October 04, 2008
MonoMetrorail
- Hell to the Yeah. I bet you think this is for commuters or people who want to save gas or something. You are wrong. It is for me to start bike rides from outside the city.
* Map of Stations and Route
* FAQ
Q Can I bring my bicycle on the train?
A Yes. Capital MetroRail trains will have bicycle racks conveniently located near the doors.
(This is also, by the way, one of the best ways to train for a marathon -- take the rail an increasing number of stops away, then run home.)
Excellent point, I didn't realize how bad the existing bus routes from there connect to campus, but hey -- the train tracks were already there.
I'm hoping they'll modify or add to the 641 (EC) shuttle and the 21 (Exposition), but right now from Alexander & MLK Jr, your options are the 20 Manor (closest approach to RLM 26th & RR, 1 mi total walking) or 18 (MLK) (captRLM SJ & MLK, TW .8mi).
Connectivity from the convention center to the north edge of campus is better: the #7 Duval and the #100 Airport are straight shots, but you'd have to sit for and pay for two extra stops.
Then again, let's hear from MsC/Pablo/Beckto about the surprisingly annoying connectivity from DC Metro to Univ. of MD.
But the thing is, why would I bother waiting for a connection, and then waiting for the train to go downtown, when I could take the #1, #3 or #5 downtown already, almost as quickly? Especially since the rail route takes that insane route way east only to swerve back downtown.
If they wanted to build a rail route that essentially replaced the #1, there would be a hell of a lot of support for that. Almost everyone who uses public transit would love it, and it would end up saving cap metro money, due ot the number of buses that it would take off of the road. And obviously, this line is great for people commuting in from Leander, but for everyone else, the route is strange enough that I wonder who would use it over the existing bus lines.
No, I was talking about getting from here to points north -- I'd never use the rail from UT to go downtown when I can hop the #7 every 20 mins.
But -- the route is there because the tracks were already there, the land was already there, the land was already graded, and the political will was insufficient for the tens of times more cost that what you're talking about involves. That "insane" swing east is because there was existing track on the old Austin-Northwestern line. How are you going to run rail replacing the #1?
The UT route that looks best is to tear up MLK and run light rail cross town (the green spur). You'd like it to hook a parallel track on the MoPac route -- but lemme know how you're going to cross the literal and figurative hill between Lamar and the highway.
None of the expansion plans talk about rail down Lamar. Rather, you're looking at high-speed buses (unless fuel goes up or real estate in tarrytown goes down). When there's more track built, look for it on the existing MoPac line down south Lamar, connecting to the airport along the existing tracks south of Ben White. And the route for someone from Leander is just fine compared to the morning traffic down loop 1.
- MetroRail was originally supposed to open this fall, but was delayed by construction issues with the Kramer and Howard stops (the two closest to us, incidentally). We drove by the Kramer one today and there was barely anything there.
- The fares for everything (including the previously free Dillos) goes up next weekend. See the new fare schedule here that includes the new MetroRail fares.
- Speaking of fares, the Bus Riders Union of Austin proposes to cancel fares since they apparently make up only 3% of CapMetro's yearly budget. Discuss.
Jebus, $2.00 for a Full Leander on the metrorail? That's like unfairly cheap. It's a $4 gallon of gas each way + $1.50(?) toll each way + parking ($2/d permit?) to drive from Leander to downtown.
The people who ride the bus are exactly the people for whom Bus Fare is an expense and not pocket change. Yeah it should be free.
Sorry, mrflip -- as many things as there are to rag on about College Park, I'm not biting on Metro connectivity: (1) half of the route on that Google map is actually on campus (shaded area), so it's actually only about a 10-minute walk to the corner of campus, which IME is only slightly more than from the average grad-student parking lot space; (2) it's a decent walk - residences and business, low-speed traffic, things to look at, not highway and office parks; (3) there are shuttle buses from the other side of the station; they aren't perfect, but I never felt stranded. Of course, I also didn't take them regularly. By contrast, think about what it takes to get onto Georgetown's campus... shorter to come from Virginia than any station in the District, if you can make it around Key Circle and the bridge without getting hit.
That said, the Purple Line is supposed to put a stop on the UMD campus (don't ask me how they'll get it through without hitting an underground garage, lab, or library).
I was only pointing to UMD because I'd heard other people complain. The best solution is to get a craptastic subway bike: a rusty undesirable $40 bike, lock it at the station when you leave and your building when you arrive; use metro to get from work station back to car or other short-haul bike or whatever.
I spent four goddamn years walking up and down libe slope which was uphill only one way but was constantly covered with snow or slush, so in this account you will not hear me rag on anyone. (Dimensions of libe slope from Unc'Ezra. My apartment was another two of those down from there.)
« Older Remember movies before cellphones? | RE: Kiva Newer »
To post comments to a thread you must login or create a profile.
I love that we're getting rail, but the route is really stupid. It's insanity to not connect light rail with UT somehow.
posted by Valatan at 02:21PM CST on October 04