An Illinois Cyclist's reason to recall WI Gov Walker
http://urbanismnews.com/wi/milwaukee/walker-backs-halt-to-planning-...
These new traincars have room for 8 bicycles each. That means roll-off service to Milwaukee and Sturtevant/Kettle Moraine/Bong State Park. They're almost built - and Walker is the only thing obstructing their tracks.
Whatever your political leaning, Wisconsin needs our help.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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I'd love to be able to train up to Madison and roll off the proposed station under the Franky-Llyod Wright building (The Mistake on the Lake) and then simply roll on the 5 miles to my parent's house in Spring Harbor.
But as nice as that sounds I bet the train tickets would still cost me more than it costs me to drive up there.
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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But then you'd get to enjoy the ride and avoid dealing with traffic. That's a lovely intangible benefit that surely has some value.
James BlackHeron said:I'd love to be able to train up to Madison and roll off the proposed station under the Franky-Llyod Wright building (The Mistake on the Lake) and then simply roll on the 5 miles to my parent's house in Spring Harbor.
But as nice as that sounds I bet the train tickets would still cost me more than it costs me to drive up there.
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Once I'm past Harlem on the Jane Adams it's actually a very enjoyable ride. Chicago drivers are some of the worst in the country. I don't drive very much these days as it is expensive and pointless in this city. But I do enjoy driving. Driving between my home in Chicago and my parent's place in Madison constitute about 60% of the miles I drive -add in a couple trips to my inlaw's place in Kentucky and that pretty much is the whole reason I still own a car. Outside of Chicago I don't feel that driving is anything but a thrill of being in control of a magical vehicle. But in another few decades it's a magical experience that may be out of the reach of many people. I might as well enjoy it while I can.
It would be cool to be able to jump on a train and go just about anywhere in the USA quickly and efficiently. Using the train to get to fun bicycle riding areas would be great too.
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Permalink Reply by Louis K on
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Round trip tickets to Milwaukee cost $46 on Amtrak. Round trip driving is about 170 miles. The true cost of driving 170 miles is about $100 (including depreciation, maintenance, etc). If you enjoy driving that is fine, but don't fool yourself into thinking it is cheaper than public transportation.
Also, I'm not sure how you decided that Chicago drivers are among the worst in the country. I suspect they are pretty close to average. If you have some statistics to back this up I would be interested in seeing them.
James BlackHeron said:Once I'm past Harlem on the Jane Adams it's actually a very enjoyable ride. Chicago drivers are some of the worst in the country. I don't drive very much these days as it is expensive and pointless in this city. But I do enjoy driving. Driving between my home in Chicago and my parent's place in Madison constitute about 60% of the miles I drive -add in a couple trips to my inlaw's place in Kentucky and that pretty much is the whole reason I still own a car. Outside of Chicago I don't feel that driving is anything but a thrill of being in control of a magical vehicle. But in another few decades it's a magical experience that may be out of the reach of many people. I might as well enjoy it while I can.
It would be cool to be able to jump on a train and go just about anywhere in the USA quickly and efficiently. Using the train to get to fun bicycle riding areas would be great too.
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It costs me one fill-up to get from my home to my parent's house and back. -about $47 worth.
The car has been paid off since about 1997 ('94 Camry with 325,000 miles on it.) I think it's about depreciated as far as it is going to depreciate. Insurance and licensing are pretty much a given if I own it. Last year was a banner year on maintenance as I had to spend $500 on it as a coil went out and took out the distributor with it. For the most part maintence on this car has averaged about $100/year. I give it an oil change every 4-5k with wal-mart oil & filter -all that it has ever known.
Cars only cost a lot if you make bad choices or don't know how to maintain them yourself.
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OK, even if you ignore the costs of oil changes, new tires, increased chances of accidents and tolls, it is still cheaper for you to take Amtrak.
James BlackHeron said:It costs me one fill-up to get from my home to my parent's house and back. -about $47 worth.
The car has been paid off since about 1997 ('94 Camry with 325,000 miles on it.) I think it's about depreciated as far as it is going to depreciate. Insurance and licensing are pretty much a given if I own it. Last year was a banner year on maintenance as I had to spend $500 on it as a coil went out and took out the distributor with it. For the most part maintence on this car has averaged about $100/year. I give it an oil change every 4-5k with wal-mart oil & filter -all that it has ever known.
