Quote:
Originally Posted by The Flying Dutchman
Yes, one of the best things about our trolley network is that most of it is grade-separated. Now only if it went to more areas where people go (beach, Balboa Park/Zoo, etc.)
I had a professor who lamented the new UTC line because the cost/benefit ratio of this new 2 billion line is low, in terms of ridership. He said it is to appease politicians. He may be right, but I believe this line is 100% necessary.
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I'm not a transportation expert by any stretch, but my view is that building a mass transit network is about investment and long-term strategy as opposed to a quick profit/ total solution to everything. Each line that's built makes the system more relevant and more useful to the community as a whole and will help contribute to ridership/ relief from traffic congestion. As someone who lives downtown and works in the ucsd area, I can say this will be a game changer for me. I never take the trolley because, as you mention, it fails to go to basic places within the core like Balboa park/Hillcrest/North Park, the airport, the beach, etc. With the utc line I would consider using it daily to commute to work. Going from not using it at all to being a regular daily user is huge, and I'm sure there are others like me. It won't solve everything but it will be a major piece to build on for our mass transit. What scares me is that after this extension is complete, SANDAG doesn't have anything else that looks like it will be built on the trolley line for another decade plus.