I wanted to start a new thread about this topic of great importance to the state.
HSR will revolutionize California, turning it into a much more sustainable and urban place. All four major metropolitan regions will undergo significant urbanization with downtown stations spurring remarkable growth and development.
As an example, Midtown Manhattan rose where it is, seperate from the existing and established Downtown, simply because of Grand Central Station. First came offices, then residences, then hotels, and so on. That is what downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento will experience, that kind of transformation.
The highways simply cannot continue to be widened, both because of politics, and the fact that years later they become just as congested as their slimmer selves. And airports face more challenges in terms of expansion and practicality of placement. With growth and population soaring, and almost doubling by 2050, along with the lucrative reality of California facing Asia, the state could enter its most profound and significant era. But if the status quo is not changed, the highways will clog, productivity will decrease, open land will be consumed, and air traffic will be even more problematic. Essentially, California needs this simply to survive.
At this point however, the Governor is trying to kill it. Millions have already been spent, and advanced stages are underway, to the point that the the Authority is even awarding contracts. There is stipulation in the intial Bond measure that almost $1B be earmarked for feeder systems, and the Authority has been working with Bay Area, Orange County, and Los Angeles rail operators to formulate plans to tie future system expansion together.
Like I said California, needs this, it will change the face of the state making it more transit focused, densely developed, and urban, the very qualities we spend hours on this forum discussing and debating. Take the time to educate yourself on the INCREDIBLE benefits this would provide the state, and contact both the Governor's office and your City, County, and State Representatives. The Governor wants to keep widening freeways, but we've done that for fifty years, and we're still sitting in traffic. We need new solutions, and California High Speed Rail is it.
Here's the authority's website to get a good overview on the positives:
http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/
And here's a link to an article in the Fresno Bee about the Governor's view. I don't know how you can be an evironmentalist and endorse legislation requiring a reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions and be against non-polluting HSR:
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/26812.html
California High-Speed Rail
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