Cars only cost a lot if you make bad choices or don't know how to maintain them yourself.
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Tires are cheap -the ones I have only cost about $200/4 and have lasted me about 45,000 miles so far and are still in really decent condition. I will probably get 60k out of them before the tread is too shallow to be safe. Tires for bicycles cost WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than that per mile.
Before gas went up I could make the trip for under $30. Haven't had an accident that cost me (or anyone) money since 1992 -and I carry liability-only.
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Permalink Reply by Jared on
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Other downside is he would have to go downtown first to catch the train. That would be an hour going in the opposite direction for me.
James BlackHeron said:Once I'm past Harlem on the Jane Adams it's actually a very enjoyable ride. Chicago drivers are some of the worst in the country. I don't drive very much these days as it is expensive and pointless in this city. But I do enjoy driving. Driving between my home in Chicago and my parent's place in Madison constitute about 60% of the miles I drive -add in a couple trips to my inlaw's place in Kentucky and that pretty much is the whole reason I still own a car. Outside of Chicago I don't feel that driving is anything but a thrill of being in control of a magical vehicle. But in another few decades it's a magical experience that may be out of the reach of many people. I might as well enjoy it while I can.
It would be cool to be able to jump on a train and go just about anywhere in the USA quickly and efficiently. Using the train to get to fun bicycle riding areas would be great too.
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I have done the Blue Line from Logan Square to O'Hare and then VanGalder to Madison. The bus isn't exactly bike-friendly unless you have a folder. So it's another Madison Metro bus from the UW Student Union to the far West side which is a long slog -I could ride my bike home and back to the Union in the time it takes to wait for that bus, much less ride it. Plus it's like $3 for a bus in Madison now. To heck with that.
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Based on the Allstate's accident records, Chicago comes in around fifth among US large cities, which is pretty good. But it's hard to really measure this stuff in any reasonable way. The above is really a measure of how the city is laid out, which is why western cities do so well. Most of Chicago is low-density residential.
But if you take the city core, roughly the Hyde Park/Logan Square/Edgewater triangle, my personal feeling is that it's a uniquely horrible place to drive. Some cities, New York and Paris come to mind, are worse to drive in but have excellent public transportation and are very walkable. Chicago should have been like that, but instead we're dealing with 50 years of CDOT policy and bad laws trying to force people into cars. It's the worst of both worlds: huge numbers of cars forced into a grid that doesn't support it well.
So while I don't agree that Chicago drivers are the worst in the country, I do think that Chicago driving is the worst in the country.
Louis K said:Also, I'm not sure how you decided that Chicago drivers are among the worst in the country. I suspect they are pretty close to average. If you have some statistics to back this up I would be interested in seeing them.
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Permalink Reply by Scotto 6.8 on
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Louis,
Quit trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
For one thing, James goes to Madison, not Milwaukee.
Also, as pointed out, unless he lives next to Union Station and his destination is next to the arrival station, there is added time and cost as well.
Cars work for many things, they are not inherently evil.
Scott
Louis K said:OK, even if you ignore the costs of oil changes, new tires, increased chances of accidents and tolls, it is still cheaper for you to take Amtrak.
James BlackHeron said:It costs me one fill-up to get from my home to my parent's house and back. -about $47 worth.
The car has been paid off since about 1997 ('94 Camry with 325,000 miles on it.) I think it's about depreciated as far as it is going to depreciate. Insurance and licensing are pretty much a given if I own it. Last year was a banner year on maintenance as I had to spend $500 on it as a coil went out and took out the distributor with it. For the most part maintence on this car has averaged about $100/year. I give it an oil change every 4-5k with wal-mart oil & filter -all that it has ever known.
Cars only cost a lot if you make bad choices or don't know how to maintain them yourself.
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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
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I don't think these two qualities have to be mutually exclusive. Cars can be said to work for many things, and be inherently evil. Or despite being inherently evil. etc.
Scott H said:Cars work for many things, they are not inherently evil.
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