Monday, March 10, 2014

We Try...We Build...We Ride



An attempt at Suburban - Urban rail is being made in Central Florida. About hundred years after car companies and their dummy corporations removed Light Rail systems from the state. Central Florida has once again looked back to trains to facilitate a growing population. It's intent is noble, if a bit arrogant, and it's possibilities are enormous, yet limited by it's budget.
It was the source of derision by some, a curiosity by others, and a source of hope for hundreds of thousands of commuters tired of having only one option to travel in their traffic addled city.


Sunrail began in the late 1990's, when FDOT sponsored local schools, and entertained ideas on the way the area would change in the coming decade. As a child I visited family in New York, and was amazed out how people there were able to live and work and play, without ever seeing a car. As a Floridian, this puzzled me. Friends told me, "Florida will never have that sort of system," or "Florida doesn't need trains". Yet the question remained, why did it work so well up there, and why wouldn't it work here?

Years later, I heard about Sunrail. Unlike the vast majority of Central Floridian's, I followed the development month after month. I watched silently, wondering, if it would ever come to pass. Back and forth it went, legal battle after jurisdictional struggle. Through two governors, contentious elections, and adversarial lobbying groups, the train kept coming.

Now it's a few months away, and the time has come for the reality, and with it the inspiration of this blog.

This blog will be about one commuters journey with Sunrail, documenting what works, what fails, and hopefully what it all means.

-I'll do this through pictures, light news posts, and personal experiences.


-I'll also delve into the historical, and personal aspects of mass transit.

-This blog is about the future, about where we go from here, and whether or not we really are ready.

-JayT

3 comments:

  1. 18th century technology to solve 21th century problem. Yea that will work.

    So tell me Jay T do you live AND work close to a station? tell me your sunrail success story or are you one of those that is very happy for OTHER people to use it?

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    Replies
    1. Well, I hope to use the system actually. It may be flawed, but it could the beginning of something really great. We'll see how it goes. It might end up not working, but I prefer to be one of those people that try and fail, then to be the person that just sat around watched and criticized. Thanks for reading.

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    2. Once again thanks for reading, and I appreciate your comments. I have allowed you to comment because I believe in hearing people out, especially if we disagree, but this blog is not political in nature.

      ... This is a personal blog from one potential rider of the new train. I will not be delving into politics, and I won't be turning this blog into an argument for or against the liberal or conservative viewpoints. There are plenty of places where you can do that already. I personally hold no party affiliation, and don't cater to either viewpoint. I am a fan of public/private mass transit systems, because of my study of the subject and a personal fascination with transportation.

      I encourage you to continue to comment (negatively or positively), however any post that is not constructive, somewhat factual, or sounds like name calling I will moderate and remove.

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