[clue-talk] Hello CLUE

[Nate Duehr]

T. Joseph Carter wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 06, 2006 at 08:06:57PM -0600, Nate Duehr wrote:
>> Trains always end up where the right-of-ways are available for them  
>> if they come late to the game.  Rarely are those right-of-ways where  
>> the people are or where they need to go.  Littleton to DTC?  Please.   
>> Who cares?
> 
> *raises hand*  =)

Heh, sorry Joseph!  You'd be the exception to the general comment I made 
about Littleton to DTC!

> Granted that doesn't make a whole lot of sense for most people, but it
> doesn't matter where you put your hubs in the case of light rail as long
> as you can actually get from one point of interest to the other.  For
> example, 30th and Downing to DTC works out just fine even if the transfer
> point were Mineral Station, as long as you're talking light rail the
> entire trip.  It's still faster than any bus, and at the right time of
> day, way faster than driving.

Yes, when I've actually needed to go somewhere that Light Rail goes, it 
is fast and convenient.  I worked Downtown for a while, and Mineral & 
Santa Fe to Downtown was excellent, but parking issues at the station 
there meant that it took (even with bad traffic) me 1/2 hour to an hour 
LONGER to use Light Rail than to just sit in the I-25 rolling parking 
lot on the days when things were bad.

If I were working Downtown now, the advent of high-speed cellular data 
connections would make the Light Rail a very productive trip for me. 
But I'm working at 120th & I-25 and living south of the Tech Center. 
Probably one of the worst commutes possible in the Denver Metro area.

> Of course, the transfer point being in zone C would be absolutely
> ridiculous in terms of forcing people to pay for an Express pass, but the
> RTD zone system already is designed to force a certain class of people to
> pay for the express pass for no other reason than that if they live in
> Littleton, probably they can afford it.

That was one of the only "great" things about Chicago.  $1.35 would get 
you ANYWHERE in that city.  (This was in 1991, it's probably higher 
now.)  You could go via the elevated rail, or buses, or the faster 
trains out the airport area.  They didn't have "zones" or try to milk 
people for cash -- they were trying to MOVE people around.

Oh well, I'll keep anxiously awaiting (and voting for) the I-25 north 
Light Rail expansion.  Maybe in a few years I can get to work on the 
train... (GRIN).

Thanks also for sharing your experiences at NFB.  I lost a good friend 
last year who was completely blind, and I am sure his training at NFB 
helped him do the things he did.  He got around Denver very well, and 
just kept up his "normal" life completely.  Great guy.  The link below 
is to my comments about Bob after attending his funeral.

http://www.natetech.com/?p=176

Nate