tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post2266000869906977618..comments2023-10-30T09:03:07.163-07:00Comments on California High Speed Rail Blog: Tuesday Open ThreadRobert Cruickshankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-84672640141849888222009-06-26T00:18:46.599-07:002009-06-26T00:18:46.599-07:00And that fear is not based in any reality. It has ...<i>And that fear is not based in any reality. It has been demonstrated that Hispanic students are just as smart as white students when Jaime Escalante achieved AP calculus test scores at Garfield High School that were higher than mostly-white high income schools.</i><br /><br />Exactly... and then the ETS required the students to retake the test (though unlike in the movie, in reality not all passed again - only 12 out of 14 did, meaning the other 2 were screwed out of an AP pass). And on the other fear, crime, Hispanics are no worse than whites. Even really poor Hispanic cities, like Santa Ana, usually have low to moderate crime rates. EPA is an exception - having way less money to pay for good cops than all surrounding cities counts for something - but white-and-Asian areas still try to avoid having too many Hispanics nationwide.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-79287061894243773232009-06-25T19:14:47.206-07:002009-06-25T19:14:47.206-07:00Peter,
1) current improvements to Mineta SJC could...Peter,<br />1) current improvements to Mineta SJC could be adaptively reused: shopping, residential, cultural/educational institution. The rest of the acreage could be sold to a developer for a very pretty penny (recession won't last forever).<br />2) "wetlands" north of Moffett Field are actually man-made salt pans. Besides, east/west hypothetical runway doesn't have to come near the salt pans (just check out a satellite view or Google Earth).<br />3) Air traffic out of Moffett (when it was commissioned and now with NASA) are already accounted for by Bay Area MTC. SFO, OAK, and Moffett SJC can coexist.<br />4) Condos not selling in this economy? You don't say! Again, recession won't last forever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-19991917413231558632009-06-25T17:04:52.448-07:002009-06-25T17:04:52.448-07:00Given how much money was just recently dropped int...Given how much money was just recently dropped into SJC (new terminals, new parking garages, extended runways, hardened taxiways, new fixed base operators), I don't see any reason to close it. <br /><br />I don't think an east-west runway at Moffett would work, as it would basically be built across wetlands. We're trying to restore wetlands, not overbuild them again. Plus, the traffic flows at SJC, OAK, and SFO are highly coordinated. I'm not sure that changing that flow with an east-west runway at Moffett would improve things at all. Especially on poor-weather days.<br /><br />You want to use Moffett Field's hangars as terminals? And to think people were saying San Jose's terminals were ghetto...<br /><br />Yeah, the recently built office buildings are now all empty. As are all the new condos. ("Sexy views for the low 400s", which are now "Priced to Sell" or for lease). Fat lot of good that did us.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-67397423236329683482009-06-25T15:27:02.117-07:002009-06-25T15:27:02.117-07:00And that fear is not based in any reality. It has ...And that fear is not based in any reality. It has been demonstrated that Hispanic students are just as smart as white students when Jaime Escalante achieved AP calculus test scores at Garfield High School that were higher than mostly-white high income schools. It's not just some sappy movie. It's something that actually happened over a prolonged period of time. And all he did was not coddle these goddamn kids and taught them high-level stuff. <br /><br />Of course, Jaime Escalante was forced out and now he lives in South America. Great job, school administrators.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-77549029258239989062009-06-25T15:02:33.384-07:002009-06-25T15:02:33.384-07:00I'm a mutt who is half-white, half-Hispanic, w...I'm a mutt who is half-white, half-Hispanic, whatever that means. I always put decline to state on all forms unless it will result in more financial aid, then I'm Hispanic.<br /><br />Hooray for diversity.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-80798345958754019772009-06-25T14:45:55.652-07:002009-06-25T14:45:55.652-07:00Alon, you have a narrow view of diversity. If 58% ...Alon, you have a narrow view of diversity. If 58% are white, that leaves 42% who are.....diverse. As part of that 42%, I take offense whenever you guys carry on with your stereotypes of Palo Alto. It reflects strongly on your background. Since you're clueless I'll give you a hint: diversity is broader than black, white and an Hispanic shade of brown.Palo Altannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-46186439962037378972009-06-25T05:10:16.942-07:002009-06-25T05:10:16.942-07:00Alon, you apparently have not a clue about the eth...<i>Alon, you apparently have not a clue about the ethnic diversity of palo alto schools - but go ahead and keep making stuff up about racism. The facts speak for themselves.</i><br /><br />According to <a href="http://www.schoolmatters.com/schools.aspx/q/page=sp/sid=84436" rel="nofollow">School Matters</a>, PA High School is 4% black, 6% Hispanic, and 4% low income. If that's what you consider diverse, you need to get out more.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-13396635364848805172009-06-25T00:33:06.889-07:002009-06-25T00:33:06.889-07:00Peter - there was significant office construction ...Peter - there was significant office construction in Silicon Valley over the 2006-2008 period, long after the dot com bust, so your theory is shot there.<br /><br />A place for a new airport? Um, hello? Moffett Field? A ginormous plot of land away from tall buildings that has already served as an airport for nearly a century?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-84062649586201412142009-06-24T16:14:04.700-07:002009-06-24T16:14:04.700-07:00Explanation,
