Anyone who has driven down Interstate 69 — at almost any hour of the day — from Anderson to Interstate 465 knows what a congested mess it is. Even if traffic keeps moving, there is too much of it. If there is an accident, there could be a multi-hour wait and a backup for miles.
As population and vehicles increase in central Indiana, alternative modes of transportation are under serious consideration.
One of those ideas is a mass transit system that would connect Noblesville and Fishers, and eventually Anderson and Muncie, to downtown Indy. There would be trains and increased bus service to ferry residents who just don’t want to get caught up in the auto congestion.
Trains are a good idea. In Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority, commonly referred to as the el, or “L,” carries more than a half million passengers a day. The “L” has been in operation since 1892, though, and has become a habit for Chicagoans. Still, around rush hour, the Eisenhower and Dan Ryan expressways are clogged to the breaking point. How much more congestion would there be if the trains weren’t there?
Central Indiana, however, isn’t Chicago. The reference to habit above might be the key question as to whether an Indy rail system would be viable. Right now, the automobile is the habit and changing over to rail or bus would be a hard sell because no matter the deteriorating driving conditions, Hoosiers love to pile into their vehicles and hit the road without having to worry about rail and bus schedules. They’ll make the drive and fight the traffic for parking places because they like the freedom.
Lately, a pro-transit group called Indy Connect unveiled a plan that was heavier on bus rides than trains. Republican lawmakers, such as Sen. Luke Kenley, who serves part of Madison County, wants no part of the Indy Connect idea, which calls for a referendum to raise taxes to pay for the $2 billion project. Kenley doesn’t want to authorize a referendum because he is against raising taxes on people in this economy. That’s understandable, but the General Assembly wouldn’t be raising them. The people would.
Kenley’s obstinateness has irked officials in Noblesville and Fishers who want the rail, but the senator’s stubbornness notwithstanding, he has a point in being cautious about spending so much money in this iffy economy. And even if the rail were built and a new fleet of buses purchased, there is no guarantee that they would find riders.
Environmentally and economically, the idea of mass transit is an idea whose time has come. But until people are willing to park their cars and take the train enough to forge a new habit, this project will be on hold awhile.
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