2008 Woodie Awards
Commentary: MetroLink: Only as useful as St. Louisans make it
By: Alexandra Smith
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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Ask any native St. Louisan, or anyone who has been here awhile, to name the biggest inconveniences in the city. Most will mention the problems associated with public transportation. The absence of any large public transportation system stands out as an issue that gives St. Louis less of a city feel compared to metropolitan areas such as Chicago and New York and, in turn, makes it harder to get around.
After all, public transportation is beneficial to citizens for more reasons than convenience. The presence of an effective transportation system can also contribute to improved air quality, less traffic congestion and longer preservation of roads.
Unfortunately, these changes can't happen over night. Starting Aug. 28, St. Louis Metro made significant changes that will affect the transportation possibilities for St. Louis city and the surrounding areas. The opening of the new Shrewsbury branch of MetroLink is an important project associated with the betterment of transit in St. Louis. MetroLink service now extends to serve the communities of Clayton, Richmond Heights, Brentwood, Maplewood and Shrewsbury.
Three weeks after the opening of the Shrewsbury station, the hype seems to have worn off and the MetroLink is doomed to repeat a fate of uselessness. The initial excitement for MetroLink enhancements seemed sincere, but now it doesn't appear that citizens are making as much use of it as initially anticipated.
Changes and improvements are associated with the cross-country extension project, on which preliminary engineering began in May 2000 and construction began in April 2003, according to the Metro Web site. After this construction and extension, MetroLink now has 37 stations, 19 park-ride lots, 10,000 parking spaces and 87 light rail vehicles.
This doesn't seem bad for a city with such lack of public transportation. The issue now isn't that public transportation isn't available. The issue is that the transition is going to take some time. St. Louis has no history of readily available public transportation, thus the citizens don't have a history of wanting, or knowing how, to utilize such a system.
After all, public transportation is beneficial to citizens for more reasons than convenience. The presence of an effective transportation system can also contribute to improved air quality, less traffic congestion and longer preservation of roads.
Unfortunately, these changes can't happen over night. Starting Aug. 28, St. Louis Metro made significant changes that will affect the transportation possibilities for St. Louis city and the surrounding areas. The opening of the new Shrewsbury branch of MetroLink is an important project associated with the betterment of transit in St. Louis. MetroLink service now extends to serve the communities of Clayton, Richmond Heights, Brentwood, Maplewood and Shrewsbury.
Three weeks after the opening of the Shrewsbury station, the hype seems to have worn off and the MetroLink is doomed to repeat a fate of uselessness. The initial excitement for MetroLink enhancements seemed sincere, but now it doesn't appear that citizens are making as much use of it as initially anticipated.
Changes and improvements are associated with the cross-country extension project, on which preliminary engineering began in May 2000 and construction began in April 2003, according to the Metro Web site. After this construction and extension, MetroLink now has 37 stations, 19 park-ride lots, 10,000 parking spaces and 87 light rail vehicles.
This doesn't seem bad for a city with such lack of public transportation. The issue now isn't that public transportation isn't available. The issue is that the transition is going to take some time. St. Louis has no history of readily available public transportation, thus the citizens don't have a history of wanting, or knowing how, to utilize such a system.
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