I-70 is F@&KED

[grskier]

Bumper sticker:

Mass Transit isn't Just for Poor People

[Danno]

The car focused piece is the hardest.. I live in a valley where traffic numbers across the castle creek bridge remain relatively constant for 20 years because they WON'T widen the road, and promote bus commuting. After watching a bus blast past you a few times you get the idea.

What are the demands for half the year? You mean the half that the current infrastructure capacity is more than enough?

A lot of the businesses are looking for GROWTH.... how are they going to pack more of you front rangers into Breck if you can't get there....

The half the year part is the summer, where needs are more varied and infrastructure would have to be even more extensive. In the winter, a vast majority of people go to very few places: their lodging (easily identifiable and accessible), one of a handful of ski resorts, and a few other places (downtown shops/restaurants, grocery store, etc). In a theoretical world, I could design some infrastructure that would accommodate those few locations and handle the needs of the vast majority of travelers. In the summer, the number of places people want to go explode (trails, lakes, etc), and I don't see how infrastructure could be designed to meet anywhere close to the same numbers. And volume on I-70 is greater in the summer.

And yes, the car focused piece is the hardest, both in the way these communities are "designed" and in the way that the average US citizen thinks. And while businesses are looking for growth, are businesses in Summit currently shrinking. Ask people in Summit County now, do they think there aren't enough people there? Do people think that the mountains can actually handle a greatly increased number of skiers/visitors? Now, I'm not saying that Summit couldn't handle more (of course it could if you simultaneously got lots of the cars off the road). I'm just saying that the overall needs are so great, requiring a massive upgrade of physical infrastructure and a massive upgrade in annual operating expenses (buses, employees, etc), that I think you'd have a very hard time convincing all of the players to pony up the money, deal with the massive short term (that would be years) pain that would come with such an endeavor, for the promise of future growth potential many years down the road. I just don't see transforming Summit County into a European-style operation.

[afox]

The car focused piece is the hardest.. I live in a valley where traffic numbers across the castle creek bridge remain relatively constant for 20 years because they WON'T widen the road, and promote bus commuting. After watching a bus blast past you a few times you get the idea.

The public trans system in the roaring fork is great but you cant really compare it to I-70. You've got 2 lanes going most (maybe all?) of the way from GWS (Pop 10,000) to Aspen (Pop 7,000). The front range urban corridor has almost 5,000,000 residents and also has 2 lanes on I-70. I dont think a train is impossible but for the extremely high cost the money would be better spent on an ultra high occupancy lane.

About the tires and 4x4's. I see lots of accidents involving 4x4 trucks with good tires. Im pretty sure if its snowing and there is traffic there will be accidents.

[afox]

You can't possibly be this self centered, right?

Explain how this makes me self centered?

[Danno]

About the tires and 4x4's. I see lots of accidents involving 4x4 trucks with good tires.

You stop and inspect the tires?

Im pretty sure if its snowing and there is traffic there will be accidents.

In other news, water is wet. Because you can't realistically control for the most important factor: the driver. But still, I have no doubt -- and anyone who has paid attention to the traffic issues this year would say the same -- that the problems would have been much smaller during the particularly bad days if all of the people with inadequate equipment suddenly were not on the road.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Just look at what you're asking for from the POV of the resort owners, out of town guests, pretty much anyone but I70 day skiers.

[fastfred]

Mass Transit isn't Just for Poor People

welcome to the usa 21st centruy brah do white people really ride the bus? not since 1950


a vast majority of people feel that mas transit is for poor people and they are the larger group of peopel using it

I have these deep talks with my european bread friends and we laugh because americans are too f'n lazy to use public transportation they don't get why people are scared of the bus, a couple years ago it was 25 bucks one way from frisco to downtown denver on the greyhound, who used that, poor people trying to get from atlanta to vegas to change their life thats who

lucky enough for me the bus stopped at the end of my road and I was able to go anywhere and my parents let me do that at age 10, when I realized that there was 12 buses a day leaving my town for the city a whole new world opened up, shit I took buses everywhere, it was effortless, why did I need a car when I could take the bus anywhere in the country, but thats not how people see the bus they see the bus stopping by the correctional facility to take ex cons back home. until that mind set changes and gas is cheap who fucking cares about riding the bus when you got a 7 passenger suv, cup holders tv's heated seats and cheap ass gas

[WTF is dat]

A lot of people here haven't a clue about transportation planning.. not that I expected that they do, but the ability to opine is rich.

