small scale of the starter rail seems to not really connect much. I mean maybe the north/south works somewhat with Alamo Heights and Southtown but for the east/west route why would I need or want to travel east/west when there is nothing on either end to attract large amounts of people. And something I've also wondered...why does 281/1604 seem absent of potential future rail or BRT lines? I mean isn't this where major growth is occurring? Future transportation should aim to dissuade people from using their vehicles and not keeping congested areas absent of transportation options.

[miaht82]

I understand what you are saying; perhaps its my optimism but I like to think of our starter line(s) as an investment; pay some money in hopes that development occurs in these areas. I know they don't connect much at first, but it could connect many things in the future, just like the San Pedro line; I don't see it as connecting the Airport, NS mall, and DT, I see it connecting those three things and a couple of dense future developments along SP; perhaps around Basse/SP and Olmos/SP.
Back in the 50's, DC decided to build the Metro. Back then, there was much of nothing in the burbs, and of course the Fed Gov was in DT DC. Alot of people say that it only works in DC because it is dense, but it wasn't always that way outside of the core; and now you can see the density in the 7 stops in Arlington, Bethesda, Friendship Village, heck even some really suburban locations are re-gridding their super huge suburban blocks and joining in the density party 50 years after the Metros initial investment.
My point is, it may not connect much at first, but the possibilities are endless for what it could connect 10,20 even 40 years from now.
As for 281/1604... there's not much room for redevelopment (yet) but I think the first connection should be down Huebner to Med. Center. Maybe they'll address it in 10-15 years; it's not growing much more and people would rather take their cars (for now) anyways.

[UrbanTrance]

The north/south line makes most sense at present. I think of the east/west line as more of a hopeful 'catalyst' for West Side, Hemisfair Park, and the East Side entertainment district redevelopment ideas. Either way, I applaud the encouragement of continuous urban development north, east, and west of the loop.

[necropolis]

And we are now one step closer to the beginning of a street car line once again through downtown San Antonio. If all goes well and the city decides to contribute money, this East/West line could begin construction in January!


(mysa.com)

County approves streetcar funding

City officials said they are studying VIA's proposals and could make a pitch to council members as early as the end of this month.
Without that assistance, VIA would be unable to pursue its plans — at least in the short term.
“I think the city recognizes that, as our partner, that VIA has been underfunded historically and that it's time for that to change,” Muñoz said.
VIA will contribute $70 million, now that the agency has the ability to bond its ATD funds.
If the city contributes its proposed share of the funding, the transit agency hopes to break ground in January on the streetcar line...


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...#ixzz1UfJtRpsz

[arhavel]

It seems like the East/West route might have been chosen first as a way for the city to also reconstruct Goliad Street within Hemisfair Park as Andujar has been campaigning for. This way, we do both at once, while the city has also been talking about early 2012 for making Alamo and Chavez Blvd. (gotta get used to that) "complete streets."

Now that I think of it, I actually like this first as opposed to North/South, because the river has already created that directional pull near Broadway and South towards Southtown--that line will obviously come in the future, but this one is a way to reinvigorate the opposite directions.

[sakyle04]

Originally Posted by arhavel

It seems like the East/West route might have been chosen first as a way for the city to also reconstruct Goliad Street within Hemisfair Park as Andujar has been campaigning for. This way, we do both at once, while the city has also been talking about early 2012 for making Alamo and Chavez Blvd. (gotta get used to that) "complete streets."

Now that I think of it, I actually like this first as opposed to North/South, because the river has already created that directional pull near Broadway and South towards Southtown--that line will obviously come in the future, but this one is a way to reinvigorate the opposite directions.

Thinking here is that the east/west will capture larger number of riders. when Westside Multi-modal station (part of this request) is completed, VIA will terminate many of its crowded NW side lines coming from Fredericksburg Rd/Med Ctr and all of its BRT folks at the WS MMS (read: not terminate the route...just end the route at the MMS). They will then transfer to the streetcar to make their way downtown, bumping numbers up and increasing commute times ever so slightly.

