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Arlington EasyMile Shuttle


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#1 BlueMound

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Posted 30 March 2017 - 07:07 PM

Arlington experimenting with 'driverless streetcar'

http://www.star-tele...e141723649.html

#2 Dylan

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Posted 30 March 2017 - 07:54 PM

If Arlington had an "ITC" in the middle of town, These driverless shuttles would be perfect for "last mile" connections to UTA, Six Flags, and the stadiums.

 

Unfortunately, Arlington's selfish mayor is opposed to long-distance fixed route transit.

 

-----------------------

 

I'm wondering if these driverless shuttles would be a suitible substitute for streetcars in Fort Worth's urban core.


Edited by John T Roberts, 30 March 2017 - 09:08 PM.

-Dylan


#3 JBB

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Posted 31 March 2017 - 09:08 AM

Arlington's mayor was elected in a landslide on the promise that he was going to push commercial development and he's done just that. As much as I would like to see mass transit in Arlington, the people in the city that vote are going to have to change their minds for it to happen. They've turned down far more mass transit than most of us have dreamed up.

#4 Dylan

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Posted 31 March 2017 - 09:27 PM

Besides transit, I'm also irritated with Arlington's mayor for supporting the new ballpark.

 

You're right, I should spread some criticism to Arlington voters as well. The most recent transit election there was 2002. Maybe (though maybe not) some opinions have changed since then.


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#5 Electricron

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Posted 31 March 2017 - 10:02 PM

Come on, you got to givee the voters a little break. They can only vote to establish a transit agency supported by a sales tax when there's room available in the sales tax cap. The powers to be within the city have kept them at the cap since the last transit referendum voting for various stadiums. and when you get down to the brass tacks, those stadiums generate more tax revenues indirectly than what their transit agency ever wold. And I'll admit I don't have the facts to back that up. But golly, if Circuit of the Americas can generate $20 million in total sales tax revenues over one weekend in Austin, imagine what both the football and baseball stadiums generate over 40 weekends - and I'm assuming the stadiums are empty every weekend in January, February, and March. If at the same $20 Million every weekend, that's around $800 Million each year. In 10 years, thet's $8 Billion, in 20 years thet's $16 Billion. 



#6 Dylan

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Posted 31 March 2017 - 10:42 PM

The transit proposal in 2002 was to use a quarter-cent sales tax, and there's still a quarter-cent available.

 

I'd guess voters reject transit based on typical stereotypes.


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#7 JBB

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 02:08 AM

Besides transit, I'm also irritated with Arlington's mayor for supporting the new ballpark.


I don't completely disagree and I think it's ridiculous that a stadium like Globe Life is being replaced, but I think he played the hand he was dealt just like anyone else holding that office would have. The Rangers had floated the idea of a new ballpark, other cities would have stepped up if Arlington had not, and anyone in that seat would be scared to death of being run out of town with pitchforks and torches if there wasn't a pretty strong effort to keep a member of Arlington's holy triumvirate in place (the other two being Six Flags and GM).
 
 

Come on, you got to givee the voters a little break. They can only vote to establish a transit agency supported by a sales tax when there's room available in the sales tax cap. The powers to be within the city have kept them at the cap since the last transit referendum voting for various stadiums.


I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. Can't blame the voters? How do you think the powers that be get into office in Arlington? They're not appointed by military junta.

and when you get down to the brass tacks, those stadiums generate more tax revenues indirectly than what their transit agency ever wold. And I'll admit I don't have the facts to back that up. But golly, if Circuit of the Americas can generate $20 million in total sales tax revenues over one weekend in Austin, imagine what both the football and baseball stadiums generate over 40 weekends - and I'm assuming the stadiums are empty every weekend in January, February, and March. If at the same $20 Million every weekend, that's around $800 Million each year. In 10 years, thet's $8 Billion, in 20 years thet's $16 Billion.


Yeah, it's a generally agreed upon principle by everyone except team owners and city leaders that benefit from publicly financed sporting facilities that they are a terrible deal for tax payers and the government bodies that foot the bill.

Here's just a sampling of articles on the subject: https://www.google.c...omics&*&spf=376

Look for articles on the Miami ballpark. The deal to build it was structured so that it will take decades to pay it off and at far above the advertised cost. Also, read up on the ballpark opening in Cobb County in Georgia this year. The county and the cities surrounding the ballpark are having to rob Peter to pay Paul to support the infrastructure around it. Arlington's success with financing stadiums has jaded and fooled a lot of people. They were able to pay off both rather quickly because they benefitted from thriving economic times. I would say it's questionable whether or not it has benefitted the average taxpayer in Arlington and they might not be so lucky on the payoff this time around.

#8 Austin55

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Posted 20 April 2017 - 06:26 PM

Arlington Voice - Arlington mayor, community leaders agree to public transportation forum

 

Interesting...



#9 JBB

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Posted 20 April 2017 - 06:39 PM

This is the place in the script where you don't hold your breath waiting on a groundbreaking result.

#10 rriojas71

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Posted 21 April 2017 - 05:41 PM

All Arlington needs right now is a line similar to the TRE that left downtown and had a stop at Historic Handley and then went on to a station either Near DT Arlington or somewhere near the stadiums before it went on towards DT Dallas

#11 Dylan

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Posted 21 April 2017 - 07:57 PM

Hopefully, something positive comes from the transportation forum.

 

Arlington only has a quarter-cent sales tax to spare, and voters would have to approve using it for transit, so my hopes aren't too high.

 

Commuter rail is unlikely with only a quarter-cent sales tax, but an express bus there would be nice.


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#12 JBB

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Posted 21 April 2017 - 10:18 PM

East-west commuter rail through Arlington is going to be very expensive.  UP will have whoever is paying for it over a barrel, if they'll even consider sharing their right of way.  Finding another right of way will be equally expensive.



#13 Austin55

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Posted 21 April 2017 - 11:30 PM

The UP line between FW and D has loads of potential, but yeh, no way right now. I don't really see much chance of the stadiums getting any connections, though possibly with Arlington Live as a draw there may be some interest there?

 

At a minimum, MAX needs improvement, it runs rather infrequently and offers very few stops. Perhaps some sort of downtown circulator along Abrams between Davis and Collins could be useful, there is a quite a lot of density coming up along there, as well as some more commercial development. 



#14 BlueMound

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Posted 29 April 2017 - 12:52 PM

Disney World plans to deploy driverless shuttles
http://www.latimes.c...0428-story.html
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#15 JBB

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Posted 29 April 2017 - 01:10 PM

There have been several notable transportation stories out of Disney World in recent weeks. They're rumored to be starting work on connecting more of the parks and resorts through an aerial gondola system and there's also rumors of an on property car service similar to Uber/Lyft.




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