Bus Riders: Stand By for Action!

NOB HILL--The "Rapid Ride" bus system is so close to happening! The articulated buses have been bought and trotted out. The transmitters have been installed on the stoplights to let the buses hold a light on green or turn it green early. The distinctive stations are being constructed. Drivers train every morning going up and down Central Ave. getting used to their length and the characteristics of the hybrid drivetrain. And Monday morning they are supposed to start hauling passengers! Your truly, Johnny_Mango will be there!

The Rapid Ride bus is the beginning of major change in Albuquerque transportation. It will connect the westside and the eastside (along with Coronado and Winrock) with the downtown transportation center. This system will connect with the Belen to Bernalillo commuter rail system that will be started next December. Eventually Santa Fe will be a part of the rail line.

In fact, the center's "Alvarado" look is echoed in the turrets on top of the obelisks at every Rapid Ride station. The stations are also supposed to have LED displays with the arrival time of the next bus. Transit police are also a part of this package. Don't be surprised if these systems change residential patterns in the Rio Grande valley. Los Lunas and Belen will be closer to downtown than Rio Rancho...and a whole lot more convenient.

MaryAnn and I rode a commuter train (Caltrain) during our trip to San Francisco from San Jose to downtown SF. Lot of different kinds of people used it. Many of them had bicycles. There were special bicycle cars that had a big open area on the ground level where bikes were bungee corded to the walls. The bike owners sat upstairs in the same cars.

Who would have thought that Albuquerque and New Mexico could keep their attention focused on this issue long enough for something to happen. Look at the Wheels Museum to see an idea that seems to be going nowhere. It looks like it will take less time to start up a rail line than it takes to put a train in a museum!