My new east-west approach runway in n...Explanation,<br />My new east-west approach runway in northern portion of Moffett Field idea is to accommodate NOMBYS (not over my backyard) in Sunnyvale: two current runways for departures over the bay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-74640696573712317492009-06-24T16:03:06.614-07:002009-06-24T16:03:06.614-07:00Alon Levy 141,
I like your thinking! My idea is t...Alon Levy 141,<br />I like your thinking! My idea is to relocate SJC operations in 10-20 years, and transform the current Mineta site into a world-class urban development.<br />You can relocate SJC to either 1) Moffett Field, constructing a new east-west approach runway in the northern section of the airfield, transforming blimp hangars into airline terminals, and either extending BART from SC to Moffett/Sunnyvale or build people mover from future Sunnyvale Caltrain/HSR station to Moffett terminals. Or 2) build new SJC out between Gilroy and Hollister (lots of open space out there), to be served by an HSR spur off the main Gilroy-Fresno segment. <br />The possibilities are endless and exciting for a new SJC!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-7837068504919985962009-06-24T15:37:30.398-07:002009-06-24T15:37:30.398-07:00Alon, you apparently have not a clue about the eth...Alon, you apparently have not a clue about the ethnic diversity of palo alto schools - but go ahead and keep making stuff up about racism. The facts speak for themselves.<br /><br />In the meantime, interesting headlines today on the REAL news which is the train crash:<br /><br />Investigators are looking at "Anomolies" in the track circuit 5 of six circuits recognized a device that signals train speed, there were 'anomolies' with the 6th circuit. Intriguing terminology. Has a lot of implications for safety and perhaps security of trains, and what kind of safety/security measures will be required going forward. Cost implications for CHSR? If its a ~security~ issue - implications for placing new tracks in high risk locations - like up against schools???Anonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-56765598424664812592009-06-24T14:22:59.709-07:002009-06-24T14:22:59.709-07:00Well, the amount of empty office space has been a ...Well, the amount of empty office space has been a problem since the dot-com bubble burst. Hardly temporary. San Jose developers WAY overdeveloped the area in terms of office space.<br /><br />Also, where else are you going to put an airport to replace it, especially after all the sprawl development that has taken place?Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-17188604060301031342009-06-24T14:21:22.282-07:002009-06-24T14:21:22.282-07:00One positive outcome I hope to see from the DC Met...One positive outcome I hope to see from the DC Metro crash is increased attention to the importance of modern signaling and train control. DC Metro and BART are "sister" systems, and they are both getting quite old now. Both are using equipment that is mostly over 35 years old. DC Metro and BART aren't so "modern" anymore, and they need significant refurbishment of their existing systems. <br /><br />Unfortunately, operations and maintenance never get the kind of public funds that new construction gets. Rather than BART and the Bay Area digging itself into further operational and maintenance debt with the foolish Oakland Air Connector and the BART-to-San Jose extension projects, BART's allocation of funds should be dedicated to upgrading its existing system to modern standards. BART has had problems with its signal relays as well, and yes, BART could very easily experience the same sort of crash as DC Metro without new signaling equipment. BART needs to maintain and upgrade the system it has -- which will be very expensive as it is -- instead of being distracted by wild, misguided system expansions.<br /><br />Caltrain East, involving upgraded ACE and upgraded Capitol Corridor services (integrated with Altamont HSR as well!) is a vastly superior option to the BART-to-San Jose boondoggle, which is all about satisfying bloated single-source construction interests.Fred Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-28555049643402569902009-06-24T14:16:47.540-07:002009-06-24T14:16:47.540-07:00Also, in a city with already I believe more than 1...<i>Also, in a city with already I believe more than 10% empty office space, what would be the point?</i><br /><br />Temporary problem in the first place. But the second point, i give it a 1 in a million chance that that airport will be closed. What is more likely is another airport will be constructed as our suburban sprawl continues.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03190793286616071552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-54661191248506032352009-06-24T13:57:41.058-07:002009-06-24T13:57:41.058-07:00@Alon
San Jose has 1024 weekly direct flights depa...@Alon<br />San Jose has 1024 weekly direct flights departing the airport as of March. Of these, about 50% go to destinations outside the state. <br /><br />Hardly a "lack of long-range service"<br /><br />Closing SJC would mean even worse congestion at SFO (which has massive delays whenever the fog rolls in, and the same at OAK.<br /><br />Also, in a city with already I believe more than 10% empty office space, what would be the point?Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-72166383839583059812009-06-24T13:50:10.286-07:002009-06-24T13:50:10.286-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-10331026600447445152009-06-24T13:46:25.416-07:002009-06-24T13:46:25.416-07:00That's what I thought too. I've just heard...That's what I thought too. I've just heard talk of a people-mover from Santa Clara tunneling under the airport to the terminals on the east side of the field. This was planned before Prop 1A passed. I'm assuming the connection to SJC was one of the main reasons for BART extending to Santa Clara. Not saying the Santa Clara BART extension is a bad idea, if only for all the people who travel to Santa Clara University from the East Bay.