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S33
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Post by S33 »

jessep28 wrote:
S33 wrote:Not even comparable. This monetary system is not replacing debt, its gotten so out of hand that it feeds itself massive amounts of additional debt thus requiring an ever growing base of investors. Classic ponzi only on a ridiculous level.
As long as the United States is paying its debt obligations (primarily interest), I don't understand the doom and gloom scenereo that's supposed to take place sometime in the next 60 days to 5 years. Net interest paid as part of the federal budget is actually quite low compared to other periods such as WWII.

http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/longter ... tdebt.html
I don't know how else to spell this out - This is as much of a currency problem as it is a debt problem. They go hand-in-hand. Our debters are being forced to buy more and more US treasury bonds so as to prevent the US financial system from callapse, and we issue billions of more dollars into the system printed out of thin air. Ironically, that is how they're protecting their savings and investments, by devaluing them.

Zoom ahead a little... they're diversifying their investments and export markets so they can abandon the dollar. They've already indicated that they're done buying bonds (loaning us the incredible amount of capital it takes to sustain an insolvent state).

And you're right. We can start monetizing existing debt, flooding the market with additional dollars, and cover our liabilities. At some point the market is going to force the US dollar to represent it's actual value, and that is when your purchasing power nose dives. It's called hyperinflation, and every government in history who has designed their monetary system on this type of model has failed. We are already experiencing incredible inflation values, despite the efforts by the feds to scew the numbers.

This could all happen throughout the course of a single day, and I think this is a conversation every rational American should be having.

Forgot to add, this administration has already begin asking our largest financial institutions to build contingency plans in the case of total market collapse.
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Interesting I guess

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Post by jessep28 »

I guess that I better start stockpiling gold & guns and make plans to move to either a bunker the desert or New Hampshire.
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Sure, if you want to take things to the extreme. Or you could do some slight financial planning and educate yourself on how a healthy monetary systems works versus our current failing system.

Feel free to laugh it off, but it's already weighed itself heavily on your pockets whether you know it or not, and it's all just begun.
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Post by ShawJ »

Guys, it's money. We can just print more.
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Linkin5
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Post by Linkin5 »

ShawJ wrote:Guys, it's money. We can just print more.
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Lol.
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michaelsjewel
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Post by michaelsjewel »

wasn't there a study on this years ago that determined the beltway is indeed needed...but may be too late due to so much development already. The fact is, similar sized cities such as Tulsa, OK have way more freeway than Omaha... Omaha is lacking when you consider the traffic and the size of the community. The reason dodge is such a mess is because it is a direct route from downtown and there's where the original 580 was planned, but was scrapped because of the nightmare known as the north freeway dividing a neighborhood...and you guessed it...dundee is in the way so there's that lol...

but seriously... even since 2005 for example when I moved here from lincoln...traffic has gotten at least 5-10x worse on the interstates... Even the dodge exit after it was completed on 680 has gotten worse... 3 lanes on the dodge express aren't enough for all of west omaha's traffic because there's no other interstate out there. traffic light roads are congested.... where exactly do you want this traffic to go?

The problem if you want downtown to grow, you need ways to get there that are more efficient... 480 helps, but that gets congested and can only hold so much and everything is dumped onto 80... 80 is one of the few freeways in the nation that go all the way across, so you have tons of semi traffic as well that are in the passing lanes and it's almost sometimes a nightmare not even during rush hour. We may not have the traffic congestion of los angeles, but the point is preventative measures.

you aren't going to convince people of the midwest to convert from cars to public transportation just because it's the greener thing to do...public transportation wouldn't be utilitzed enough in omaha to make it even affordable enough to not bankrupt the city.

The beltway would not just be for the suburbs so to speak... it would help alleviate all the congestion of people going through the city that just want to go around it to travel further.... that alone would lower congestion.

the point overall...lower congestion on already busy routes... if we leave it as is... and the city continues to grow, it will be an absolute nightmare! At least council bluffs' expressway expansion is prepping for all the traffic to go to omaha... omaha needs to think the same...

I find it sad that nebraska underestimated the size needed for the dodge expressway...how do you dump 2 lanes onto 3 lanes express...and only leave 3 lanes.... when you add traffic, you don't lose lanes! - they were absolute idiots when they designed it!
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Post by RNcyanide »

