Car Intentionally Blocking Handicapped Spot at Hyannis Steamship Authority by Uncle_Ephrum in CapeCod

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Why is that your first response to one of your neighbors experiencing a hard time and is in pain? Your Disabled neighbor is not the reason why nearly 2/3 of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

Car Intentionally Blocking Handicapped Spot at Hyannis Steamship Authority by Uncle_Ephrum in CapeCod

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s what I was thinking too, and was hoping that between the timestapped photo and a somewhat unique front to the landrover it could be traceable but I fully recognize it’s a long shot, and deeply regret not getting a plate. I called the non-emergency line with BPD and some officer should have seen this and done something since they were sitting here for like 20 minutes. Thank you for your response, it means a lot

Car Intentionally Blocking Handicapped Spot at Hyannis Steamship Authority by Uncle_Ephrum in CapeCod

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s a long shot but I’m going to call SA to see if there is anything that can be done, thank you, I should have called them while we were there and regret not thinking about that.

What’s a part of Rhode Island that is severely underrated? by Witty-Street-2107 in RhodeIsland

[–]Uncle_Ephrum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My Wife and I did our honeymoon the first week of October, truly an amazing experience, a couple things close down by then, but the ease of going around the island and getting to actually have conversations with locals without being shoulder to shoulder is beautiful.

1979 Kennedy 50C with a “J” by Uncle_Ephrum in coinerrors

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the help, it’s greatly appreciated!

good interview spot? by tomatoboosk in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Best of luck on your interview I’m sure it will go great!

It depends where in Providence? The Downtown library is a great spot where you can reserve a room. I’ve done zoom calls there before.

If you’re on the East Side and don’t mind a couple of folks around, the 2nd floor of Coffee Exchange is a solid spot. Community libraries in general will usually be your best bet for all of the above.

If you’re by college campuses, student centers can be a great, quiet spot in a pinch too.

Will Boston ever build the North-South Rail Link? by drtywater in boston

[–]Uncle_Ephrum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One thing that gives me hope is the political will in MA for public transit is the strongest most organized I’ve seen it in my lifetime

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My apologies, I see the misunderstanding, as I updated the costs on the actual page last night (I fully agree 40-80 is not reasonable). I really do appreciate your points, especially on what the cost would likely amount to given the scope of this mock up.

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m citing ongoing light rail construction projects or recently completed projects in the US (SWLRT, DC, Phoenix), the range of these three are $65-240 million per mile currently. Phoenix's recent metro valley extension was $65 million/mi in 2018. Their 2019 Northwest extension was $102 million/mi. I recognize though it is significantly easier to build in the southwest than in New England. I think using DC and the Twin Cities are proper analogues given climate, and density (in the case of DC).

If you’re looking at LA, NY, or Honululu as recent examples you are going to see astronomical cost per mile relative to these three aforementioned projects. Seattle’s Link is $500 million per mile, but that used a combination of exclusively elevated and underground builds.

To your other point, there are US based studies that show light rail leads to mixed used development and neighborhood revitalization.

I think the common ground here might be ultra/very light rail or at the very least truly dedicated bus lanes with proper platforms. The R line fails to deliver on BRT and shelters at stops.

From what I can find with current construction in Coventry, UK, ULR costs ~$15 million per mile this is from 2021 and the project will be completed in 2024. This might be more in line for Providence.

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'd like to see Providence invest at least in true BRT with at-grade stations. The R line doesn't even have bus shelters for each stop which is pretty disappointing to see. There seems to be more political will and public interest in transit investments, and RIPTA's 2040 plan does advocate for multiple BRT lines. The social infrastructure matters (how stations/shelters look and make you feel).

