[Mpls] Fun with statistics

[Terrell Brown]

--- Bruce Gaarder <gaarder at Encompasserve.org> wrote:
> 
> Hiawatha lrt ("high potential") is forecast by its backers to carry
> only 5%
> more passengers per day in its first year of full service than the
> slightly shorter 21 bus route along Selby/Lake did two years ago whil
> costing at least 62% more than it would cost to double the number of
> buses operated by Metro Transit.

[TB]  What are the comparables?  Comparing transit between the two
cities to the Hiawatha Line and operating costs to infrastructure
additions without considering the costs of operating that new
infrastructure.

A single line may never be efficient, we now have infrastructure such
as maintenance facilities that can be used for multiple lines.  After
all, back when transit actually made a profit, it ran on rails.

> After 20 years of predicted major population growth, its ridership is
> predicted to grow only 25%, about 1% per year.

[TB]  "Major" growth where?  I haven't seen anything that projects big
growth in the City of Minneapolis which is where most of the riders
will be from.  There is only Park and Ride Lots, at Mall of America
(all of 200 cars) and  Ft. Snelling a place that is not all that
convenient to get to. 

The decision was made to build the line, we've put a ton of money into
it.  Why not try to make it successful?




Terrell Brown
Loring Park

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