Comments on: Ur Lightrail is Sux0r http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547 Minneapolis + St. Paul Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:11:27 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: noodleman http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200260 noodleman Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:17:15 +0000 #comment-200260 Au contraire, billiam. The Yomiuri Giants were the equivalent of the NY Yankees in Japan when I lived there. Oh and Nagashima were the Japanese Maris and Mantle, and the Giants were the last Japan ML ball club to allow a foreigner (i.e. American) on their roster. (Technically, Oh was Taiwanese but his foreigner-ness didn't count because he was bigger than Babe Ruth.) Au contraire, billiam. The Yomiuri Giants were the equivalent of the NY Yankees in Japan when I lived there. Oh and Nagashima were the Japanese Maris and Mantle, and the Giants were the last Japan ML ball club to allow a foreigner (i.e. American) on their roster. (Technically, Oh was Taiwanese but his foreigner-ness didn’t count because he was bigger than Babe Ruth.)

]]> By: billiam http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200243 billiam Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:26:38 +0000 #comment-200243 noodleman, the Twinks would whup on the Yoimuri Giants. noodleman, the Twinks would whup on the Yoimuri Giants.

]]> By: Mplsbrad http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200216 Mplsbrad Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:55:43 +0000 #comment-200216 Westover and O'Toole are complete asshats. Westover and O’Toole are complete asshats.

]]> By: justpbob http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200082 justpbob Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:44:33 +0000 #comment-200082 <em>I'm glad others have already pointed out how ridiculous anything coming out of the cato institute is.</em><br /> <br /> To paraphrase the late, great Peter Sellers: <em>"Cato?!? You fool!!"</em> I’m glad others have already pointed out how ridiculous anything coming out of the cato institute is.

To paraphrase the late, great Peter Sellers: “Cato?!? You fool!!”

]]> By: wayne http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200081 wayne Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:39:34 +0000 #comment-200081 I'm glad others have already pointed out how ridiculous anything coming out of the cato institute is.<br /> <br /> I won't even bother looking into the assumptions this asshat pulled out of his ... well, ass, to make these calculations, but even assuming they're somehow true, electrically-powered rail transit has all its emissions generated at a point source (power plant) which is much easier to contain and switch to renewable energy than an entire fleet of automobiles. As far "zomg dirty feeder bus service!," that's a bunch of bullshit too. Any city with a market big enough to construct rail transit has already been buying CNG or hybrid buses for years now and most have plans to transition their entire fleet as the older diesel buses end their lifecycle. How many people driving cars are going to be driving anything cleaner anytime soon by choice?<br /> <br /> plus blah blah blah transit encourages denser development which requires less energy for travel since everything is closer together etc. etc.<br /> <br /> cato institute, and this asinine summary = fail. I’m glad others have already pointed out how ridiculous anything coming out of the cato institute is.

I won’t even bother looking into the assumptions this asshat pulled out of his … well, ass, to make these calculations, but even assuming they’re somehow true, electrically-powered rail transit has all its emissions generated at a point source (power plant) which is much easier to contain and switch to renewable energy than an entire fleet of automobiles. As far “zomg dirty feeder bus service!,” that’s a bunch of bullshit too. Any city with a market big enough to construct rail transit has already been buying CNG or hybrid buses for years now and most have plans to transition their entire fleet as the older diesel buses end their lifecycle. How many people driving cars are going to be driving anything cleaner anytime soon by choice?

plus blah blah blah transit encourages denser development which requires less energy for travel since everything is closer together etc. etc.

cato institute, and this asinine summary = fail.

]]> By: kwatt http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200079 kwatt Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:41:15 +0000 #comment-200079 At least Peter McLaughlin finally admitted that it's not about transportation. That's a big step. At least Peter McLaughlin finally admitted that it’s not about transportation. That’s a big step.

]]> By: JACC http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200074 JACC Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:55:18 +0000 #comment-200074 <em>Plow over Lake Calhoun in uptown </em><br /> I think Vlad is onto something here, we could call it art and have it funded by the new Constitutional amendment.<br /> <br /> I know good will eventualy come out of LRT. At one point in time there was a rail line in front of my house that carried commuters to downtown St.Paul, now it's a lovely parkway. Plow over Lake Calhoun in uptown
I think Vlad is onto something here, we could call it art and have it funded by the new Constitutional amendment.

I know good will eventualy come out of LRT. At one point in time there was a rail line in front of my house that carried commuters to downtown St.Paul, now it’s a lovely parkway.

]]> By: Bixby http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200068 Bixby Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:47:32 +0000 #comment-200068 I just want a monorail or a maglev or something. It takes too long to get to the airport on that slow ass LRT. I just want a monorail or a maglev or something. It takes too long to get to the airport on that slow ass LRT.

]]> By: noodleman http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200066 noodleman Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:38:53 +0000 #comment-200066 It's too bad a rail system didn't get developed 25 years ago, when it would've been 1/5th the current cost. But, geez, back when a "modern stadium" was considered something domed for multi-use like the, uh, Dome (and they have one in Tokyo, too, but a better ball club playing there), and the country was heading into a deep recession, forward thinkers were few and the dollars even fewer. And there was a Republican in the White House. It’s too bad a rail system didn’t get developed 25 years ago, when it would’ve been 1/5th the current cost. But, geez, back when a “modern stadium” was considered something domed for multi-use like the, uh, Dome (and they have one in Tokyo, too, but a better ball club playing there), and the country was heading into a deep recession, forward thinkers were few and the dollars even fewer. And there was a Republican in the White House.

]]> By: jeffk http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/13547#comment-200064 jeffk Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:20:15 +0000 #comment-200064 That may be the worst MNSpeak summary of an article I've ever seen. It's a long and complex (props to MinnPost) piece on the subject and JACC snags one out-of-context quote.<br /> <br /> Anyways, for starters it's not just about how *much* energy something takes; it's the origin of that energy. Light rail is electric, so if we got off our sweet asses and built more renewable power, it'd already be hooked up, which is part of the appeal.<br /> <br /> It's also important to think of the development that follows public transport like rail. We've seen what car-based thinking creates, and we call it the outer-ring suburbs. Ick. Public transport-based development inspires dense, diverse development.<br /> <br /> I admit it's interesting to try to calculate energy per passenger-mile, and it's true that sometimes this number is surprisingly disappointing. But to dismiss the whole enterprise on this statistic is missing the point about forward-thinking transportation. That may be the worst MNSpeak summary of an article I’ve ever seen. It’s a long and complex (props to MinnPost) piece on the subject and JACC snags one out-of-context quote.

Anyways, for starters it’s not just about how *much* energy something takes; it’s the origin of that energy. Light rail is electric, so if we got off our sweet asses and built more renewable power, it’d already be hooked up, which is part of the appeal.

It’s also important to think of the development that follows public transport like rail. We’ve seen what car-based thinking creates, and we call it the outer-ring suburbs. Ick. Public transport-based development inspires dense, diverse development.

I admit it’s interesting to try to calculate energy per passenger-mile, and it’s true that sometimes this number is surprisingly disappointing. But to dismiss the whole enterprise on this statistic is missing the point about forward-thinking transportation.

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