First trip on Metro Link

[madyaks]

Very nice, clean, a little small but nice.
They need to expand it.
CC was dealin tonight.

[Guppy]

St Charles?

[ShortHop]

I'll take "Starting stupid threads as a thinley veiled way to rub it in Cardinals' fans faces" for $1000, please.

[lazydaze]

[marco]

Nice and clean? You mean those one type of folk hasn't stolen all the seats yet? Shocker!

[Bleacher Creature]

I love the Metro. It's just too bad they don't run it to more places where people actually work.

[Hollywood]

I love the Metro. It's just too bad they don't run it to more places where people actually work.

Or live



(I wanted it to come to STC)

[Bleacher Creature]

Or live



(I wanted it to come to STC)

It could have, but the fear of black people kept it away.

[Razzy]

I think thats also why it wont be expanded into south county.

[Bleacher Creature]

I think thats also why it wont be expanded into south county.

Yep.

Some people are so damn stupid.

[Hollywood]

It could have, but the fear of black people kept it away.

You mean blacks could have made it out to my neighborhood!?!?!?!?!

[Bleacher Creature]

You mean blacks could have made it out to my neighborhood!?!?!?!?!

And stole your tee vee, because that's whats weeze all do.

[RedBirdBrain]

Or live



(I wanted it to come to STC)

http://stcharlesjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/07/12/opinions/sj2tn20080712-0713stc-opsh0.ii1.txt

OPINION SHAPER: County may have missed the train



By Mike Harkins
Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:24 PM CDT

Until about a year ago, I never was a big fan of public transportation, such as buses or light rail.

I always thought it was meant for those less fortunate who couldn't afford an automobile.

My opinion changed last year when I visited Washington, D.C. When I arrived at my hotel, I asked the concierge about renting a car. He said I did not need a car and would be much happier using the Metro, that city's subway/light-rail system.

I hesitated, thinking it would be dirty and probably dangerous. He assured me that virtually everyone used the system and it was clean and safe.

The next morning, off I went. I bought a $20 pass and hopped on a train. During the next five days, I visited virtually every museum and monument, and rode it as far into Virginia as possible, just to see the countryside.

I was extremely impressed with the efficiency, timeliness, cleanliness and safety of the entire operation.

When I got ready to return to St. Louis, I cashed in my pass, and still had $6 remaining on it! I had ridden throughout the city for several days for about $3 a day. A rental car, gas and parking would have cost at least $200.

After visiting with other passengers and commuters, I realized these folks enjoy reading the paper, listening to their I-Pod or just chillin' out while leaving the driving to someone else. I could get used to that.

This got me to thinking about the St. Louis area's MetroLink system. Maybe those of us in St. Charles County were a little quick to vote no when we had a chance in the mid-1990s to extend MetroLink into our neck of the woods.

Yes, I was one of those who voted against the sales tax proposal to help fund a light-rail extension to St. Charles County. I didn't want those folks from St. Louis coming to our cities and bringing crime and drugs with them.

Who would have guessed back then that we would be paying $4 per gallon for gasoline or that Interstate 64, one of the metropolitan area's major traffic arteries, would be torn up in St. Louis County for two years?

What if we had been intelligent enough to realize back then that bringing MetroLink to our county might have been a good idea?

Imagine, just for conversation's sake, that we built a great light-rail extension in our county. Pretend for a moment that we extended the light-rail system from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport along I-70 all the way to Wentzville. In addition, we connected to the system near Clayton and extended that part of the system west through Chesterfield along I-64/Highway 40 into St. Charles County and all the way to Wentzville. In Wentzville, we had a large station where you could park and take a train along the northern route by the airport and along the existing route to downtown St. Louis and into Illinois. Or take the southern route into Chesterfield, Clayton or east into downtown or Illinois.

Now suppose you could ride this system for a few bucks a day and you don't have to do the driving. Just sit back and enjoy a book, newspaper or the view out the window. How about a Cardinals or Rams game? Take the train. Got a plane to catch? Hop on the MetroLink. How about Union Station or the St. Louis riverfront? Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Folks, I think we screwed up on this. Gas is not going to be cheap, probably never again. The roads and highways are just going to get more congested.

I think we might have missed the train.

Mike Harkins of Lake Saint Louis is an account manager in the landscape industry. He is one of 21 Opinion Shaper columnists for the Suburban Journals of St. Charles County. Opinion Shapers are chosen annually to write five columns on topics of interest to them.

-RBB

[ElviswasaBluesFan]

I still can't believe people think thugs are going to use the damn train to come rob them. Most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Everyone knows they use the bus.

[Hollywood]

I didn't want those folks from St. Louis coming to our cities and bringing crime and drugs with them.

That is just too damn funny.