ToadScoper OP t1_ituvznd wrote
I personally think Wickford Junction serves as a good case study for transit non-development; rather, the "build it and they will come" mentality for transit stations does not work if there are no conditions for building dense, mixed-use transit-oriented development surrounding transit centers (this applies to adequate zoning conditions as well). Additionally, Wickford Junction originally opened with no intermodal connections to RIPTA (which is insane) and contained a hilariously large parking garage that has never been full once. Ultimately, the station was not designed by transit planners- it was designed by clueless politicians who wanted to cut the ribbon for a big capital project. Fortunately, the new Pawtucket-Central Falls station seems to be getting a lot right that Wickford Junction got completely wrong. I think a Wickford MBTA station could have worked if the station structure itself was scaled back along with better direction from a transit-oriented perspective.
FAYCSB t1_ituyx7l wrote
I used the WJ station for about a year. The train doesn’t seem to run enough to make it worth it to go into Providence for work on a daily basis, and two hours on a train to get to Boston (plus whatever the drive time to get to the station) is a bit much for a Rhode Islander to do every day.
JasonDJ t1_itx4ucw wrote
A friend of mine took TF Green to Backbay every day for a job. Made it sound like a not big deal, convinced me to get a job in Boston
I rode from S Attleboro to South Station, and then red line to Kendall, for about a year before I started to drive it instead. And then I started working from home.
I cannot go back to that commute. The train isn’t so bad…it’s idle time which I don’t seem to get a lot of these days, and could really use more of. But the schedule sucks, and driving into Cambridge is just so damn draining.
FAYCSB t1_itxasf1 wrote
I’m in Cumberland now. The switch from Wickford to Attleboro/South was great. An hour seems like so much better than 2+. But after working from home for two and a half years the thought of having to go back to commuting regularly is…not great.
Rhodysurf t1_itxcx9p wrote
My wife did it for a year. It’s a fucking slog to do every single day
pico-pico-hammer t1_itv06ky wrote
What was the use case for the Wickford Junction line? It can't be that they expected people to travel to Wickford Junction on the train, because there's so little within walking distance to make it useful. Were they hoping people who worked in South County would commute to the station, park there, and take the T to their jobs in Providence, or Boston? I doubt there are many commuters in South County who work in Boston, due to the 2+ hour commute each way. I also doubt there are many people who work in Providence who would take the rail, because public transportation in Providence is awful. Unless you work right by the station, you are looking at a commute of the same exact amount of time if not longer by taking the train. If you have a connecting bus, since there's no subway in Providence, you're looking at an hour+ commute instead of 30 - 45 minutes. This ignores whatever your commute time from your home to Wickford Junction is. The population around there is not dense enough to support the rail line or to allow residents to live without owning a car.
ToadScoper OP t1_itv8u2v wrote
RI must expand and transform its transit, it’s ridiculous that for being the densest state it completely lacks its own regional rail, water taxis, or even an LRT. RI has huge potential for all these modes of transit but it refuses to consider or subsidize them
Proof-Variation7005 t1_itvgp3x wrote
I think all of those things should be better, but it's not like we have unlimited resources to add/improve that stuff. Those things would cost a LOT of money and I'm not sure there's just a pile of extra cash in the state budget to subsidize it.
Trying to convince the public to increase taxes to cover those costs would be political suicide.
Proof-Variation7005 t1_itv40om wrote
>Were they hoping people who worked in South County would commute to the station, park there, and take the T to their jobs in Providence, or Boston?
I think that's exactly what they were going for. Mostly Providence (downtown)
Mutabilitie t1_itv60vm wrote
They are going to build apartments adjacent to the parking garage.
I’ve done the commute to Providence a few times. It is kind of nice to go right past all the traffic. But I wouldn’t make it a habit, since it costs me more time and money than driving. And I have to drive to WJ anyways.
ToadScoper OP t1_itvts1o wrote
Apartments are only one facet of transit-oriented development, dense mixed-use zoning in the vicinity of transit stations is also needed. Transit centers do not work when they are solely constructed to complement cars
Rhodysurf t1_itxd434 wrote
There used to be more people commuting to boston from south county than you would think, but think Covid changed that a lot
laterbacon t1_itvkuq4 wrote
I'm glad Wickford's failure didn't doom Pawtucket because that station is going to drastically change the landscape for me. I'm a 10 minute bike ride away from the Pawtucket station and I'm very excited about it coming online soon. Now they just need to increase the train frequency, but if I time it right I can get from my house in Lincoln to downtown Providence in under 20 minutes which is faster than driving most of the time especially when you take parking into account.
monkysandtools t1_itw01pv wrote
I really wish the MBTA could have re utilized the former Pawtucket Central Falls Station; yes, it would be too big per se for just commuter rail, but considering the floor space, commercial use would be ideal (almost like Star Market over the mass pike)
ToadScoper OP t1_itw1nqe wrote
From what I understand, they originally considered using the former Pawtucket Central Falls station site; however, the curvature of the NEC below the station could not accommodate modern standards for 800ft long platforms
laterbacon t1_itwfdus wrote
I do too but it's a minor miracle that it's still standing. IMO that building was doomed as soon as they built that CVS in front of it
Cash50911 t1_itxehxw wrote
So you are a governor, with a budget of x, how do you partition it? It is a tough decision when you really have to.
Imo the best return on investment from government spending comes from 75% infrastructure 25% maintainence 0% marketing. What is the rate of return of this project over any other project that money can go too.
As an employee of government, I know there is no plan. There is never a plan, it's always let's just do something.
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