Vegas: Monorails v. Gridlock

TimeTrip writes "Vegas seems to be taking a little cue from Disney. 'Las Vegas, which never stops thinking big, has just embarked on its most ambitious, costly attempt to solve a problem that once seemed impossible to have in this sprawling desert valley: gridlock. It is building the nation's largest monorail system.'" Or maybe they'll be taking their cue from Lyle Lanly. Frankly this sounds more like a Shelbyville idea.

Vegas Twist

[yintercept]

Anyone who comes to work by bus, bike or commuter van at least four times a month is eligible to enter a weekly drawing that rewards 100 people with $100 each.

I love the vegas twist on mass transit. Instead of throwing your dollar into a meter, you get to toss it into a one armed bandit. I can see the lines of blue haired ladies lining up for their chance to play a role of the bus.

Extending to the airport

[PhunkyOne]

It would be great if they extended it to the airport right away...this is one of my favorite features of paris or london. You don't have to mess around getting a taxi or bus into town. You grab your bag, catch the tube and away you go. This would be great for people who JUST want to gamble, and it seems there are many of those...catch the train and get to business, especially if there will be rail stations at major casinos

Personally though all I can think about is the Monorail Simpsons Episode...Doh!

Monorail, shmonorail!

[ackthpt]

Las Vegas could start by having free hotel shuttles from the fscking airport!

Am I right? Eh?!?! Ever been there, you know of what I say.

Every fscking time I've been there I have to fork over ~$10 for a Bell taxi or something, which all smell like they last scrubbed inside with a dead cat! Seriously, every other major city I've been in the big hotels have shuttles, but not LV, I swear it's a labor thing of somesort or a major bribe has been paid.

In either case, I would certainly like to see how well the monorail plan gets around to the airport.

Sigh...

[Silver222]

It's for the tourists, not the residents.

Re:The glass protected stations

[H1r0Pr0tag0n1st]

Seattle, which has had a monorail since 68 to transport between the space needle and down town has a really cool enclosed track siding with little ramps that reach out to the sides of the cars once the train is in position. This is of course to keep the shivering tourists from plunging 50 feet to their deaths. They only have them at one of the two stops though. Back in the day when I was but a lad you would occasionally see the more daring (or stupid) teenagers jump out onto the rail and back at the down town (now enclosed) end of the line.

Re:Mass transit is best for tourists

[n1m1tz]

Having lived in europe myself for more than a few years, (England, Gernmany, and Italy) I feel I can contribute a somewhat different view towards mass transit.

The city layout you have described is true; cities are arranged around an older city center with streets leading into or away from this economic center. In some older cities, such as Rome, the streets are so narrow that buses and trains cannot and never will be able to make deep in-roads into these centers. Yet where vehicles cannot make it, subways do.

However, millions of people take this transportation each year and successfully commute to work using trains, buses, and subways. Why? because these same ancient city centers are also the same places that they now go to work at. Some people forget that just because US city centers in some cities are being abandonded or are deserted after 5pm, doesn't mean the same effect occurs in Europe. Remember that these places are a mix of businesses, homes, shops, and restaraunts.

Sure they have suburbs, and sure some locations are not covered by public transportation, but don't make it sound like public transportation is useless overseas; its anything but!

Another point I wish to make; your argument rests on travel time from point A to point B. Many people, myself included, also try to strike a balance between travel time and cost.

For example, I use rail to commute from Fort Worth, Tx, to Dallas. I drive 3 miles from my house to the train station, ride the train for 1 hour and 20 minutes, then grab a light-rail train for 3 stops (15 minutes), cross the street and enter my office building. Total cost is $60 per month and about 3 hrs of commute time per day. If I were to do the same in my car: $80/month parking, $130/month gas and about 2.2 hrs of commute time per day. Plus, if I ride the train, I get to sleep for another hour on the way in and read for an hour on the way home. Try that in a car! ;) To me, the benefits are measured in ways other than total commute time; its time well spent sitting on a train rather than sitting in a car, even if the car ride is shorter.

Re:The glass protected stations

[pq]

Okay, but what happens, for god knows what reason, you find yourself on the inside of the glass next to an approaching train / monorail? Seems unlikely but an interesting question.

Oh come, come: a good design would always allow the glass doors to be opened manually from inside, for maintenance if nothing else. Rather like fire exits always open without a key to let you out of the building, but not back in. Imagine a little red handle - "In case of emergency, use lever".

Now, if you're too drunk to read and figure out how to use the lever, well, the gene pool needed some chlorine anyways...