tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post396513787105028542..comments2023-10-21T03:07:18.017-05:00Comments on Enclave: Metro's Midtown "Open House" on the Amp threatened to turn into a town hall meeting earlier tonightS-townMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05948307051485318061noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-55867275329647120632014-01-16T16:54:03.684-06:002014-01-16T16:54:03.684-06:00Are any transit projects ever selected by citizens...Are any transit projects ever selected by citizens? Unless there is a dedicated tax to vote on, why would the citizens have a yes/no vote? The process is more: there are planners and they plan. That planning, in general, is open to input. That input is at the margins, though, unless you are high enough up in the food chain.<br /><br />Certainly, 440 was conceived and opposed by affected neighborhoods. And, oh, we got the concession that there'd be no trucks allowed on the 440. That did not last long.<br /><br />I posted the above to get the info in a handy place for people. Amp has not been a secret, but it has not been a community effort, either. And, as noted in the blog post above, other (probably more needed) projects will suffer even if Amp pans out to be great.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-47140369392446300622014-01-16T16:30:53.143-06:002014-01-16T16:30:53.143-06:00So that I'm correct that (1) the Five Points /...So that I'm correct that (1) the Five Points / downtown / VU / St. Thomas route was not a "locally preferred alternative" selected by local citizens. The route was upzoned by city government because it was the only chance Nashville had to (barely) qualify for federal grant to pay for a BRT. Which means it was selected for a bad reason--possible free money--rather than because it meets a legitimate transit need.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-2609523652514066222014-01-16T16:17:10.820-06:002014-01-16T16:17:10.820-06:00Anon-3 - go to the AMP-timeline link 2 posts above...Anon-3 - go to the AMP-timeline link 2 posts above. Read the MTA Masterplan. In 2009, the 5-year plan included this (Gallatin Pike BRT was coming soon):<br /><br />"Potential Extension of BRT from MCC to Vanderbilt<br />Some preliminary consideration has been given to the potential for operating a Gallatin Road BRT route beyond the<br />Music City Central (MCC) through to the West End / Vanderbilt area. A routing via Charlotte, Union, Church, and 21st<br />Street is being considered by MTA and this routing is already utilized by Route 35X Rivergate Express. Such an<br />extension would appear to be logical since it would provide distribution/collection through much of the downtown area<br />as well as providing a direct link for passengers travelling to/from the Baptist Hospital, Vanderbilt University, and the<br />Vanderbilt Medical Center. These are some of the strongest trip generators in Middle Tennessee. Providing through<br />service would attract more riders to transit as well as provide more capacity in the segment between downtown and<br />Vanderbilt. This is primarily served by Route 7 Hillsboro whose buses sometimes have standing-room-only due to<br />the short distance passengers (Chapter 7-BRT)<br /><br />Then, in 2010, the Alternative Analysis (brt, streetcar, etc.) was commissioned because federal funding was available for the study. So, from 8/2009 to 4/2010, the master plan was hijacked from (original) connecting Gallatin Roads BRT to West End, maybe Charlotte, and Hillsboro to (current) dedicated Amp going from St. Thomas to East Nashville. The master plan also prioritizes Murfreesboro Road and Nolensville Road.<br /><br />Chapter nine of the now-ignored master plan puts West End in mix for improvements in the mid-term (2016 - 2025).<br /><br />Basically - West End was on the list for a BRT Lite like everyone else, and prioritized down the list. When federal funds were available, you saw re-zoning in Midtown to meet density requirements and EastWest Connector move to not only priority #1, but at a much higher service level (not Lite).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-2444796674870469272014-01-16T15:56:54.449-06:002014-01-16T15:56:54.449-06:00If I understand you correctly, there were never pu...If I understand you correctly, there were never public meetings about WHERE the route would be. There were public meetings announcing the route, not meetings soliciting comments about where the route should go. Correct? Anon-3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-57899287708650711832014-01-16T15:47:45.764-06:002014-01-16T15:47:45.764-06:00http://www.post-gazette.com/transportation/2013/06...http://www.post-gazette.com/transportation/2013/06/20/Cleveland-s-HealthLine-bus-route-could-be-model-for-Pittsburgh/stories/201306200245<br /><br />Traditional bus riders maxed out at 2.6m riders in it's final year. Cleveland HealthLine BRT was 4.6m riders the following year?!?! The only "mess" would have been how those people would have gotten around without the BRT. <br /><br />Come on, Nashville, if it works for Cleveland, it can work for us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-31548874957090420272014-01-16T15:37:41.684-06:002014-01-16T15:37:41.684-06:00The engineer's 30% complete comment this week ...The engineer's 30% complete comment this week is funny when re-reading this amp timeline from april 2012:<br /><br />"STEP 3 — Phase Two: Preliminary Engineering/Design and Environmental Analysis<br />The Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Review phase initiated in April 2012 provided more detailed analysis and understanding of the proposed BRT project, its benefits, and impacts to the community. Currently, only 30 percent of the engineering has been completed. There is still 70 percent of the work to complete to get to the final design. "<br /><br />http://www.nashvillemta-amp.org/AMP-timeline.aspAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-81131155108018927392014-01-16T14:54:47.363-06:002014-01-16T14:54:47.363-06:00Grist for the mill...
