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No-Lunch4249 t1_j46f6dk wrote

The biggest problem with The Light Rail imo is not that the cars are fucking massive and outdated nor that the track beds aren’t grass lined, those are small things on the periphery that have minimal impact on the function.

The biggest problem is that it doesn’t have its own, separated Right of Way while in the densest part of the city. They were trying to get it done quick and dirty.

Edit: clarity

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biffbagwell t1_j46k72t wrote

And it has to stop at red lights. Wtf

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Gitopia t1_j478ixd wrote

it's probably definitely not factual, but it feels like the only place on earth where the trains have to stop and wait for cars that isn't a full on streetcar wtf.

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ASK_ME_AB0UT_L00M t1_j48b41f wrote

I'm visiting Melbourne, Australia right now, and the trams (light rail) all interact with traffic in some way, including stopping at red lights and sometimes waiting for cars.

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sit_down_man t1_j48v1dc wrote

Philly has this with their streetcars too. Has the same issue. America is so fucking stupid lol

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todareistobmore t1_j4a7raw wrote

Philly's trolleys are fine, largely because they've got the benefit of a far more robust network around them. Also in general, Baltimore has much longer light cycles than Philly or DC, so even trolleys getting delayed in traffic is less noticeable.

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moderndukes t1_j46wlge wrote

Howard St should just be pedestrianized down town. It would probably spur development there better than whatever the current plans are.

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Gitopia t1_j478q5t wrote

Old town mall would beg to differ.

Edit: although, OTM doesn't have light rail so maybe it could work.

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gaiusjuliusweezer OP t1_j47a976 wrote

The thing is, it helps to be near pedestrians

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Xanny t1_j484iul wrote

Nobody really lives downtown, though.

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gaiusjuliusweezer OP t1_j488t7a wrote

This has also been an obstacle, but it’s changing. Question is…do they ever come out of those apartments? How does it translate into street life?

Because the answer so far is: not much yet

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Xanny t1_j48i753 wrote

Its definite a bit.. annoying that I never just "go out" since its so risky in this city to just walk around sometimes and places.

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gaiusjuliusweezer OP t1_j48l406 wrote

Now, you do have large populations of people who walk to shit and can be engaged in basically l every single direction.

Unfortunately Councilman Eric Costello seems to haphazardly step all over every effort to connect to them whenever bike/scooter/ped infrastructure comes up.

Which is silly! It’s his district he’s hurting in favor of Cohen’s, which doesn’t have those high volume traffic sewers like Pratt/Lombard, Paca, MLK, etc. that repel pedestrians

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sit_down_man t1_j48v7e0 wrote

Yes. This is a great idea. There’s enough north/south roads for cars downtown, and especially now with remote work and Covid there’s way less congestion anyway. Return Howard street to the people and rail!

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gaiusjuliusweezer OP t1_j46fz3b wrote

That is absolutely correct, I am just trying to counter the narrative that light rail means some big ugly train is barreling down on your neighborhood and making it an unpleasant place.

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sllewgh t1_j47n7o4 wrote

> I am just trying to counter the narrative that light rail means some big ugly train is barreling down on your neighborhood and making it an unpleasant place.

My mom used to live 200ft from a light rail track, and you'd hardly notice it coming by if you weren't looking out the window. They're barely louder than low level automotive traffic.

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S-Kunst t1_j47q7js wrote

Right. There is no reason why the light rail is not given right-of-way many times. Oliver St & Mt Royal. The car traffic light is fully out of sync with the light rail. which makes both the car and the train sit there both waiting for the light to turn green. At that location the light rail is at right angle to Mt Royal. Also there are never ending shut-downs for parts of the system. I used to take light rail to Woodberry for work, but only when it snowed. 50% of the time there was a shut down and I had to walk from North Ave to Mt. V. Not very useful as a commuter line.

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rental_car_fast t1_j47rtqh wrote

It also doesn't really go anywhere special. I find it convenient sometimes, and use it when I can, but it just follows 83 so there's no real motivation to use it unless you're going to some place like the stadiums where parking is a challenge.

I wish it was a network, and I wish it made it easier to get places I hate driving, like Columbia.

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memeticengineering t1_j47tsn8 wrote

It's nice I don't have to take a car to the airport every time, but that's about it.

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gthc21 t1_j49c5zz wrote

The other problem is it’s dumb alignment followed by non existent transit oriented development

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