Wednesday, January 24, 2018

And Exactly Why Is That

I don't think it's unreasonable that people have some say in a transit project (like a new little train, or a 16 lane freeway, or whatever) that's going to go through their neighborhood but this is still hilarious.

While the route shift addressed the most pressing concern from people in the community, many are still not pleased with the project, Cowhey said. The project is far more likely to benefit Upper Merion’s businesses than its residents, he said. It doesn’t have stops that are easy to access on foot for people living along the route, he said, and he anticipated the costs for sidewalks, walking bridges, and street redesigns could fall on the community.

Paragraphs earlier...

The proposal up for a vote diverts the railroad tracks away from a community that opposed an earlier design that had the line running nearly through residents’ back yards. The final plan, which shifts the tracks to the north side of I-276 away from the Valley Forge Homes development, represents a “huge victory,” said Dan Cowhey, a leader of opposition to the line through the No KOP Rail group.

They got it moved away from the residential neighborhood so they now complain it doesn't serve residents.

Transit-to-the-burbs is often just not worth the bother because of this. People who don't want it (and they're allowed to not want it!) make it worse then complain that it's bad. Maybe just don't spend the money.