[clue-talk] Hello CLUE

[Nate Duehr]

T. Joseph Carter wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 07, 2006 at 05:52:08AM -0600, Matt Gushee wrote:
>>> In most cases you're not given the opportunity. Your taxes usually go
>>> for creampuff projects like light rail that benefit 1% (and that's a
>>> high estimate) of the populace.
>> I'd be interested to know how you arrived at that figure.
> 
> As would I, actually.  The trains are usually pretty full on the way to
> and coming home from the center.  They've got a lot of riders even in the
> middle of the day.  Hardly 1%.

I believe RTD publishes per-capita numbers in their annual report.  I 
believe when I went looking for it, it was on their website.

The total number of riders on RTD's entire system the last time I looked 
was in single-digit percentages of the Metro area's population.

Light rail was a good sized chunk of that, and growing, but it would 
still be single-digit, of course.

I hope my other pet-peeve got addressed.  Douglas County, arguably the 
biggest benefactor of the new I-25 Light Rail line, isn't in the RTD 
taxation district.  Free light rail for the kind citizens of what was 
once the fastest growing county in the U.S. a few years ago.

Nice perk if you can get it.  I'm glad I paid for it for them, I guess.

They're also outside the stadium taxation district, and didn't help out 
our POOOOR Broncos to get their new stadium.  (Don't get me started on 
public funding of sports arenas.)  Wonder how many season ticket holders 
live in Highlands Ranch?

Nate