Maybe send us some of your stories and photos from Denver.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117836484536336181362.00047fe95aa25a1bd14f6&ll=43.15318,-77.590964&spn=0.01401,0.026157&t=h&z=16

So here’s the deal. So very many transit proposals are meant to do a number of things: reach the masses, serve students, seniors, and any other number of groups. While all of these are incredibly laudable goals, I believe that a much simpler plan, one which involves getting people with the most money to the places they like to spend it and all for as little money as possible would be the key to proving a system can work.

For example, running to the ballpark would be awesome, except families go to games more than city goers, and families have a litany of excuses not to take transportation. There’s a reason they buy SUVs they don’t need in the first place.

Students are another big problem. Many of them fall into 1 of 2 categories: rich enough to have a car and not want to take a train, or so poor that they generally bike. While I am sure they might ride the train in the winter, a system with ridership 3-6 months a year also does not work fiscally.

Seniors create much the same issue. Bless their hearts for their longevity, but they are, rather reasonably, very price conscious, and we wouldn’t want to price this system out at less than a bus ride.

The biggest “luxury” I could see spending on this initial piece of system would be tail tracks past the car barn and north and south on Chestnut. I initially envisioned a loop that went the route I have, then down Chestnut and back on Monroe, then up Culver in a loop, but this route would be closer to 3 miles. I really think that if the initial system could be kept under about $15m it would draw far more support. I also think that if the initial focus were kept tight, the justification for a Business Improvement District type setup to fund it would be much more reasonable.

Anyway, I’ve been speaking with a few designers about what initial research would cost, and I think for an initial push, we’d need somewhere on the order of 100k for initial design and engineering. There would certainly be more later. It’s all something to consider.