<br /><br />I'm just wondering if the people-mover from Santa Clara makes any sense if it doesn't link to HSR without having to go through Diridon.<br /><br />I know many people don't like the Caltrain East idea, but it seems to make more sense in at least this respect than the alternative awkward SJC link.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-50110364761666410402009-06-24T13:41:54.384-07:002009-06-24T13:41:54.384-07:00Jim, given SJC's prime location and its lack o...Jim, given SJC's prime location and its lack of long-range service, it'd make even more sense to just decommission it and replace it with office buildings.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-6186117302577783652009-06-24T13:36:36.188-07:002009-06-24T13:36:36.188-07:00Its 3 miles- 8 minutes - per google - from the tra...Its 3 miles- 8 minutes - per google - from the train to the plane in san jose. How ill they do it? A shuttle maybe? A people mover like the one being planned for oakland? iwth bart amtrak hsr etc all in one place at diridon, it would make sense to invest in a people mover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-23751379405220600192009-06-24T13:24:38.128-07:002009-06-24T13:24:38.128-07:00PAUSD continues to voluntarily honor a system of g...<i>PAUSD continues to voluntarily honor a system of giving hundreds of spots to children from EPA (not even in the same county).</i><br /><br />In pre-WW2 Britain, private schools would give scholarships to a select number of students who passed a difficult exam. They said that those students deserved it, but that other students, who did not pass, should pay for private school or just not go to school beyond age 11. The postwar Labour government's introduction of universal secondary education, even for working class people who didn't pass that exam, was controversial and still gets grumbles from the aristocracy.<br /><br />Similarly, in the 1920s and 30s, Ivy League universities admitted some Jews and Catholics, below a certain quota. For Jews, it was about 15% of the student population - anything above that the people who ran the universities considered detrimental to the community. Minorities were never banned, just excluded using such quotas and some creative admission methods (like athletic scholarships). Like all racists, the people who ran Harvard and Columbia had the time had no problem with controlled numbers of minorities.<br /><br />Palo Alto's situation is the same. If it wanted equality of education, it'd push for creating a South Bay Unified school district, with equal per student spending, consisting of at a minimum all of Santa Clara County, and preferably also the rest of the rest of the region. It wouldn't just let in a few hundred, above the minimum number that would placate civil rights activists but below the maximum number the school can take without upsetting the white status quo. They would fight to repeal Prop 13 and encourage good teachers to take rotations in difficult districts like EPA and Stockton, rather than just bus a handful of lucky students away from their community.<br /><br />The short-term economic interest of PA is in having a local uneducated underclass to clean its houses cheaply, and in keeping it away in order to protect property values. The long-term economic interest is in educating as many people as possible so that they could create the next Google and Yahoo.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-9199812044947561592009-06-24T13:05:02.469-07:002009-06-24T13:05:02.469-07:00Sorry this is slightly off-topic, but I'm stil...Sorry this is slightly off-topic, but I'm still kind of unclear on why San Jose International is not being integrated into the HSR plan. Are people expected to arrive at Diridon, switch to Caltrain (or BART someday), go to Santa Clara, and then switch to a People Mover (if it's ever built?)to finally arrive at SJC? Vice versa, how many people are going to want to go through the hassle of taking the reverse to take a train from Diridon? How difficult would it be to implement a people-mover from Diridon to SJC? <br /><br />I'm certain this has already been hashed out elsewhere, if so, can someone give me the link to that discussion?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-44373367253630251252009-06-24T12:46:58.641-07:002009-06-24T12:46:58.641-07:00Anon 11:11,
Can you explain to all of us how HSR s...Anon 11:11,<br />Can you explain to all of us how HSR serving directly the largest city in Northern California and the economic powerhouse of the state is immoral?<br />Jim is right! The current design/routing is correct and makes perfect sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-27656595658164549162009-06-24T12:24:47.239-07:002009-06-24T12:24:47.239-07:00I don't care about kopp and drridon one way or...I don't care about kopp and drridon one way or the other, I only care about how to get people around the state from the perspective of a rail travel professional who's job it is everyday, to get people around the state. I know where the demand is, what the markets are, where people are going and or want to go and how they want to do it. I know it first hand. The design is the correct design. What do you know?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-80011508877935984572009-06-24T12:22:20.331-07:002009-06-24T12:22:20.331-07:00anon- actually the current design makes the most s...anon- actually the current design makes the most sense. When I saw the map, the first thing I though from a passenger railroad employee point of view was "this makes sense." There's no morality involved with that. The story is about safety, training and technology.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-47187866742341235442009-06-24T11:11:48.160-07:002009-06-24T11:11:48.160-07:00"In America, money trumps morality."
The..."In America, money trumps morality."<br />There's a lot of truth packed into that sentence. It explains how we ended up with Diridon's vision of HSR rather than a system which makes sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com