MetroLink: The Great Race – Part Deux

On Friday, May 9, Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) held a race between the MetroLink, cars, and bikers from one metro stop to another one. That seemed rigged in favor of the MetroLink to us, so we held our own race from our office in the Central West End to BARcelona in Clayton.

St. Louis’s light rail, MetroLink, has been built on press events and promises. The CMT made-for-media race earlier this month is a great example of the former, but consider some of the promises made to sell MetroLink:

* “…some of Metro Link’s heaviest use could come from lunch-hour passengers moving among downtown, Union Station and the Central West End.” – St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10/26/1988

* “The city is talking with investors and developers about building a golf course just north of the King Bridge, an area of abandoned rail lines… City planners picture light industry around the golf course.

“Conventioneers, just five minutes from East St. Louis by rail, offer a natural market for a golf course…” – St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10/17/1993

During our race, Joseph Miller provides the numbers behind MetroLink. It’s incredibly expensive and there are better ways to improve public transportation. For example, money used on MetroLink would be better spent improving bus service.

Note 1: When Joseph Miller refers to “city” and “city planners” he means the “St. Louis region” and “regional planners”.