Pinthouse Pizza
Current Rail Line Lacks Synergy
RECEIVED Tue., July 6, 2010
Dear Editor,
Indeed, ridership on the Austin-Leander rail line is low [“Empty Seats on the Red Line,” News, July 2].
Imagine for a minute, how many people would buy cars if the only road available had one lane running from Downtown Austin to Leander. No way to get to Houston or Dallas, or even Barton Springs or Lake Travis. I doubt if many would be buying cars in such a situation.
The same is true of mass transit. The current line lacks synergy. However, additional lines will allow riders to travel to more destinations, increasing ridership exponentially.
A second factor keeping ridership low is cheap gasoline. Cheap gasoline reduces the incentive to use mass transit but comes at a price – BP oil spewing into the Gulf, global warming, Middle East wars, etc.
Indeed, ridership on the Austin-Leander rail line is low [“Empty Seats on the Red Line,” News, July 2].
Imagine for a minute, how many people would buy cars if the only road available had one lane running from Downtown Austin to Leander. No way to get to Houston or Dallas, or even Barton Springs or Lake Travis. I doubt if many would be buying cars in such a situation.
The same is true of mass transit. The current line lacks synergy. However, additional lines will allow riders to travel to more destinations, increasing ridership exponentially.
A second factor keeping ridership low is cheap gasoline. Cheap gasoline reduces the incentive to use mass transit but comes at a price – BP oil spewing into the Gulf, global warming, Middle East wars, etc.
Philip Russell