How Do You Spell Boondoggle?
In Rochester, we spell it F-A-S-T F-E-R-R-Y.
Now the Democrat and Chronicle reports on a local group who propose an alternate spelling: L-I-G-H-T R-A-I-L.
The system could be built for an estimated $64.3 million and would cost $400,000 to $2.4 million annually to operate, according to the group's study. Twelve to 18 months after startup, the study projects ridership on the Charlotte line of 5,000 to 6,000 weekday trips.
Let's do the math. Let's go with a yearly operating cost of $1.5 million with roughly $2 million in fares collected (that's 2 million riders at $1 a pop). That leaves $500,000 left each year to pay back the loan on the $64.3 million startup costs.
Hmmm. Maybe we city residents can defer payment on the loan until after we finish paying off the $28 million ferry debt.
Let's just hope we never have to learn how to spell P-A-E-T-E-C P-A-R-K
Comments
I have to disagree with your objection here. The logic of "everything must pay for itself" would require we stop building roads and libraries and schools and parks and ...
Meanwhile, we drive our cars and conveniently neglect to count the costs of pollution and middle eastern wars.
Posted by: Mike | August 10, 2006 10:26 AM
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Posted by: Doug | August 10, 2006 2:48 PM
Mike, in general, I agree with you, but I'd rather see our municipal dollars go to fund something that people might actually use or that might have a chance at providing some sort of tangible benefit (like the roads and schools and parks and libraries you mention).
Rochester city taxpayers have already spent millions of dollars to fund the ferry, subsidizing each passenger by over $100 per one-way ticket (not to mention the lining of various private pockets that apparently went on). The light rail proposal's first phase is to connect the Northern edge of the city with the downtown, probably the least travelled traffic corridor we have.
Posted by: ken | August 10, 2006 8:17 PM
The use is the thing. Build something people will use. How about this? It sucks to fly out of upstate because one must schlep through a hub. Plus, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse have some of the highest fares in the country. Monroe, Erie, and Onondaga counties are all in the 1 million people population range. That is Chicago or Toronto. We need to close all three local airports and build an international (a real international) airport in Rochester linked to Syracuse and Buffalo by high-peed rail. People already will travel from city to city for available/cheaper/more convenient flights. It is just the beginning of an idea, but I think it is a winner.
Posted by: Seth | August 12, 2006 11:00 PM