chelovek

Agree that the next line to come will be a N-S route to the airport, probably ending up around Germantown. And North Nashville will be ignored as usual, to the deficit of the city as a whole.

Great picture! Walk/Bike Nashville valeted more than 200 bikes that night, and all of the municipal racks were full. And I noticed a ton of trees and signposts with bikes on them as well. I know that the LOTG organizers expected as many as 10,000 that night, but for so many people to arrive on bikes is, to me, an indicator that a LOT more people are choosing to live closer in to the city. I know in previous years that 40-50 bikes at the WBN valet service was considered a big turnout.

check out that roundabout

One of the reasons why many cities take buses off the road at night despite the potential for riders is that you would need to have the garage open and staffed for your vehicles to come back and refuel. As I understand it, the electric buses that are operating in East LA can run 24 hours a day and never need to return to the garage, since they "refuel" autonomously at one of the stops. Also, maintenance costs are significantly lower on electric vehicles, which, combined with cheaper operating costs means more money in the operating budget down the line. I'm like you guys- I would have loved to see an announcement about more music city star lines, light rail, amtrak!!!, or other cool things like that, but after looking into this technology I have to say I'm excited. Check out this video from Jay Leno's Garage about the Proterra BE35:

I don't think it is rail. A hint, though. This announcement will be.. electrifying.

From the FTA's website: Since his arrival at FTA, Rogoff has presided over the disbursement of $8.4 billion that the Obama Administration made available for transit systems across the United States through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), successfully meeting every milestone established by the Act for getting the money into the hands of transit operators whose budgets had been severely strained by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The funds, which represent an historic 80 percent annual funding boost for transit, are being used to protect and expand transportation options across the country while creating and maintaining thousands of jobs. Maybe we'll get some new toys!

Just got this statement from the Transit Alliance. This will also mean that there is time to pass the midtown rezoning plan before the application deadline for funding.

Article in today's paper: North Nashville wants in on bus rapid transit line; Council members seek economic parity. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120905/NEWS01/309050119/North-Nashville-wants-in-on-bus-rapid-transit-line Not a lot of new information on the EW connector, but comments in the piece and in the comments section echo some of the concerns that posters on this board have had about the routing of the EW connector.

Hear, hear. In addition to safety/traffic flow concerns,it is just ugly. 2 travel lanes in each direction, a turning lane, and wide shoulders or bike lanes- that is effectively seven lanes worth of asphalt as far as the eye can see! That's wider than some freeway sections! Breaking up the monotony of all that pavement with pedestrian islands and vegetated medians is a good investment from a safety standpoint, stormwater management standpoint, and probably from a property value standpoint as well. I think of the section of 12th Ave South between the gulch and 12south. The amount of asphalt on that stretch is completely inappropriate for the scale of the neighborhood it bisects. Another gift of urban renewal. I would love to get a few businesses and residents together and pull off something like this in nashville: http://teambetterblock.com/blog/project/better-block-ii/

I should have been more clear- yes, i totally agree that there are a ton of great destinations along the west end corridor. However, at the end of the day riders have to go home to sleep. And at the beginning of the next day, they need to find a way back to their bus stop. West End just doesn't strike me as having many transit friendly residential or mixed use areas within walking distance of the proposed stops. People would either be driving in to use BRT or transferring off of other bus lines (and since we don't have free transfers and few of our bus lines intersect outside of the depot, this process scares away potential transit converts). I don't see BRT being much of a game changer if most new riders have to drive a car to access it. Aside from tourists staying in downtown hotels and officeworkers on their lunch break, there is not a huge built in ridership along West End. My impression from regular bus use is that the current service is quick, reliable, and appropriate for this corridor. I've certainly never had trouble finding a seat on the 3, 5, or 11 and I ride these routes regularly. Charlotte, on the other hand, has dense®, walkable neighborhoods within a block or two of the arterial all the way out past White Bridge. Tourists (literally) come and go and they also don't vote in Davidson County. I think if we want to get the ball rolling on useful next gen transit, we should be thinking of ways to entice residents. They are the ones capable of generating long term support.

Does anybody else think that Charlotte Ave is a better choice for the east-west connector than West End? The redevelopment potential for Charlotte seems WAY greater than West End- although there are plenty of eyesores along West End, it is significantly more built out than Charlotte. Charlotte also seems to be at the beginning of a major upswing and the neighborhoods that surround it are way more walkable, affordable, and dense than West End neighborhoods. I see way more potential transit riders- students, young professionals, families, and workforce- living off of charlotte than off of west end. I had this in mind when I made my fantasy Nashville transit map a few months ago (http://www.flickr.com/photos/smada/6287891623/in/photostream for more details). I'm a regular bus rider and I'm glad that the city is pursuing new transit projects, but I have a great fear that the EW connector is going to be a big flop because there are relatively few potential riders within walking distance of much of the route. When motorists see shiny new brt buses in dedicated lanes with few occupants, public opinion could swing back against transit, which would stink. I get the feeling that west end corridor was a done deal before the EW connector study was even commissioned, which bums me out because it seems like the only thing West End has going for it is Prestige and Name Recognition. I hope that after 175 million spent, those of us who actually use transit to get around (or would like to) end up with a measurable improvement in service. Sadly, this project doesnt really inspire much confidence in that outcome for me.

smeagolsfree, hello! I'm actually talking about the other side of KVB; the area highlighted in blue on this map: http://goo.gl/maps/YSTj Tons of activity there in the last week. Here is a photo: And here is the beginnings of a switchback that will connect the rolling mill hill greenway section down to the Trolley Barns. And finally, Emma's two trolley barns are nearly finished. They may begin moving in this month. Here's an interior shot:

The structure behind the showroom has already come down. Somebody mangled the beautiful mature prickly pear cactus in front of this property with a weedeater. sad. Has anybody else noticed the bulldozers pushing dirt around in the parcel adjacent to the new greenway section bounded by KVB, the Trolley barns, Cumberland River and Hermitage Ave? I noticed some workers putting up an erosion control fence the other day and then all of the sudden they were grading. I'll post pictures later. Hopefully it is not going to be another parking lot.