is light rail the right way to go?

Posted on | March 30, 2010 | 1 Comment

Its not usually a debate that is heard often, or even rarely often. However, as part of the newly developed transportation initiative ‘IndyConnect,’ the use of alternative modes of mass transportation is discussed. There was, somewhere along the line, a decision to install Light Rail Transit (LRT) along East Washington Street in an effort to improve circulation and accessibility to all patrons.

I recently read an interesting article that I wanted to share with you.

http://www.humantransit.org/

To give a little background.

There is no doubt in my mind that almost any type of transportation ‘improvement’ would ‘improve’ the circulation on this corridor, as I have personally conducted traffic counts/surveys of mass transportation and other modes of travel (ie bicycle and pedestrian). The buses ARE being utilized and so are the alleys/sidewalks. However, the overall bus system is not fully working for its patrons. The time slots in which they pick up are erratic and cut short, making it very difficult for patrons to work the night shift or just catch a bus downtown for a lovely evening.

The debate.

There are conclusions that the bus system is nearly the equivalent of a streetcar system and not to expect a huge attendance improvement when upgrading from a bus system to a streetcar system.

I think that we need to look once again at what the original intent of the systems where, LRT vs streetcar.  Light Rail was specifically conjured to create a distinction between it and heavy rail, which is a competing alternative for the same relatively long corridors. Streetcars on the other hand are utilized to make short/local stops at a relatively slow pace catering mostly to the walking pedestrian in the downtown atmosphere.

The article makes the same conclusion as the graph below represents the rail service and the dedicated stops in which it is relative to its location.  As you can conclude, there is generally more stops located downtown regardless of its mode as this is typically where pedestrian activity is highest.

A streetcar/tram system also has the ability to stop frequently along a single corridor, however this reduces time efficiency, therefore making it comparable to local fare bus.

When it comes to Indianapolis and their choice to use an LRT through the East Washington Corridor, I believe that it was the correct choice and was well thought out. IndyConnect is an important movement that needs to be investigated for the future of Indianapolis relies on it. I am not raising issues with the location of the mode, via East Washington, however I want to discuss the type of transportation that is installed.

I think that Light Rail (LRT) is the best choice for Indianapolis and this particular location. East Washington Street has always been and, seems as though, always will be a transportation heavy corridor. Beginning as Historic U.S. 40, the right of way (ROW) was maximized for the vehicle, a good and bad thing. Bad because it has deteriorated whats left of the historic structures and character of the area, eating five large lanes worth of public service area. Good because the land is prime for redevelopment. Yes, I said it. The area needs a major makeover.  This is the opportunity to provide growth in nearly every civil, social and economic aspect the city has to offer.

“for every dollar invested in public transportation, four dollars is returned to the local community” –indyconnect

http://www.indyconnect.org/index.htm

The Light Rail option best suites the area for several reasons, although the ones that stick out the most, to me, are the initiatives that include the reinvestment of public transportation. The Light Rail provides efficient transit use in the downtown area, giving way to pedestrian utilization and dedicated reinvestment in the local economy. As the light rail begins to move outside the central core of downtown Indianapolis, it has the opportunity to gain speed, literally, and provide access to those suburban communities surrounding Indy. Even though we hate to accommodate suburban sprawl, it is a large part of what makes Indianapolis tick for now. There has been an outcry for help for public transit in these locations, and it is important to provide mass transit to these far away lands as it will get people downtown and out of the car.

An opportunity that the light rail on East Washington may have is the I465 loop as well as the communities that lie streetside. Just for a paragraph or so, put yourself in the shoes of a college student currently completing work to achieve his Masters degree through the Ball State University Indianapolis Center. ‘Wow, good job.’ One might say. I say, ugh. It’s a lot work, and especially because this person lives in Muncie, Indiana and commutes every Tuesday/Thursday to Indianapolis to attend class. The other days of the week are spent commuting northward for employment. On top of dealing with I69 congestion, I465 becomes a bear (but noone needs to get into that right now).  Wouldn’t it be grand if there was a park and ride on I465 via the East Washington Street exit? Less gas spent, less spent on parking fairs/tickets and most importantly, less hitting of the steering wheel while sitting in traffic. I would say yes, yes it would be grand if there was an option to avoid traffic. The ultimate grand idea is to make a rail corridor from Muncie to Indy, however that’s a whole other blog entry.

Conclusion:

If a streetcar system were to be used for any of the aforementioned applications, it would surely be a failure. It becomes inefficient because the speeds are not high enough to ensure the necessary frequency. Light rail gives options for expansion, due to its speed opportunities. Streetcars become limited in their options. This leads me to believe that Indianapolis is taking the right strides in their transportation options. Keep it going Indy, and we’ll keep backing your decisions. Heck, we’ll even provide some design examples for your decisions if we like it enough.

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