"There's no call to build light rail in Manhattan" is one of the stupidest fucking things I've ever heard. Of course there's no call to build light rail through one of the densest transit networks in the world. There's no call to build a little streetcar from Rockefeller Center to the Metropolitan Museum of Art because New York already has its hands full building the $17 billion Second Avenue Subway.

also, he describes walking in cities that have maintained extensive transit systems... enabling contiguous blocks of interesting things (density) that makes walking worthwhile. even our blocks of contiguous interest are devoid of foot traffic because people assume they need their cars to access everything because there is little transit. those areas are also surrounded by massive stretches of uninteresting surface parking, blank walls, and parking garages... none of which encourage people to meander from point A to B.

if you want people to walk in this town, give them a place where there's something to look at between point A and B. right now, that's westport road between central and mill street, and several stretches on the plaza. it's quite clear that being 100% car-based hasn't allowed that to happen since two two spots were constructed while we still had an expansive streetcar system.

AND there were actually two serious proposals to build surface rail in NYC... streetcars in red hook, brooklyn, and on 42nd street.

http://www.vision42.org/

The above argument is just as ridiculous.
I have never been to NY, but my experiences in Chicago have been very positive of the rail transit system's usefulness. Same has been true for friends who have visited NY. Not to mention that they did promote pedestrian movement.

Also, besides the difference in density, the topography in KC is different enough from that of Manhattan to at least mentally cancel-out that distance idfference.

I'd like to see a cite on that. Every time I've been to NYC, the subways have been packed with everyone from tourists to commuters to buskers to urinating bums.

What an unbelievably mediocre argument. This guy runs a magazine?

One of my pet peeves is the "we're too spread out to connect with light rail" argument, which this guy makes. The underlying assumption - that all of the interesting things KC will ever have are already here - is pathetically myopic and provincial.

You must have missed it, the cite was at the bottom of the page:

the final total of streetcar ballot requests is now 555, per the 16th circuit court clerk. ballots mailed on june 19.

LOL, you want a cite? This is a guy that wrote an entire book on the premise that Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" was actually ghost-written by Bill Ayers, not because of any proof, but because of writing style.

Oh shit, that's that guy!?

And people take him seriously...

There was a profile of this guy in the Star a few years back and one of the Kempers raved about what an intellectual genius Cashill is. Talked about how Cashill just destroyed people in arguments. My guess is that only one of the people in the argument was using actual facts.

that probably would have been crosby, who has many of the same kooky leanings as cashill.

What is it about becoming rich that causes one to believe batshit crazy things?

They can become out of touch with the reality that most of us live in.

Don't make the mistake of assuming all of these people "became" rich. Rephrase it, "what is it about being born into wealth that causes one to believe batshit crazy things" and suddenly the answer appears self-evident.

ballots mailed today. most who requested ballots should receive them tomorrow. yes/no question to form the streetcar TDD. ballot language required by state statute. ballot must be sealed, signed, notarized by **ANY** public notary, then mailed or hand-delivered to circuit court. ballots due july 31, court will reveal results by aug. 3.

meanwhile, governance discussions continue between city and property owners. assuming the TDD is formed, city and port authority will make appointments to that board so they can meet in early august.

city must decide by late august whether it will pursue a live election in november for the 2nd vote. if not, it will be another mail-in election.

not a peep on the TIGER grant.

41 is reporting no tiger grant. Fml

i predict a revised cost estimate once engineering is complete that negates the need for the TIGER grant. as the winning list indicates, you can always apply a second time and win.

keep in mind $25 million is being "held" for detroit while they get their shit together. we could easily snag that if they fail (again).

How do we know we can easily snag that money? Did they give us any explanation for why our application for the grant was turned down, like they did for Detroit?

Anybody have a link to the list of winners?

This seems like terrible news, but maybe I'm just pessimistic.