This is obviously not the whole reason, but it is a sizable number of people that will ride.

Nueva sort of stinks right now...but it will be interesting to see what happens as there are a lot (LOT) of surface parking lots in prime locations on Nueva downtown, including 3 of the 4 lots with River access. So hopefully some new development there once the line is put in.

[sakyle04]

Evidence of Nueva St dead zone: Screenshot

[miaht82]

Originally Posted by sakyle04

Thinking here is that the east/west will capture larger number of riders. when Westside Multi-modal station (part of this request) is completed, VIA will terminate many of its crowded NW side lines coming from Fredericksburg Rd/Med Ctr and all of its BRT folks at the WS MMS (read: not terminate the route...just end the route at the MMS). They will then transfer to the streetcar to make their way downtown, bumping numbers up and increasing commute times ever so slightly.

This is obviously not the whole reason, but it is a sizable number of people that will ride.

Nueva sort of stinks right now...but it will be interesting to see what happens as there are a lot (LOT) of surface parking lots in prime locations on Nueva downtown, including 3 of the 4 lots with River access. So hopefully some new development there once the line is put in.

Exactly my thoughts.
With a larger # of "known" riders, the numbers will prove it to be a success... again, obviously not the whole reason, but it also reduces the 40 or so daily E-W buses that go through DT.
As for development, time will tell. I don't judge success by the first few years of ridership; I know that success is seen in 5,10, and 25+ years of use and when we just don't have new development but also redevelopment. I'm sure there was a time 2 or 3 years after the (original) Riverwalk was built that people said "Man, this thing sucks... we paid $400K and all we have is Casa Rio down here."

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by sakyle04

Evidence of Nueva St dead zone: Screenshot

Imagine those surface parking lots replaces with mid and high rise developments!

[alexjon]

It took me a second to like the alignment, but then I remembered the Nueva deadzones. I remember applying to Bill Millers as a teenager and having to walk down to that intake office down there.

[sakyle04]

I talked to a VIA rep at the Historic Homeowners Fair (@ Jefferson HS) today. They had renderings of the Mary Louise BRT stop and the Medical Center MMS.

The MMS looks good from an exterior design standpoint. It should stand out nicely and provide some visual interest.

The bad news is that the BRT stations will not be enclosed, will not be platforms, and will not offer off-board ticketing options.

The rep tried to tell me that they would eventually install kiosks for off board ticketing, but the gist of the conversation was that these are going to be bus stops and BRT will be bus-service. Nothing special to set it aside at all.

- Pay your fare as you board the bus (slower)
- Wait at normal, open bus stop (not at all safer)
- Ride in non-dedicated lanes (not at all faster)

Soooo....

As we assumed, they sold "light rail on rubber tires" and we will receive longer buses and virtually identical commute times.

Shame.

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by sakyle04

I talked to a VIA rep at the Historic Homeowners Fair (@ Jefferson HS) today. They had renderings of the Mary Louise BRT stop and the Medical Center MMS.

The MMS looks good from an exterior design standpoint. It should stand out nicely and provide some visual interest.

The bad news is that the BRT stations will not be enclosed, will not be platforms, and will not offer off-board ticketing options.

The rep tried to tell me that they would eventually install kiosks for off board ticketing, but the gist of the conversation was that these are going to be bus stops and BRT will be bus-service. Nothing special to set it aside at all.

- Pay your fare as you board the bus (slower)
- Wait at normal, open bus stop (not at all safer)
- Ride in non-dedicated lanes (not at all faster)

Soooo....

As we assumed, they sold "light rail on rubber tires" and we will receive longer buses and virtually identical commute times.

Shame.

You have to thank the old VIA regime. Thankfully they were dumped and now the new leadership is a lot more fit to help guide SA's mass transit future.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

You have to thank the old VIA regime. Thankfully they were dumped and now the new leadership is a lot more fit to help guide SA's mass transit future.

The new VIA leadership isn't exactly distinguishing itself at the moment.