M1EK's Bake-Sale of Bile

To amplify Cap Metro's short-sightedness:

Southern New Jersey has a diesel light rail line. It's another project that was built where it was easy to build (rather than where people want to go) but at least it offers fairly frequent all day service.

In Downtown Camden, NJ, the line runs down city streets for blocks and makes multiple sharp turns to do it. An example:

http://www.ctchouston.org/blogs/christof/wp-content/camden%20dmu.jpg

This isn't even the sharpest turn; two are 90 degrees within street intersections.

The kicker: New Jersey's vehicle was built by the same company as Austin's.

In other words, Austin ordered the wrong model.

Regardless, question: why isn't the line being extended at least as far as Congress in 4th street? No turns are needed to do that, and it would get at least some people within walking distance of their job.

Christof,

Thanks for commenting. With the contradictory information about turning radii depending on who you talk to, it may be that there are some intersections in Austin where this thing could turn (I trust the city staff over anything Capital Metro says at this time, however; they've been wrong a lot less often in the past).

Is it possible the intersections in Camden are wider? The image you posted is a bit confusing - the angle on the right side of the turn is a bit off, implying that the street being turned onto doesn't meet the original street at a 90 degree angle?

I didn't have a photo of one of the 90 degree turns -- this one is about a 45.

The Camden intersections are no wider than a typical Austin intersection, probably narrower.

I do know for sure that the Cap Matro vehicle is different than the New Jersey vehicle -- same manufacturer, different model. They may well have different specifications.

Here's one of the 90 degree turns:

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qnr0z58r5tsp&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=7121563&encType=1

the left hand track cuts the corner in order to be able to run curbside, but the right hand track makes its turn entirely in the intersection

That does look like it's as narrow or narrower than our intersections, but it also kinda looks like BOTH tracks are cutting the corner (?) Remember that the Austin curve to be negotiated is to transition from 4th to 3rd, i.e., two of these turns in short succession.

The route that the 2000 light rail proposal would have taken goes by a lot of corners where cutting the corner would not have been an option.

Can't believe I've never looked at this satellite image before. Very interesting - it does look like it cuts every single corner (except for the 45 degree turn), and the lots on the blocks it cut are derelict (surface parking, apparently abandoned buildings).

Interestingly, it looks like they're running on the right sides of the street - with car lanes in the middle. Are these true reserved-guideway or are they sharing a lane with cars?