NextStop Blog
February 9, 2010
Check out the “I Love Transit” video from CMT!
Return to BlogCitizens for Modern Transit (CMT) has produced a short video spot showing support for public transit from some of St. Louis’ local personalities…Mike Shannon, Al Hrabosky, Mark Wrighton of Washington University, Zelema Harris of St. Louis Community Colleges, the President of Ameren, Joe Edwards of the Delmar Loop, even Fredbird. The take-home message: some of us ride transit, but all of us need it.
Watch:
Categories:
This is great.
In this video, Mike Shannon says that Metro delivers 20% of their fans to the game. Do the math: Busch has a seating capacity of 46,700. Twenty percent of that is 9,340 people. At 200 per train, that’s 47 trains. With trains running every ten minutes, that would require that they have full trains unboarding at Busch Stadium for almost eight hours prior to the game. Or, if riders were coming in equal quantities from both directions, it would take four hours to deliver that many. And of course, it would take that many hours for train riders to get home after the game too.
So, could one of you tax increase backers explain this statement?
Hey Nick, welcome to Nextstop.
I can answer your question. The 20% number is based on several factors. 1) Actual attendance, not tickets sold, but the number of people in the stadium. Some games may reach full capacity, but many will not. Average attendance per game last year was 41,300 (info found here). 2) A two-car train has a seating capacity of 144, full capacity at around 200, and crush capacity between 230-250, sometimes even 280. Metro runs special service before and after games, so trains arrive every ten minutes. This includes both Red and Blue lines, in both directions. So trains run through the downtown area every five minutes in both directions, or 24 trains total per hour. At capacity, that means MetroLink trains can easily carry 4800 per hour, and about 6000 at max capacity.
Metro also operates the Redbird Express into Illinois, which on average carries 550 per game. The research department actually thinks that 20% is a conservative number.
If parking downtown for a baseball game could be found for something like $10 or less, I would never ride the metrolink. In fact, I would almost save money and be way more comfortable and have much more schedule flexibility driving by myself to the game.
As it is, since I moved from living on campus (in the ghetto, with robbery, rape, and possible murder to expect) at UMSL to living in Afton/Concord, I would have to drive almost 20 minutes to the metro station in Clayton, then endure a 40 minute train ride to take the metro to Busch…Prop A offers ZERO benefit to you if you reside in most of the county…but it does raise your taxes nearly 15%.
SO, let’s practice; take a $20 bill to the bathroom. Good, now flush it down the toilet. Congrats! You’ve just realized how it feels to lose money and receive no benefit for it. Get used to it, because the city is going to do whatever they can to get that 15% right into their pocket. About you, they literally could care less.
Say No to Prop A.
Metrolink, a great example of big government. A service only 2% of the population uses, paid for by 100% of the population.