OFFICIAL I70 BITCH THREAD....

[Danno]

Once again, I challenge all of you who live on the front range to take some form of public transportation to a ski area ONE time this season. Report back what you find.

I almost always ride with 3+ people (granted one of them is only 4 years old, but that comes with its own set of challenges) so public transport to a ski area wouldn't be best aimed at me. But I ride public transport to work every day. :shrug:

Perhaps this is your point (can't recall who has said what in this thread), but the reality is that public transportation (in this country at least) has to be better than the alternative. That can mean better in price, convenience, comfort, speed, etc. In fact, it sort of means all of teh above; most people won't take public just to spare other people the spew of their car, they'll take it because overall, it is the better choice. How public transport becomes that better choice when it comes to ski area traffic doesn't have one easy answer (as this thread suggests). The Winter Park ski train, for example, killed it in comfort (I'm assuming, never rode it), but was very pricey compared to driving, had an extremely limiting schedule, and was a very long trip (not even counting the drive from wherever you might be to get to Union Station). So overall, it was a novelty experience, not a true alternative. If, however, it was cheaper, had more trains, and had a stop by Coal Creek Canyon with a big park and ride, I bet it would be very successful. For me, taking the bus to work adds ~10 minutes to what would already be an almost 1 hr commute. But the cost of the pass is a good bit cheaper than I'd spend in gas, and I get spared the frustration of driving in rush hour traffic on 36. It's a no-brainer. I'm willing to lose the extra time, as much as that sucks. A bus to the ski areas that could do the same might be viable for some people, but it doesn't exist.

[bean]

Once again, I challenge all of you who live on the front range to take some form of public transportation to a ski area ONE time this season. Report back what you find.

This is kind of a silly "challenge." The current available options are not cheaper, nor faster, nor more convenient than even solo driving. For public transportation to be viable, it needs to be at least one of those three things. My wife takes the train to work every day because it's cheaper and more convenient (and, occasionally, faster).

What is your point, exactly? That there are no good options right now so there never can or will be?

[char]

FWIW - I can take a ski bus from a local ski shop to Mt Bachelor from the Willamette Valley for $34 roundtrip, 300 miles. Not the best timing with respect to showing up at the mountain (930) but not the worst either. It's not impossible.

Currently costs me ~$25 in my Subaru to do the same trip. Last year it was $45. Not sure if the bus has gotten cheaper with fuel prices.Also doesn't pencil out for people with more than 1 person in the car.

[karpiel]

Enforcing the chain law for these said truckers would be a good first step.

Absolutely, they've stepped up enforcement this year. A lot of it just comes down to the driver being competent, it's very easy to get a CDL.

[Name Redacted]

This is kind of a silly "challenge." The current available options are not cheaper, nor faster, nor more convenient than even solo driving. For public transportation to be viable, it needs to be at least one of those three things.

RIGHT! But there have to be early adopters to fund any project. I lived in Denver. took light rail or rode my bike, almost every day. blah blah blah. When you are in the city, it's easy. I'm asking people who have these pie-in-the-sky ideas to take public transportation just once. Yeah, it's not always convenient, that's just a fact of life, they aren't going to pick you up at your doorstep and wipe your ass for you. It'll be a long time before it gets to that point.

So people need to realize that that's how it's gonna be at first. You have to make sacrifices for public transportation. Get on a bus sometime, one that takes you 2 hours from home, tell me all the ways that it could be better. Then tell me how you would fund it and convince people to pay for it on a regular basis.

[Danno]

Suffer for me, baby!

[WTF is dat]

Once again, I challenge all of you who live on the front range to take some form of public transportation to a ski area ONE time this season. Report back what you find.

uhhhh

already rode the RTD to eldora once this season. it was on time

[fastfred]

so cdot get some federal dollars to run empty buses up and down i70

my prediction

empty buses
federal dollars are based on rider ship, no riders
no money after one year
the buses will stop running by dec of this year
another complete colorado failure at public transportation


cdot should stick with fixing potholes instead of running buses and putting cameras up everywhere, there are 6-9 cameras between breck and frisco and about 30 potholes that need to get fixed who is the idiot running cdot??

[Name Redacted]

uhhhh

already rode the RTD to eldora once this season. it was on time

Good job.

[knumbskull]

Your prayers are answered: http://www.9news.com/story/news/loca...cost/21440883/

I'm not sure why they're going all the way to Glenwood, I have to imagine the bus is going to be pretty empty after the Eagle stop.

