4 ms·

If done right the stations will be in locations where having a car is more of a liability than a convenience (i.e. downtowns with lots of traffic and expensive

If done right the stations will be in locations where having a car is more of a liability than a convenience (i.e. downtowns with lots of traffic and expensive parking).

bpodgursky 3y ago
There are (at most) 2 of those locations in the entire US PNW... downtown Seattle and Downtown Portland. And frankly I'm not sure Portland counts.
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  Downtown Portland definitely counts. I would include Vancouver BC. Traffic is really draining up there, more so than downtown Seattle.
upon_drumhead 3y ago
There’s a little problem with that. You want people who live close but not directly near one of the stations to also drive and park and take it. So you do need stations continently outside of the super dense metro area.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- stuaxo 3y ago
  Buses will probably link up from day 1, places with Metros will extend them to the stations (see Taiwan for instance).
- marssaxman 3y ago
  You don't need a high-speed rail station for that; you just need one of the park-n-ride lots at a light-rail station. You drive to the transit network, then use the local train to reach the regional train.
  - foobiekr 3y ago
    One of the obvious problems with this, at least in the California metros, is going to be that these stations are watering holes for people who engage in car breakins.
    - marssaxman 3y ago
      Interesting. I haven't heard of that as a significant problem with the existing Sound Transit park-n-rides; I wonder if that is a regional difference, or whether it is a function of system size.
blq10 3y ago
Yeah see this is the problem - urbanist aesthetics demanding everyone live a very particular lifestyle, which includes a lot more than just urban living hamstringing projects.
- bugglebeetle 3y ago
  > urbanist aesthetics demanding everyone live a very particular lifestyle, which includes a lot more than just urban living hamstringing projects. You’re literally just describing how most of the population lives and has lived for the past 1000 years. Your “urbanist aesthetics” predate the invention of cars.
  - GauntletWizard 3y ago
    The small towns and farmsteads of history look a lot more like suburbs than modern high-rises. Even in large cities, every house would have significant garden to meet everyday needs. A very small percentage of the population lived in "urban" cities, with houses back-to-back. Rome was an anomaly in that regard, made possible by significant farmsteads held by the nobility outside the city and grain bribes paid out by them.
- favflam 3y ago
  Respectfully, suburban guys want to use urban cores rent free. If people with cars actually paid anything close to market rates for the precious real estate they take up with their cars, then most of them would just walk/bike/bus in the city. Car drivers have the government on their side, so they get heavily subsidized real estate (roads, parking). I don't think this treatment is very equal or fair. Keep your house and your car (SUV?), but pay real tolls and real parking fees. The US managed to build cities and suburbs fine before car drivers got government priority.
  - foobiekr 3y ago
    How do ambulances work in city cores if not roads?
DoreenMichele 3y ago
From the article: And Whittington says the designers must also ensure the rail remains dedicated to its high-speed route and that people have the ability to get to the rail through other means of public transportation. “There are going to be a lot of communities you want to serve,” Whittington said, “but you want to find a way to bring those communities to the routes as opposed to bringing the route to the communities.”

If done right the stations will be in locations where having a car is more of a liability than a convenience (i.e. downtowns with lots of traffic and expensive parking).

bpodgursky 3y ago

There are (at most) 2 of those locations in the entire US PNW... downtown Seattle and Downtown Portland. And frankly I'm not sure Portland counts.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
Downtown Portland definitely counts. I would include Vancouver BC. Traffic is really draining up there, more so than downtown Seattle.

upon_drumhead 3y ago

There’s a little problem with that. You want people who live close but not directly near one of the stations to also drive and park and take it. So you do need stations continently outside of the super dense metro area.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
stuaxo 3y ago
Buses will probably link up from day 1, places with Metros will extend them to the stations (see Taiwan for instance).
marssaxman 3y ago
You don't need a high-speed rail station for that; you just need one of the park-n-ride lots at a light-rail station. You drive to the transit network, then use the local train to reach the regional train.
- foobiekr 3y ago
  One of the obvious problems with this, at least in the California metros, is going to be that these stations are watering holes for people who engage in car breakins.
  - marssaxman 3y ago
    Interesting. I haven't heard of that as a significant problem with the existing Sound Transit park-n-rides; I wonder if that is a regional difference, or whether it is a function of system size.

blq10 3y ago

Yeah see this is the problem - urbanist aesthetics demanding everyone live a very particular lifestyle, which includes a lot more than just urban living hamstringing projects.

bugglebeetle 3y ago
> urbanist aesthetics demanding everyone live a very particular lifestyle, which includes a lot more than just urban living hamstringing projects. You’re literally just describing how most of the population lives and has lived for the past 1000 years. Your “urbanist aesthetics” predate the invention of cars.
- GauntletWizard 3y ago
  The small towns and farmsteads of history look a lot more like suburbs than modern high-rises. Even in large cities, every house would have significant garden to meet everyday needs. A very small percentage of the population lived in "urban" cities, with houses back-to-back. Rome was an anomaly in that regard, made possible by significant farmsteads held by the nobility outside the city and grain bribes paid out by them.
favflam 3y ago
Respectfully, suburban guys want to use urban cores rent free. If people with cars actually paid anything close to market rates for the precious real estate they take up with their cars, then most of them would just walk/bike/bus in the city. Car drivers have the government on their side, so they get heavily subsidized real estate (roads, parking). I don't think this treatment is very equal or fair. Keep your house and your car (SUV?), but pay real tolls and real parking fees. The US managed to build cities and suburbs fine before car drivers got government priority.
- foobiekr 3y ago
  How do ambulances work in city cores if not roads?

DoreenMichele 3y ago

From the article: And Whittington says the designers must also ensure the rail remains dedicated to its high-speed route and that people have the ability to get to the rail through other means of public transportation. “There are going to be a lot of communities you want to serve,” Whittington said, “but you want to find a way to bring those communities to the routes as opposed to bringing the route to the communities.”