Thanks to consultant contracts, political bullying and crony capitalism, there is very little criticism of the Kansas City toy train in the mainstream media.
Accordingly . . .
TKC OFFERS THIS EXCLUSIVE SUNDAY SPECIAL TESTIMONY FROM STREETCAR RYDERS REGARDING THE PERSISTENT PROBLEMS OF THE TOY TRAIN!!!
While the cheerleaders of this project continue to tout numbers WITHOUT INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION . . . We want to focus on the experience of users and some of their longstanding complaints . . .
Take a look at the top complaints:
Kansas City's Streetcar Needs To Charge!!!
Critics who want to see a modicum of effort toward toy train sustainability believe that streetcar needs to start charging riders in order to not only generate revenue but also to prove it's worth and value to riders as something more than a tourist indulgence.
BRT Is Better For Kansas City
An important resource from the best and brightest of our blog community who argue for transit alternatives . . .
"Check out Cleveland's state of the art BRT system. Much better than Kansas City's Max bus, and much better than a streetcar. Cost $200 million for 9 miles compared to our Streetcar that cost $110 million for two miles."
Finally . . .
The Kansas City Toy Train Is Always Late!!!
At the end of line and along just about every stop, this complaint continues to resonate among Downtown denizens . . .
THE KANSAS CITY TOY TRAIN STREETCAR IS MUCH SLOWER THAN DRIVING, TAKING A CAB OR ANY COMPARABLE BUS LINE!!!
The weekend crowds make for great pix and social media hype from the army of consultants employed via taxpayer subsidy but the reality is that unaffiliated ryders regularly complain about constant toy train streetcar delays and this might impact Kansas City's transit effort when the novelty wears off.
Now, we should be clear that these gripes are from people who generally support public transit and would like to work toward solutions . . . The debate over ridership, costs, competing car traffic and the extension are far more brutal and speak to the ongoing contentious battle over the future of the streetcar that continues this Summer amid dueling petitions.
You decide . . .
THIS is why we can't have anything nice.
ReplyDeleteAnd trolley boy will herf derf just as soon as he recovers from his hangover.
ReplyDeleteThe streetcar is a tourist attraction and nothing more. Let's have the people using it, pay for it.
ReplyDeletestreetcars in other towns are not this slow. i thought it was just for training and safety that they were going slow in the beginning. will itbslways be this slow? frustrating as one rides.
ReplyDeleteThe folks at KCMO city hall don't much care how the streetcar or much of anything else owned by the city is either managed, operated, or maintained.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at the streets, fountains, sewer and water systems, traffic signals, and all the rest of the public "investments" that have been ignored and allowed to deteriorate for decades.
What's important to these electeds is whatever THE NEXT BIG THING is.
And there's always some furturist, salesman, grifter, consultant, or insider who is happy to sell something to the empty-headed gang at 12th and Oak.
The streetcar operation will get worse and worse and maintenance will be ignored as usual, resulting in breakdowns and accidents.
But who cares?
KC's already had its big recognition in the Huffington Post.
How's Mike's new hotel coming?
^^^^^Good point. When will the Meyer Circle fountain be turned on again? I guess it's much more important to have a choo choo than to keep the things that make Kansas City unique and beautiful functioning. More boulevards with potholes than Paris, more non-functioning fountains than Rome and all that.
ReplyDeleteI was on it last night. Took about 45 minutes round trip a little slow. Plus it was hot in car I sweating almost the entire time. They really need to charge people first before they expand the line.
ReplyDeleteThey should use dedicated transit grants from the federal government and a dedicated transit tax to pay for a private fountain on Ward Parkway, because you can totally do that! And fountains are "basic infrastructure" and Ward Parkway is the neglected part of town.
ReplyDeleteSMERTCK
Would have been hella cheaper if they Dindu Nuffin instead of this toy train.
ReplyDeleteJust because you can't afford to live in the corridor is no reason to let the fountains deteriorate, trolley boy.
ReplyDeleteKeep it free forever. Make the buses free. Or a quarter, just to manage some of the folks from taking advantage. But yes, buses are better because we can run more buses more frequently to more areas. I encourage folks to download the Bridj app and use it every time you're heading downtown or the Plaza, just to let KCATA know that they are not currently offering adequate public transportation for your community.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree; buses should be free. People ride them because they have to. Put a high enough fare on the tourist trolley to subsidize the bus service for KCMO residents.
ReplyDeleteRoads should all be tolled. Buses should be free in te urban core but should cost for suburban lines and sparsely populated neighborhoods like the west side and the east side. City fund should be allocated based on population density
ReplyDelete^^^^This would all be a good idea if we stopped subsidizing downtown "development" for the entitled.
ReplyDelete