Despite cuts, St. Louis makes list of top transit cities
Yeah, it’s been downsized and - some say - woefully underfunded. But St. Louis’ embattled public transportation system was recognized on MSN City Guides’ list titled “10 cities with great transit.”
The list, compiled by Jonathan Hiskes and Katharaine Wroth of Grist, included this take on St. Louis’ MetroLink system:
Ridership exceeded predictions, and advocates say that the system has helped attract new shops, offices, residences and hotels in both the Missouri and Illinois sections of the greater metro area. But after a November sales-tax referendum failed to get countywide support, the system had to raise fares and make major cuts in service. Still, observers say St. Louis is a great example of the positive impact that transit can have on development patterns.
You can find it at http://cityguides.msn.com/articles/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=19621893&page=0
Wow, that just goes to show you how really stupid these “top” lists are. I wish the media would stop paying attention to these things every time they come out. Stop feeding the monster, Ken…
Congrats to Metro! It’s a well deserved honor.
It’s always fascinating to me how differently Metro is viewed by the transit community and visitors vs. the people who live here (and mostly don’t use the system).
LOL sarasho, it is most definitely NOT a “well deserved honor”. Metro is an inept organization who can’t even find a new CEO after a year and a half.
Which, by the way Jennifer, if the rest of the transit community was so impressed with them, how come none of them have gone after the CEO position vacated 18 months ago? That should tell you how Metro is “viewed”…
Tim, do tell us what qualifies you as an expert on Metro? Do you ride it? Have you compared it to other public transit agencies across the country?
It’s amazing what Metro has been able to do in St. Louis despite an apathetic community that refuses to fund it. Metrolink is a great transportaion option for the region and something to be proud of. Try it sometime… OR keep up your rallying cry of inefficiency and incompetence based on a couple of high profile cost overruns and a lost lawsuit in the past.
We are living and working in Seoul, South Korea, but still have our home in Ballwin.
I wish you could all visit Korea and see what a real transit system and a real airport look like.
St. Louis has such potential, but seems to be stuck on past and fading glory.
With such a perfect central location in the U.S., St. Louis could rise once more as a leader in nation-wide transport and modern urban transit.
Come on St. Louis, the last great thing you did was 100 years ago!
Show the world a new Spirit of St. Louis and make some bold changes!
Bemused, I used to ride it. I also helped build it, I worked for Metro, and I work in the transportation industry in general. Since you asked, I am way more qualified to comment on Metro specifically and public transportation in general than most people.
Not that I will ask you for your resume, because commenting on topics in these blogs is for the public, not just experts.
Of course, I should also note that you wrote nothing of substance. You added nothing factual or statistical in nature, just a general slander at anyone who thinks Metro is a poorly run and unrespected agency in the public transportation arena. Unfortuantely for you, that is exactly how Metro is viewed, by people in the know and the general public.
Metro COULD be great one day, but first they might want to hire a CEO…too bad no one wants that position, eh?
Tim,
I agree with you. I’m not against public transit, but against the taxpayer subsidies. If you ride, you should pay in full is how I feel. I ride Metro most workdays and have occasionally been asked for my Metro Pass (3 times in 3 weeks). No one pays my bills for me, so I expect the same for others. My recommendation is for shared taxi service which would actually make sense since things are relatively far apart in the St. Louis area.
All of these new shops, etc., and other expansions of businesses do not total the over $210 million of taxpayer funding used to cover their operating loss in Fiscal Year 2008. This does not include any new construction. It’s on their annual report financials: http://www.metrostlouis.org/InsideMetro/AnnualReports/2008MetroAnnualReport.pdf
Also, if mass transit is so great for our economy, why are we in a recession still and this is after the Cross County Extension? I believe it can be proven that you don’t get back what you put into it, like almost all other government subsidized entities.
Dan, if you are against the taxpayer subsidies, what is your thought on road building? Have you or will you (or others) be paying “full-fare” on the rebuilt highway 40?
As for the vacant CEO position, it is not surprising that those in the transit industry wouldn’t want the job. If you really care about creating/running a great transit organization, why would you want a job working in a region where:
1. The political leadership won’t support you (or even worse snipes amongst each other to undermine any success);
2. Municipalities, businesses and developers fail to grasp the value of improved transit access and fail to alter zoning or development practices to capitalize on the investments(look no further than Richmond Height’s Hadley Township redevelopment or the shopping centers along Eager Rd);
3. Neither local taxpayers or state level officials value transit enough to even fund the current level of service.
Sad to say, but I am sure the Metro position is not a desirable job unless you like banning your head against a wall.