If You Build Rail Transit, Will They Come?

For Central Florida, it's a billion-dollar question: Will a 20-mile light-rail system running from Altamonte Springs to the Orange County Convention Center be a boon to commuters -- or an expensive boondoggle? [Link corrected]

1 minute read

October 15, 2002, 7:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"Before officials decide whether Orange County needs rail-transit, they might want to talk to Millie Lopez. The Longwood resident seems a good candidate to use rail transit. Each day, she crawls down Interstate 4 in her car to her job at the sprawling office campus of Maitland Center. Her hours are regular and she's not a gear-head who lives to drive. So who better to try a rail line along I-4? But Lopez is a mom, so Lopez has no intention of relying on public transit. "When you have children, it's always important to have your car -- in case of emergencies, " she said. There's an army of Millie Lopezes out there -- commuters who will decide whether a rail system soars or flops. Once the project is in the ground, ridership models and consultant opinions mean nothing. Everything will boil down to people."

Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg

FULL STORY: Luring commuters out of their cars might prove difficult

Monday, October 14, 2002 in The Orlando Sentinel

Transportation Florida

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