Switched sides on the LRT expansion after talking to my bus driver

I used to think the Valley Line LRT was a waste of money, especially with all the delays. But last week my bus driver on the 9 route explained how it cuts 20 minutes off her commute from Mill Woods to downtown once it's fully linked. She said her route gets bumper to bumper every morning and the train just glides past all that. That kind of real life detail from someone who deals with it daily made me reconsider. Now I'm actually looking forward to seeing how it changes traffic patterns out here. Anyone else have a conversation that flipped your view on a local project?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_kim31mo ago

Nobody talks about how it'll actually speed up emergency vehicles on surface streets.

umabailey1mo ago

My buddy Jake works as a paramedic in Austin and he told me about a test they did last year on one of the busiest roads there, like 7th Street or something. They had the lights and sirens going and it still took them almost 9 minutes to get through a 2 mile stretch during rush hour because people just freeze up or don't move. With those connected car systems where the lights talk to each other, they shaved off like 4 minutes because the intersection knew they were coming and cleared the path way before they even got close. He said it freaked him out a little at first but after seeing it work he's all for it now. It's the kind of thing where you don't really notice it until you're the one waiting for help to show up.