Q Line "Constructive Criticism"
What do you think the Q Line needs to improve on in order to be an integral part of Detroit's transit system, as well as being a viable option compared to private autos/bus/car sharing?
My top complaints-
1. Run the damn cars. I sat in the baking sun for 25 minutes yesterday waiting for a Q Line to come. It was stopped [[surprise!) at the Montcalm station [[perhaps the most useless station on system). 5 or 6, not 2 or 3 cars need to be running. 15 minute max wait time- any more and you could drive the distance while waiting for the train.
2. Signal Priority is a must. The train moves fast between lights but it gets really bogged down in Midtown/Downtown. It can keep up with the speed of traffic but this is useless unless it doesn't stop every three blocks for a red light.
3. Turn Montcalm, Sibley, and Baltimore into "flag stops". People can surely figure out how to push the STOP button mounted along the train. No one gets on at these station anyway, and the driver can see them. It only stops now on the assumption that SOMEONE might be getting off.
4. Plan for the future. Obviously, a plan for an extension must be locked in within a year. The obvious candidates- Belle Isle, Ferndale, or Corktown. Pick one and go with it so the public [[and savvy real estate investors) can see the plan and digest it until the next RTA referendum. Also, it wouldn't hurt to see a plan for a cut and cover tunnel under GCP- watching trains try to maneuver from the right to left lane is hilarious.
Let me know what the rest of the transit savvy populace thinks.
Light Rail Was the Best Option for Woodward Avenue
In the Ancient Roman Republic of Nero's day there were 53,000 miles of paved highway for private chariots, carriages, andcargo shipments. Nero lived during a period when Emperor Augustus and the three and a half emperors who followed were engaged on the issue of roads, transit, and technology so Nero should know a thing or two about the subject at hand. Nero and the Romans even had a few tosses at creating the first automobile!
Investors might like this or that. Extension of the original roads and rails are built on the principals of land values and providing movement of goods and people. Providing utilities along the line helped gain approval and pay bills. For Rome it was aqueducts. Back in Detroit's history, that meant selling electricity from the running cables. Today that means providing Wifi service.
The choice of vehicle type and size should probably be based on safety, capacity and cost, in that order. No one can ride something that is horribly unsafe, and no one wants to wait in queue lines for the Q Line. Cost comes into the measure here. Fare is like a web site banner ad for the Detroit News, it makes money but is only a small part of the cash flow schematical dance plan.
Some good ideas for rebranding and relaunching bus lines have been outlined on this web site. Cost and safety is not the issue that capacity is, as is being overlooked by the casual observer. Buses have a much lower capacity when compared to light rail. If your goal is to provide a mixed-use Denver-esque streetcar shopping, sports and entertainment district that is connected to a museum and educational district, and connected to other transit lines, then light rail was the correct choice.
The Q Line's transit related purpose is as follows:
- To provide an extension or second downtown circulator that connected the People Mover to the cultural district to the north.
- Provided a link to airport and intercity rail services via the Amtrak station.
- Provide a way to get to necessary everyday urban amenities for people living in Midtown and the Central Business District, not accessible by the People Mover. One could argue that buses already provided this service, but that is part of your "rails spur development" argument.
- Provide a way to traverse a new joint shopping, entertainment, and cultural strip or Avenue.
- Provide the seed test infrastructure needed for a new method of travel to be added to a regional transit system. Federal requirements were such that existing transit infrastructure must be operating in a state before federal money can go towards utilization of said transit technology.
The high capacity needs of the stadiums and entertainment venues are precisely why the high capacity light rail trains were the right choice for this line. With light rail, trains should be able to be stacked alongside the stations when events let out, and could be supplemented with city buses if people are more concerned about getting to their destination quickly, then riding in a train. Are Nero's numbers sound?
- Private Chariot: 2-7 riders plus driver
- City Bus: 35-50 riders*
- People Mover: 50-100 riders*
- Q Line: 100-150 riders*
The high daily ridership of the Woodward 53 is another reason that light rail was the correct choice for this line. Nero looks forward to ridership data over the coming years for the DDOT Woodward 53, SMART Woodward Express, Q Line, and Detroit People Mover. Since the expensive base infrastructure and supporting technology was built with private marks, it should now be much, much cheaper to add additional light rail lines in Detroit.
http://www.railfanguides.us/mi/detro...e-mover-02.jpg