There are people beyond the front rage.

There are dozens of us!

[Rideski]

I don't recall if I have said much previously about buses or not. My thought is that the tgr type skier doesn't need to be interested in it for it to be a beneficial thing. There must be a large percentage of skiers who don't care about first chair, or staying all day. Or who don't feel like investing in snow tires, because they only ski a few times per year. Or who don't have exemplary driving skills. Etc, etc.

Getting a few of those people off the road would be a benefit, just like eliminating one unchained jackknifed semi. I don't know what the percentage of semis vs cars are, but it's pretty clear one rig across the highway can shut it down.

It doesn't seem like it would take many riders to cover the cost of the busline, as demonstrated by the above mentioned prices which seem pretty fair.

[adrenalated]

I-70 gots nothing on Michigan.
http://www.9news.com/story/news/2015...rash/21511263/

[summit]

I-70 gots nothing on Michigan.
http://www.9news.com/story/news/2015...rash/21511263/

Colorado has a lot...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...ctions-of-i-70

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8759408

[adrenalated]

I mean, those are impressive, but 150 cars and 4 burning semis? That takes an unparalleled commitment to clusterfuckage.

[Danno]

unparalleled commitment to clusterfuckage.

My next next band name

[Garth Bimble]

I-70 gots nothing on Michigan.
http://www.9news.com/story/news/2015...rash/21511263/

The truck that was hauling fireworks put on quite a show...

[Lindahl]

You're the one who was successful in the trucking industry. Surely you've got contacts.

A guy as smart as yourself can figure out how a higher pass price would reduce volume, which is the real problem. Think real hard and I'm sure you can figure it out.

Won't do much for the summer traffic, but yeah, should put a dent in the winter shitshow. Don't think it'll help much with the people who get stuck, though. They're likely not pass holders who frequently drive I70.

[Garth Bimble]

Won't do much for the summer traffic, but yeah, should put a dent in the winter shitshow. Don't think it'll help much with the people who get stuck, though. They're likely not pass holders who frequently drive I70.

Not to mention that those of us who have figured out a way to avoid the shitshow that is weekend skiing are pretty stoked with pass prices just the way they are, thank you very much...

[karpiel]

Yep. If I owned a business in Summit and CDOT deliberately made it more difficult/expensive for my customers to get to me, I'd fight back hard.

Say your business sells eggs. Due to whatever reason the egg truck couldn't get on the highway until 6 am. Peak traffic is between 6:30 and 11 am. In peak traffic with snow your eggs wont arrive until 8 am. With no trucks allowed your eggs wont arrive until noon. The drive might take longer, but it gets there 4 hours sooner. If we enforce tire laws for passenger vehicles, you may have less customers. If we ban trucks, you are able to serve zero customers.

[smmokan]

Or... you can plan for the new travel schedule and buy inventory accordingly.

[Name Redacted]

Or... you can plan for the new travel schedule and buy inventory accordingly.

Many trucks actually come up the night before, then deliver the next morning. These changes are already implemented in many cases.

How would you suggest businesses buy their inventory accordingly? Would you force every business in the high country to expand their storage capacity? Every restaurant to enlarge cooler space? and pass that cost on to the consumer? Space is at a premium in many cases. Sales floor space in retail and tables in a restaurant are money. Storage doesn't make money, so it is usually minimal.

Everyone acts like truck are such a pain in the ass, but what would you do if you got up here and there was no gas, food, retail, or anything else.

[Skistack]

It'll be anarchy I tell you!

[concretejungle]

Or... you can plan for the new travel schedule and buy inventory accordingly.

Or... you can plan for the current travel schedule and deal with it.

[WTF is dat]

I've said this a few times before in this thread, and have been largely ignored, but the biggest problem facing CDOT/I-70 is TABOR and the fact that there is no money available for road expansion / improvement.

Denver post had a nice article today about TABOR and how it negatively affects I-70 (and our state government in general)

http://www.denverpost.com/editorials...front-i-70-fix



The other 49 states in America have figured this out.... can Colorado ?

[char]

I've said this a few times before in this thread, and have been largely ignored, but the biggest problem facing CDOT/I-70 is TABOR and the fact that there is no money available for road expansion / improvement.

Denver post had a nice article today about TABOR and how it negatively affects I-70 (and our state government in general)

http://www.denverpost.com/editorials...front-i-70-fix



The other 49 states in America have figured this out.... can Colorado ?

Seems like you could come up with at least some of the money by not putting the fancy ass park on top.