Boise Transportation Thread

[Cottonwood]

Originally Posted by City Of Trees

Small but nice change to the freeways:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/1...connector.html

Speed limit on Boise Connector to increase to 60 mph on Tuesday

Nice little bump up of 5mph lol. It's nice because 55 seemed way to slow but I also think 65 would be too fast especially heading into downtown.

[Boisebro]

Originally Posted by Cottonwood

Nice little bump up of 5mph lol. It's nice because 55 seemed way to slow but I also think 65 would be too fast especially heading into downtown.

i think the interstate number should also be the speed limit.

it'd make traveling on I-85 a lot easier... though i would probably avoid I-185.

[el conquistador]

Originally Posted by Boisebro

i think the interstate number should also be the speed limit.

it'd make traveling on I-85 a lot easier... though i would probably avoid I-185.

Being on the I-5 in Cali would suck. I don't know how you would pull off the 805, unless you had a rocket car...

[Killa B]

Originally Posted by BOI-IDA

People drove 60+ mph when the limit was 55 mph.

Now that the limit has been increased to 60 mph, are people going to drive 65+ mph?

In our society, it is a common myth that it is okay to exceed the speed limit by 5-10 mph or more. This is especially true of those self-important individuals who lack responsibility and are almost always running late.

Many people fail to realize that driving even 1 mph above the limit is breaking the law, and police can cite you for it, if they so choose. While it is true that police usually give motorists a 5 mph leeway (which adds validity to the aforementioned myth), they certainly aren't required to.

It is also a common myth that the posted speed limit is the minimum you are required to drive, not the maximum you are legally allowed to drive.

End of rant.

The reason why they give you the 5mph leeway is because they almost have to. Police radar guns are less accurate than the speedometer in your car, so if they clock you doing 65 in a 65 zone, there is a good chance you were actually doing 68 or so. 5mph plus or minus is ok. 66 mph is no more dangerous than 65 mph because the difference is so slim.

[Visualize]

They should have to send me a check to partially repay me for the ticket I got while going 75 on the connector. I would have been going 90 but I didn't want to feel like I was speeding.

[BOI-IDA]

Originally Posted by Killa B

The reason why they give you the 5mph leeway is because they almost have to. Police radar guns are less accurate than the speedometer in your car, so if they clock you doing 65 in a 65 zone, there is a good chance you were actually doing 68 or so. 5mph plus or minus is ok. 66 mph is no more dangerous than 65 mph because the difference is so slim.

I figured it was just the opposite...that radar guns are more accurate, and that speedometer accuracy varies from vehicle to vehicle, more so when the vehicle does not have the manufacturer's recommended tire size installed.

Regardless, my rant is the result of dealing with motorists who seem to think they are vastly more important than anyone else on the road, and if they are in a hurry, you better get the hell out of their way, because in their mind, where they are going is far more important than where I am going.

Also, while the 5 mph increase in the speed limit on the Connector is welcomed, it still won't enough for some people. 80 mph wouldn't be fast enough. Heck, if the speed limits were doubled on every road and highway in America, it still wouldn't be enough. People would still find an excuse to speed. It's just human nature.

[Hawk]

Well i guess it's time to install an Autobahn downtown to make everyone happy.

[boisecynic]

Here's a serious proposal for downtown traffic. What' the worst intersection downtown? Broadway/Front/Myrtle. Remember when I posted about diverging diamonds? Anyway, see the continuous flow intersection in Loveland Co:

http://goo.gl/maps/Ud0Nx

Pic hotlinked from Berthoud Recorder:


Diverging Diamond, Springfield MO, My proposal for Broadway and/or Meridian interchanges with I-84

[Visualize]

All freeway intersections should be built like this. Eliminate the lights completely.

[BOI-IDA]

Cloverleafs are outdated.

While they may eliminate traffic lights, they are a merging nightmare.

[Visualize]

^^^ I go on different ones every day and don't ever have a problem.

[trekkerguy]

Definitely prefer the SPUI that they have been putting in.

[boisecynic]

Originally Posted by BOI-IDA

Cloverleafs are outdated.

While they may eliminate traffic lights, they are a merging nightmare.

Cloverleaf merging problems are nearly eliminated by segregating the merge lane from the main flow lanes. The problem with cloverleafs is they take up much more land and it becomes extremely expensive trying to install one in an already developed area.