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012...Grist for the mill...<br /><br />Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012 4:16 PM<br />To: BRT project meetings<br />Subject: Opportunity to participate in small-group discussions about the East-West Connector<br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br />I recently sent you an email inviting you to join us for a one-hour meeting of East-West Connector Steering Committee members and priority stakeholders. We are holding these smaller meetings to engage in a discussion and obtain your feedback. During the meetings, we will provide additional details on the project, including an update on the route, potential transit station locations and how bus rapid transit will operate along the corridor.<br /><br /> <br /><br />While the original invitation invited you to a meeting to discuss specifics related to the portion of the East-West Corridor in which you work or live, I understand that there may have been scheduling conflicts. We are reaching out to you again because we feel you are an important voice along the route and we value your input. Therefore, we would like to invite you to attend any of the below scheduled meetings:<br /><br />(deleted)<br /><br />Please note that while we will be discussing a specific portion of the corridor, each discussion will include an overview of the East-West Connector. We would be happy to discuss additional portions of the route at the end of the meeting, if time allows. We are also happy to schedule a small meeting with you and others in your community, if you would like to discuss the specific portion of the corridor in more detail.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Please reply with your attendance plans to edc...@thetransitalliance.org.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Please note we are working to keep these meetings small to encourage discussion and feedback, therefore we request that you consider this invitation as non-transferable. Thank you for your commitment of time and support of bringing bus rapid transit to Nashville.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Hope to see you next week!<br /><br /> <br /><br />Ed<br /><br /> <br /><br />-- <br />Ed Cole, Executive Director<br />Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee<br />511 Union St. Suite 1850<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-89424632484284679852014-01-16T14:49:52.222-06:002014-01-16T14:49:52.222-06:00East-West Connector was always Broadway/West End. ...East-West Connector was always Broadway/West End. It started with talk about light rail vs. BRT vs. streetcar. That's fancy and got everyone excited (people hearking back to the actual streetcar days, thinking about old-timey lighting on West End, cobblestone intersectsion). BRT won because of cost and relative efficacy.<br /><br />EWC has been part of a larger transpo plan for awhile. It became priority #1 when the idea of federal funds came about. East Nashville lobbied for, and got, it routed over the river. Downtown lobbied for, and got, it not routed below 5th avenue. Pols floated the idea of taxes on residences and businesses close to the line (shot down).<br /><br />Richland neighborhood has been discussing BRT since at least 12/2011. Meetings started after mid-2012 (not all "community" meetings; some Metro Planning not discussion-oriented, just presentations). People have tried to make their anti-BRT opinions heard since these dates in 2012, at least - but even in July, 2012 - BRT was a "go" by Metro. It was not an either/or.<br /><br />http://www.nashvillempo.org/docs/Exec_Board/2012/071812_XB_Agenda.pdf<br /><br /><br /> Location Date Time <br />Vine Street Christian Church Monday 5:30 p.m.<br />4101 Harding Road July 9 <br /> <br />East Nashville Community Center Wednesday 5:30 p.m.<br />601 Russell St. July 11 <br /> <br />Downtown Library Tuesday 11 a.m.<br />615 Church St. July 17 <br /> <br />West End United Methodist Church Wednesday 11 a.m.<br />2200 West End Ave. July 18 <br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-74757140754082923352014-01-16T13:07:32.797-06:002014-01-16T13:07:32.797-06:00And, P.S., Mike, you are correct that there was NO...And, P.S., Mike, you are correct that there was NO WAY to tell how many AMP supporters, opposers and average Joes who just wanted to learn about the project were there. The Tennessean's heading was also favorable to the AMP. The Tennessean should be embarrassed by its partisanship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-56158101673683125372014-01-16T13:02:58.268-06:002014-01-16T13:02:58.268-06:00The chronology I remember is a discussion of an Ea...The chronology I remember is a discussion of an East West Connector, probably along Charlotte, some radio silence, and then the launch of the AMP with a taxpayer-funded marketing campaign--followed by a hard-sell that has included business-funded non-profits (the AMP Coalition) with full-time employees selling the AMP, the Chamber of Commerce, at least 2 PR firms, a bogus "town meeting" held by AMP supporters for AMP supporters (during which a poll--in an AMPYes event--revealed that more than 50% of participants either opposed the AMP or didn't know enough about it to have an opinion), and bogus polls, underscored by sycophantic coverage from the 20-somethings that pass for reporters at the Tennessean. - Anon3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-11831545444356060922014-01-16T12:06:24.990-06:002014-01-16T12:06:24.990-06:00And, that public input process continues today. I...And, that public input process continues today. I don't see the point of Anon 11:31.00 posting. Please elaborate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-1263180869063547632014-01-16T11:31:50.609-06:002014-01-16T11:31:50.609-06:00The public input process for the AMP began with a ...The public input process for the AMP began with a series of public meetings held in 2012. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635442.post-59593059327303914132014-01-16T11:14:03.860-06:002014-01-16T11:14:03.860-06:00I was at this meeting, and MTA is using a "di...I was at this meeting, and MTA is using a "divide and conquer" strategy: Don't let everyone in the crowd hear everyone else's questions and concerns about the project, because then people will become better informed about the project...and thus more likely to oppose it.<br /><br />Thanks, Mike, for the only serious coverage of the AMP process on any public venue in Nashville. The Tennessean has been unabashedly partisan in favor of the AMP, while the Scene has wimped out utterly.<br /><br />Anon3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com