Look at transfers at a major travel hub like... oh, any major subway stop in NYC or grand central terminal.. and tell me that a shuttle system at a main transfer point won't work.

With all due respect....

Dude. What are you talking about? I am absolutely fascinated by urbanism, public transportation, and transportation planning. I study this stuff in my free time. Seriously.

I don't know if you have read any of my previous posts but I have already outlined why a train will NEVER be a viable option.

First problem is the estimated 30 billion dollar price tag. RTD is already struggling to complete FastTracks, a project that was estimated to cost less than 2 billion dollars total. As it currently stands, Boulder will NEVER receive the Northwest Rail line it was promised as part of FastTracks, the NorthEast rail line will only be 50 percent completed, (and single tracked most of the way, I might add) the southwest and southeast rail extensions have been postponed indefinitely, The West Rail Line was forced to singletrack the last two stations because there was no money.... etc, etc.

But, let's forget about money and look at some of the logistical issues instead. To get from the airport to the ski train would require 2 transfers. To get from the airport to a ski resort off of the rail line would require 3 transfers. One at Union Station from the airport train onto the West Line, one at Golden onto the ski train from the west line, and one from the ski train onto the resort shuttle bus. It seems highly unlikely, in my opinion, that anyone would want to make 3 transfers carrying suitcases and ski gear. Never mind the fact that train tickets for a family of 3 or 4 would more than likely be prohibitively expensive.

Next, I would like to discuss the main flaw in your argument: NYC is an extremely dense and walkable place. The reason that major transfer hubs like grand central terminal in NYC are effective is because of the density and walkability seen in NYC. Within a mile radius of grand central station there is thousands of residential units, at least 20 connecting subway lines, etc. A transfer station in Summit County would be ineffective because summit county is not Europe or NYC. It is Summit County, which is basically lakewood with mountains and massive pine beetle kill. One of the main things that makes a transfer station in Europe or NYC effective is the fact that multiple high volume transit lines all dump into the same station, and connect with one another. This will never be the case in Summit County.

What is within a one mile radius of Copper????

There is no way you study transportation planning, because if you did, you would understand that a train along I-70 is inherently flawed.

Like I said before, with 30 Billion dollars I could build 2 ski resorts with the greatest snowmaking infrastructure ever on Mt Evans, and connect them by gondola to Denver and still have a few billion left over.

[Fresh Tracks]

There is no single solution that would adequately address this problem, and anyone who has studied transportation planning will agree. Front Range growth has happened in a car-centric way that doesn't promote centralized public transit corridors. You'd have to dangle some serious financial incentives to get people into buses, and even that wouldn't be enough.

[MakersTeleMark]

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/i70...tunnels-crash/

[m2711c]

i wonder if afox stopped to inspect the tires on those trucks.

[The SnowShow]

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/i70...tunnels-crash/

Holy shit, the WB semi went over the guardrail and down into EB lanes?

[fastfred]

was leaving keystone around 530 and I was like there is a ton of traffic

whats with the semissummit county was hell for traffic just grid lock

fuck these cut rate shitty ass semi drivers

if you see a semi pulling an amazon trailer keep your distance

shittiest tractors shittiest drivers all making less than market wages

[Name Redacted]

What a mess, had to double back and go to Frisco, across the damn road, to Silverthorne. Took forever at the end of a long day.

[summit]

One semi lost brakes/control and hit the other and the resulting mess his a passenger vehicle. Several people were injured. Wear your seatbelt!

[Danno]

wrong thread, jongs

[RUBBERDUCK]

this is the reason why I am moving to Montrose. Buying a nice home, retiring. I heard it is a great place to live. Been looking for a long time. I like the western slope. Is there anything wrong with Montrose?

[skaredshtles]

this is the reason why I am moving to Montrose. Buying a nice home, retiring. I heard it is a great place to live. Been looking for a long time. I like the western slope. Is there anything wrong with Montrose?

Nah - it's Utopia. Not a single thing wrong with it. I can't believe that more people aren't moving there.

[RUBBERDUCK]

right on, thanks. I might be working for Telluride Ski Corp. Friends live there. I have the MCP. gonna use it it. Gonna buy a new dirt bke. Yamaha YZ 250. I went to high shcool with Mike Larocco back in 1988. He bought Red Bud here in Michigan. The Husqvarna looks like a nice bike also. Deals in Grand Junction last I heard. Im bringing my fishing gear.

[The SnowShow]

You know what’s fucked. The fucking Long Island Expressway and BQE. Endless soul sucking traffic madness. I Seventy is the minor leagues.