Let’s be clear, the opening day ridership of the South Blvd. line was about half the projected 9100 riders a day. Does not mean it will stay there. Does not mean it will not.
But let’s say it for the record: CATS missed the first light rail ridership milestone by 100 percent.
Now forget about that. Check in again after the holidays, about 60 days into operation. Then we’ll have a better idea.
Meanwhile, check out Rev. Mike’s experience on the Magic Train:
I left my house around 6:15 this morning. I drove the 9 miles to the I-485 terminal station, which took me about 15 minutes. It took about ten minutes before the train got rolling. I got to the Stonewall station around 7:10 and walked the two blocks to the office from the station, arriving at my desk around 7:15.
Nine miles driving to the station. Eight miles on the train. Two blocks walking to the office. Two blocks walking back to the station. Eight miles on the train, nine miles driving back home. One hour door to door each way. This compares to 14 miles driving from home to the parking garage and back, a half hour each way, walking across the street and back.
The biggest difference? I paid $13.00 for a seven day, unlimited ride pass. I would pay $4.00 a day to park, $20.00 a week or $80.00 a month, $75.00 a month if I were working there permanently and had a long term account at the garage. Since both the pass and the parking are expensed, it’s a wash for me personally.
My choice? Give up an hour a day of my life to ride a train and listen to the iPod with ear buds versus keeping my extra hour and listening to the iPod in the truck instead. Methinks when the seven day pass is used up, I’ll be going back to driving.
It is the old time vs. money thing. Mass transit might be cheaper than driving solo, but it is seldom faster. That matters. It matters that when you get to work, you do not have a car to run errands or adjust your day. These and other trade-offs people have to calculate for themselves.
I do find it very interesting, though, that the parking at CATS lots is free. How long can that last? It was not free in DC — far from it — and was rigidly enforced to boot. (Little joke for my DC peeps. Boot.)
Here’s a hint: Parking will be free at CATS lots so long as the South line continues to miss ridership targets.
Bonus Observation: Happened to hear Tom Sorensen talking to Keith Larson yesterday on WBT and Tom off-handedly mentioned that he couldn’t take the train to work because he needed a car in case news happened. This is the same thing Mary Newsom said some months ago. Then we had Pat Mumford repeatedly pointing out that telework was not an option for a lot of Uptown workers had to have face-time.
So the Uptown paper of record cannot take the trains, the big bond traders and investment bankers cannot telecommute — funny how there are so many iron rules of commuting that are beyond the reach of government planners to change.
Why are we spending billions to change other people’s habits, then? Oh, that’s right. They are Other People.