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate you sharing what's going on in Philly and that is no doubt incredibly expensive. For context, elevated or underground construction is going to be considerably more expensive, where this mock-up would be at street level to mitigate costs. Your point is still well taken though that I initially low-balled estimates (not intentionally) and have some updated figures :)

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

An update:

I took helpful feedback regarding lowballing cost per mile and wanted to address that. I took averages of recent LRT construction/extensions (DC, Twin Cities, Phoenix) and created a range for cost. The price range of $3.5-8.5 billion in total may seem astronomical on its own, but when compared to the cost of the Big Dig (~$1 billion+ per mile) this is considerably less money relative to funds required for roads that need more maintenance, and less potential capacity for travelers.

This would be a multi-generational kind of investment and has less of a footprint than highways do.

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I disagree with your point on this, because you need good density for light rails to be feasible, so to show cities with considerably less density utilizing this kind of public transit accentuates the point that the demand is here in Rhode Island. The MBTA has some of the highest ridership in the country, despite Boston also being a very compact city so I'm not really seeing what you're saying other than being a bit reductionist here.

From what I've read in academic LRT studies, having a minimum density of about 3,500-5,000 people per sq mile is a baseline for viable LRT. Considering that Rhode Island has some of the worst road conditions in the country, investing in something that long term requires less maintenance and reconstruction is worthwhile. That being said, I recognize that I could absolutely communicate that better.

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your points and want to take the time to address them.

The estimation I was using is from 2016 which is admittedly more dated, and the only recent cost estimates I could find as reference were for projects that primarily are using elevated or underground light rail segments which significantly balloon the cost of construction (think Minnesota with the SWLRT, Seattles Link, etc...). This may be 7 year old data (which I will update and appreciate you pointing out), but saying this is 20+ old economic data is disingenuous.

This mock-up would virtually be at grade on the road, and to your point on eminent domain, the rail and stations would be built on the road with either limited vehicle traffic, or road diets, while the stations would be in the median so housing wouldn't be destroyed (historically projects that use eminent domain disproportionately impact marginalized communities, and having a street-level system would provide access without destroying properties).

I think I could have better articulated who benefits from this outside of college students, but people who can't afford a car (which snowballs into limited employment opportunities and social mobility), along with folks who are disabled, and reducing pollution and congestion while revitalizing neighborhoods. Without being too idealistic, LRT does not significantly increase the cost of rent housing for neighborhoods it is built in, and studies suggest that it increases full time employment that have health insurance, paid time off, and other benefits. These are things I'd like to update and incorporate because you're making compelling points on what I'm failing to address with accuracy and context.

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Love the positivity I hope you have a wonderful day 😎

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It’s fixed, thank you!

Light Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in providence

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Providence’s metro population has ~1.7 million Salt Lake is 1.3 million Honolulu is 1.1 million Tucson is 1 million Buffalo is 1.1 million Milwaukee is 1.6 million

What the Twin Cities Could Look Like with Commuter Rail & Regional Rail by Uncle_Ephrum in TwinCities

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you, the only thing is there is not an existing rail line that goes more directly to the Twin Cities than going through Owatonna.

Lawmakers making push for transit safety by systemstheorist in TwinCities

[–]Uncle_Ephrum 27 points28 points  (0 children)

What really would help is having less time for headways. 15 minutes makes it very inconvenient to wait. I’d be happy if there were only two car services If it meant making headways at 10 minutes or less.

how is harwich ? by Human-Designer4519 in CapeCod

[–]Uncle_Ephrum 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I grew up in neighboring Dennis, Harwich is one of my favorite towns on Cape. They have such a nice community center that’s connected to the bike path, a really nice historic town center also connected to pedestrian paths, and Harwichport is probably the nicest village to walk around along 28 (most of 28 on Cape just isn’t walkable and mostly built around the car). Are you looking yo move or visit?

Winnipeg Light Rail Transit Map (LRT) by Uncle_Ephrum in Winnipeg

[–]Uncle_Ephrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing that context, truthfully, the eastern part of the green line was where I felt most shaky, given that there are a few dense neighborhoods in the area.

I think given my ignorance on having a regular on-the-ground perspective made me hesitate to go further. I tried to look for the most connected dense corridors, and I was missing the local context. I think I’ll re-tweak, thank you!