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Monorail in NWA. It's time.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 1:04 pm
Posted on 6/29/16 at 1:04 pm
Having zilch for public transportation is an embarrassment for the leaders of NWA.
Too many people, too slow to build infrastructure, too inefficient to get out of the way. People keep coming it hasn't stopped in 30 years and with the growth of our Big 3 and the associated tiers of vendors, suppliers and support companies to attract and keep talent NWA needs a monorail system connecting the U of A, Tyson, JB Hunt, Walmart, XNA and the downtowns, entertainment areas and connecting spurs at Tontitown, Farmington, Bella Vista and maybe Elm Springs.
Let's find a way people.
Too many people, too slow to build infrastructure, too inefficient to get out of the way. People keep coming it hasn't stopped in 30 years and with the growth of our Big 3 and the associated tiers of vendors, suppliers and support companies to attract and keep talent NWA needs a monorail system connecting the U of A, Tyson, JB Hunt, Walmart, XNA and the downtowns, entertainment areas and connecting spurs at Tontitown, Farmington, Bella Vista and maybe Elm Springs.
Let's find a way people.
6
Posted on 6/29/16 at 1:55 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
Not bloody likely. Although I'd be ok with them putting one alongside the Razorback Greenway, if somebody wants to front us a couple billion $$$$. Dear Alice Walton..
Posted on 6/29/16 at 2:20 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
quote:
Monorail in NWA.
Come on man. Bypasses are all that's needed. You talk about infrastructure....the infrastructure isn't, nor will it ever be able to support a monorail. You expect businesses and homes to relocate to the path of travel of a rail?
Posted on 6/29/16 at 2:27 pm to Arkapigdiesel
imminent domain baw. monorails take up very little space.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 3:17 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
I-49 will be 6 lanes soon, just in time to break ground on the expansion to 8 lanes with HOV.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 4:07 pm to Numberwang
like I said too inefficient and too inept to get out of the way.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 4:28 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
Unless rail can considerably lower commute times, it will never gain ridership and therefore not be worth putting money into. In Dallas, the rail is effectively a flat rollercoaster for the homeless and indigent poor.
Few people actually use it to commute.
Few people actually use it to commute.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 4:30 pm to Numberwang
That is not true. 
Posted on 6/29/16 at 4:40 pm to Numberwang
Here's your rail map.
It hits:
The University of Arkansas
NWACC
WRMC
has a connecting spur in Farmington that also hits Weddington that would connect to the main line around Garland Ave.
It runs up to the mall and then onto Tyson's HQ, and Nortwest Medical, it has a Tontitown connection that connects to the main line either south of 412 or it could go direct to Emma Ave. It runs closer to the poorer areas of Springdale which really isn't that great of an idea but to not get raked over the coals by regressives you'd have to give the less-advantaged better access.
It then runs up to JB Hunt and onto the Promenade and Mercy Health with a spur kicking off to downtown Rogers.
The main line continues north towards NWACC where it loops towards downtown Bentonville/Crystal Bridges and the Walmart campuses where the XNA spur connects at the Home Office and the Pineville/Bella Vista connector joins in there as well.
Now if we had a transportation director worth a shite and some representatives in Washington that could get anything accomplished for their state and local legislators that cared about things that actually mattered, there would be a path to get this done and attract a whole new wave of professionals and businesspeople.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 4:44 pm to Numberwang
I think folks would trade a little more time to not have to drive, be stuck in traffic, and save money by paying a few bucks a trip over tanks of gas.
You could run an express commuter route during peak commuter times and cut out some stops.
You could run an express commuter route during peak commuter times and cut out some stops.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 5:20 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
Walton Monorail
Posted on 6/29/16 at 6:33 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
Never gonna happen
Posted on 6/29/16 at 6:38 pm to Porker Face
quote:
• The Potential for a NWA Regional Light Rail System. Beta Rubicon, 2004
• Interstate 540 Improvement Study. Parsons Transportation Group, 2006
• NWA Rail: Visioning Rail Transit in Northwest Arkansas. UA Community Design Center, 2007
• Northwest Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway TIGER II Grant Application. NWARPC, 2010
• Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan. Connetics, 2010
• Northwest Arkansas Western Beltway Feasibility Study. Parsons Brinkerhoff, 2011
• Northwest Arkansas Regional Development Strategy. Market Street, 2011
That is a list of times this has been studied, with a unanimous result. Maybe our public officials are actually wisely keeping an extremely poor state from embarking on an unfeasible boondoggle that will not have sufficient ridership no matter how nice it will look in the brochures
Posted on 6/29/16 at 6:45 pm to ArHog
I would love to see it, but population density probably isn't what it needs to be to make it feasible. It really is a perfect region for it from a logistical and lifestyle standpoint though.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 8:45 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
Invest in self-driving cars that will prevent rubbernecking and decrease accidents. That's the future.
6 lanes on 49 will only get us past traffic congestion for a decade at most. I hate the idea of a western by-pass, but I could see it being useful, splitting from I-49 south of Greenland, running between Farmington/PG, skirting west Fayetteville, hitting 412 on the west side of Tontitown, then running up the west side of Bentonville and reconnecting with the Bella Vista by-pass before crossing the state line. That could be the "thru-traffic" route for people not going to any of the NWA cities, and would provide relief for sections of 49. It will just create sprawl, though.
If there's a market for rail transit, it's a streetcar running from the Square, down Dickson, to Brough on campus. That's some hilly terrain that a lot of people would prefer to cover sitting on their asses.
6 lanes on 49 will only get us past traffic congestion for a decade at most. I hate the idea of a western by-pass, but I could see it being useful, splitting from I-49 south of Greenland, running between Farmington/PG, skirting west Fayetteville, hitting 412 on the west side of Tontitown, then running up the west side of Bentonville and reconnecting with the Bella Vista by-pass before crossing the state line. That could be the "thru-traffic" route for people not going to any of the NWA cities, and would provide relief for sections of 49. It will just create sprawl, though.
If there's a market for rail transit, it's a streetcar running from the Square, down Dickson, to Brough on campus. That's some hilly terrain that a lot of people would prefer to cover sitting on their asses.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 8:53 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
I was going to simply say LOL no because I just don't think you'd have enough patrons to utilize it (which is the usual issue where public transportation is concerned) but with what appears to be a fairly sizeable Hispanic population might that impact any decision? I have no idea whether any studies have been done or whether they would be more likely or less likely to utilize such transportation but I suppose that could be a factor.
Posted on 6/29/16 at 8:58 pm to Litigator
Posted on 6/30/16 at 6:42 am to Inadvertent Whistle
That video is basically exactly what it's like whenever light rail is discussed
Posted on 6/30/16 at 11:58 am to Porker Face
A beltway around the metro would have me interested as well. The commute to Bentonville has for sure kept me from taking jobs or applying for them in the past.
Posted on 6/30/16 at 12:18 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
quote:
The commute to Bentonville
How long does it take to get from Fayetteville to Bentonville without construction or an accident?
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