[isangpogi]

Originally Posted by boisecynic

Cloverleaf merging problems are nearly eliminated by segregating the merge lane from the main flow lanes. The problem with cloverleafs is they take up much more land and it becomes extremely expensive trying to install one in an already developed area.

Even with collector/distributor lanes cloverleaf's are still messy. Not sure how Boise's traffic volume would react to them but here in Seattle they get overwhelmed very quickly. The problem is the traffic from one leaf trying to get into the through lane as the through lane traffic is trying to exit to the second leaf... If that makes sense.

[boisecynic]

For your Thanksgiving enjoyment, Central Valley Expressway construction:

To be honest, it's just the river crossing between State and Chinden. The section from Chinden south to I84 remains unfunded.

Pics hotlinked from the CVE facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/centralvalleyexpressway

[BoiseAirport]

Thanks for the update, 'cynic!

Minor air service news: Alaska (Horizon Air) is adding a daily flight from Boise to Portland, bumping it up to 6 daily flights next year.

Also, keep an eye out for the parking garage expansion which is to break ground in January. http://idahobusinessreview.com/2012/...irport-garage/

[Boisebro]

anyone have renderings of the new garage, and where it's supposed to be located? will it blend in with the current garage and basically double the size?

[BoiseAirport]

Originally Posted by Boisebro

anyone have renderings of the new garage, and where it's supposed to be located? will it blend in with the current garage and basically double the size?

Yes, it will be a significant addition (IIRC double the size or something close to that), and it will blend in with the current garage. The final result will give the parking garage a bit of an odd footprint due to the constraints from the road layout, but hey whatever works.

If you scroll down to page 20 or so, you'll see a large rendering of it.
http://www.iflyboise.com/media/26529...esentation.pdf

[isangpogi]

A sobering story today from KTVB: http://www.ktvb.com/news/Boise-Airpo...181944951.html

Flights at BOI are at a 10 year low. If I'm reading this right then we are just about as bad as the post 9/11 airline slump. This has really been a sad situation for Boise. Since it is the most isolated city of it's size in the country, Boise relies on good air service for business and leisure travel. Recently Boise has lost Frontier, American & Skyport. Southwest dropped Reno, Seattle, SLC and soon will pull Portland.

Here's a particularly frustrating quote from Boise Chamber of Commerce President and CEO: "You can still get from Boise to Beijing. You can get from Boise to New York without a whole lot of hassle." The issue isn't about connectivity through hubs. Even from Idaho Falls one can get just about anywhere with one stop in Denver or San Fransisco. Boise will always have nonstops to DEN, ORD, SFO, SLC, MSP etc. The issue is about ease of access. If I can't even fly to Reno or Idaho Falls without going out of my way to connect in SLC, then Boise will have a hard time convincing me to base my business there.

So where does the fault lie? Well from the KTVB article, it sounds like the popular routes fill up fast (BOI-DEN, BOI-ORD). So why is there not more frequent service along those routes? Are airlines purposely keeping flights at a minimum to price fares high? I don't know...

The last 10 years have been pretty rough for Boise's economy. We lost Albertsons corp. HQ, that certainly took a big bite out of business travel. Micron has been loosing jobs also. Boise has been transitioning from a diverse economy to one with lower-paying service jobs. Boise is becoming the the call center capital of the west with inexpensive labor. With lower-paying jobs come less leisure travel.

The KTVB article talks about subsidies but I don't think that's a sustainable way to fix the issue. Seems like both sides of the political aisle would hate it. Conservatives would dislike their tax dollars going to fund a flights that aren't self-sufficient. Liberals would call it a subsidy for the rich.

I'm not sure what it's going to take to turn this around but the problems at the airport are indicative of the difficult economy in general. I love Boise, it will always be home to me and I hope that things get better...

[boi2socal]

A lot of this has to do with aircraft utilization. An airline may break even or even make a slight profit on a Boise route, but they can make more money on another route. It is happening everywhere. It just hurts Boise more because it is so isolated.

I don't quite understand the, "we can't get seats...but lets buy seats to subsidize the routes." That makes absolutely no sense to me. Sounds like just another scheme to waste money. Business wise, all the connections are still there. Boise has only lost one route, which is Reno. How many business people are going to Reno?

I would most certainly welcome cheaper flights, but that isn't happening anywhere. I can't even afford to fly to Boise!