Indianapolis Redline. Beginning of a Cluster F%&*

[Herr Vogel]

What new trendy **** do you need now?

Are 'downtown circulator' trolley loops still hip, or has that fad passed already? I mean, Cincinnati has one, we'd just be keeping up with the Joneses.

Seriously though, if they wanted to build a public transportation system that was actually useful, they'd be building a subway. Start with a loop that goes from the Airport to the Racetrack to Downtown (convention center, lucas oil stadium, the zoo, the mall, the train station). That alone covers the majority of the places out-of-towners come to Indy for. Then start building branch lines outward, maybe one north to the State Fairgrounds, maybe one south to Indiana University.

 

[Tanfodude]

They spend tons of tax dollars on this but they can't even fix the damn potholes on the roads the last 2 years.

 

[OutdoorDad]

What I gather from the article, they really don't care, it's full stream ahead, right off the cliff.

Correct. Lots of real estate developers behind it.

 

[churchmouse]

Correct. Lots of real estate developers behind it.

At the risk of stepping on Lead Eyes thunder........Follow the money. Always follow the money.

 

[Leadeye]

They are ginning up that new soccer stadium and team, more taxes for something I'll never use.

You can't look like a progressive town unless you have some money losing mass transit program.

 

[MarkC]

They are ginning up that new soccer stadium and team, more taxes for something I'll never use.

You can't look like a progressive town unless you have some money losing mass transit program.

At least in Indiana we're only blowing millions on the program. Look at the high speed train to nowhere in California, where costs have ballooned from about $35 Billion to maybe over $100 Billion. And it still isn't in service, and its future is doubtful.

So, see, we are being fiscally responsible!

 

[Leadeye]

At least in Indiana we're only blowing millions on the program. Look at the high speed train to nowhere in California, where costs have ballooned from about $35 Billion to maybe over $100 Billion. And it still isn't in service, and its future is doubtful.

So, see, we are being fiscally responsible!

The money trail on that one would be really interesting to follow.

 

[Tactically Fat]

They are ginning up that new soccer stadium and team, more taxes for something I'll never use.

You can't look like a progressive town unless you have some money losing mass transit program.

At least the proposal for that soccer stadium isn't using public money.

 

[BigRed]

At least the proposal for that soccer stadium isn't using public money.

Yet.

 

[churchmouse]

The money trail on that one would be really interesting to follow.

Ya-think.....

 

[churchmouse]

At least the proposal for that soccer stadium isn't using public money.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

So as of today, the Red Line is starting to charge to ride. A weekly pass is $20. I don't spend $20 a week in gas driving to and from work. So the incentive to use mass transit is what again? Not to mention that the Red Line doesn't go to where I work...

 

[KMaC]

So as of today, the Red Line is starting to charge to ride. A weekly pass is $20. I don't spend $20 a week in gas driving to and from work. So the incentive to use mass transit is what again? Not to mention that the Red Line doesn't go to where I work...

Social justice mixed with psuedo environmentalism doesn't have to make economic sense, or even common sense. Just ask Greta.
It will be interesting to see what their ridership numbers are for December and January. I doubt they will even announce them like they did for September/October.

 

[Brad69]

I am glad you City people are having fun with public transport!

We are building a railroad in order to take in money from tourism to help pay for our projects instead of using taxes and we have private investors as well!
https://www.14news.com/2019/11/21/tell-city-railroad-spur-reaches-completion/

BTW The trains paid for!

 

[Twangbanger]

The purpose of the Red Line was to establish a tax increment. That revenue is used to hire a small, permanent staff. That is the "Normandy Beachhead." You now have a small group full-time bureaucrats sitting in a basement of a building somewhere, looking for a way to spend that money and get more. Every government program starts out small, and that handful of permanent staff is the camel's nose under the tent.

Red Line is like a new sports team that doesn't have a stadium to play in yet. The job of the Red Line staff is to spend the next 10 years getting us to buy them a real (ie, not borrowed) park to play in.

We will not get our traffic lanes back, until we buy them a Subway or elevated tram.​

 

[churchmouse]

Social justice mixed with psuedo environmentalism doesn't have to make economic sense, or even common sense. Just ask Greta.
It will be interesting to see what their ridership numbers are for December and January. I doubt they will even announce them like they did for September/October.

Or they will skew the figures as is so often done.

 

[SarahG]

My new job is right next to a Redline stop. From what I've seen so far the buses are empty. I have a feeling $20 a week is going to make it even more empty than before - I'll investigate in the next few weeks and let you guys know.

 

[MarkC]

So as of today, the Red Line is starting to charge to ride. A weekly pass is $20. I don't spend $20 a week in gas driving to and from work. So the incentive to use mass transit is what again? Not to mention that the Red Line doesn't go to where I work...

Veterans with a DD214 or VA ID card can get a pass for free Indygo fares. The card costs $2 and a trip to the transit center across from the City-County Building. It took me all of about five minutes to get one. My wife and I like to hop on the Red Line from the Government Center to Fountain Square for lunch. If there was an express that led from where we live to downtown, we would consider it. However, as many others have noted in this thread, the bus service is very slow, and it is much easier for us to drive downtown. Until they can make more of Indygo more user-friendly and attractive, it will continue to be only the ride of last resort for those who lack other reasonable options.

https://www.indygo.net/city-of-indianapolis-and-indygo-announce-new-indygo-veteran-pass/

 

[KMaC]

The purpose of the Red Line was to establish a tax increment. That revenue is used to hire a small, permanent staff. That is the "Normandy Beachhead." You now have a small group full-time bureaucrats sitting in a basement of a building somewhere, looking for a way to spend that money and get more. Every government program starts out small, and that handful of permanent staff is the camel's nose under the tent.

Red Line is like a new sports team that doesn't have a stadium to play in yet. The job of the Red Line staff is to spend the next 10 years getting us to buy them a real (ie, not borrowed) park to play in.

We will not get our traffic lanes back, until we buy them a Subway or elevated tram.​

Pretty much. Indygo got a $75M federal grant for the Redline construction. Look! Free money, Indy citizens are so lucky.
A year later Indygo is pushing the theme What's a Redline without a Blueline? So they got a $100M tax increase. Citizens actually voted to raise their taxes.
We'll never see the end of tax increases because now they are Too Big to Fail.

 

[ATOMonkey]

I can't wait to see what a EL or subway would look like. We already have a semi-permanent homeless camp under the south street bridge (right next to the new cityway development). If the bums had a tunnel to live in, I'm sure they'd just be over the moon.