It would have been interesting if they had made Hwy 370 from I 80 to Bellevue an interstate... Too much development around it now for that to happen. I don't see another beltway happening in Omaha for a long time.
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TitosBuritoBarn
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

michaelsjewel wrote:The problem if you want downtown to grow, you need ways to get there that are more efficient...480 helps, but that gets congested and can only hold so much and everything is dumped onto 80...
Freeways help to kill downtowns. Freeway planners thought the same way you are in that it would bring people in, but instead they brought people out. You grow a downtown by making it a desirable place to live, work, and play for all people and do so in a way where a car is an option, not a necessity.
you aren't going to convince people of the midwest to convert from cars to public transportation just because it's the greener thing to do...public transportation wouldn't be utilitzed enough in omaha to make it even affordable enough to not bankrupt the city.
There are many different kinds of mass transit. Most would not bankrupt the city if done properly. Transit isn't necessarily about being green. Transit gives you options for travel and alleviates traffic congestion. The main reason people don't ride transit is because the investment is usually severely lacking in America. By default then, transit is looked at as something for poor people unless you live in a dense area. If you make it more convenient and desirable than driving, and you can, often with compatible land use planning, then people will use transit.
At least council bluffs' expressway expansion is prepping for all the traffic to go to omaha... omaha needs to think the same...
The Council Bluffs expansion is overkill. All they really needed was 6-8 lanes. They are building 12 if I remember correctly. The city and region aren't going to grow enough to warrant 12 lanes before the expressway becomes deficient and needs another overhaul.
I find it sad that nebraska underestimated the size needed for the dodge expressway...how do you dump 2 lanes onto 3 lanes express...and only leave 3 lanes.... when you add traffic, you don't lose lanes! - they were absolute idiots when they designed it!
You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
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Linkin5
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Post by Linkin5 »

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
michaelsjewel wrote:The problem if you want downtown to grow, you need ways to get there that are more efficient...480 helps, but that gets congested and can only hold so much and everything is dumped onto 80...
Freeways help to kill downtowns. Freeway planners thought the same way you are in that it would bring people in, but instead they brought people out. You grow a downtown by making it a desirable place to live, work, and play for all people and do so in a way where a car is an option, not a necessity.
you aren't going to convince people of the midwest to convert from cars to public transportation just because it's the greener thing to do...public transportation wouldn't be utilitzed enough in omaha to make it even affordable enough to not bankrupt the city.
There are many different kinds of mass transit. Most would not bankrupt the city if done properly. Transit isn't necessarily about being green. Transit gives you options for travel and alleviates traffic congestion. The main reason people don't ride transit is because the investment is usually severely lacking in America. By default then, transit is looked at as something for poor people unless you live in a dense area. If you make it more convenient and desirable than driving, and you can, often with compatible land use planning, then people will use transit.
At least council bluffs' expressway expansion is prepping for all the traffic to go to omaha... omaha needs to think the same...
The Council Bluffs expansion is overkill. All they really needed was 6-8 lanes. They are building 12 if I remember correctly. The city and region aren't going to grow enough to warrant 12 lanes before the expressway becomes deficient and needs another overhaul.
I find it sad that nebraska underestimated the size needed for the dodge expressway...how do you dump 2 lanes onto 3 lanes express...and only leave 3 lanes.... when you add traffic, you don't lose lanes! - they were absolute idiots when they designed it!
You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
I approve of your post Titos and award you the highest of fives.
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

Linkin5 wrote:I approve of your post Titos and award you the highest of fives.
I thank you kindly, good sir.
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Post by NovakOmaha »

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
Peak hours.  Funny.  Drive on the expressways at 2 in the morning.  Non peak hours are what?  Somewhere between 3AM and 3:01AM?  Chicago traffic is a zoo.
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TitosBuritoBarn
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

NovakOmaha wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
Peak hours.  Funny.  Drive on the expressways at 2 in the morning.  Non peak hours are what?  Somewhere between 3AM and 3:01AM?  Chicago traffic is a zoo.
Sounds about accurate. I was once stuck in stop-and-go traffic around 3:30 am. Granted two out of three lanes were closed for construction down the way, but still, it was stop and go for about a mile.
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Post by jessep28 »

Linkin5 wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
michaelsjewel wrote:The problem if you want downtown to grow, you need ways to get there that are more efficient...480 helps, but that gets congested and can only hold so much and everything is dumped onto 80...
Freeways help to kill downtowns. Freeway planners thought the same way you are in that it would bring people in, but instead they brought people out. You grow a downtown by making it a desirable place to live, work, and play for all people and do so in a way where a car is an option, not a necessity.
you aren't going to convince people of the midwest to convert from cars to public transportation just because it's the greener thing to do...public transportation wouldn't be utilitzed enough in omaha to make it even affordable enough to not bankrupt the city.
There are many different kinds of mass transit. Most would not bankrupt the city if done properly. Transit isn't necessarily about being green. Transit gives you options for travel and alleviates traffic congestion. The main reason people don't ride transit is because the investment is usually severely lacking in America. By default then, transit is looked at as something for poor people unless you live in a dense area. If you make it more convenient and desirable than driving, and you can, often with compatible land use planning, then people will use transit.
At least council bluffs' expressway expansion is prepping for all the traffic to go to omaha... omaha needs to think the same...
The Council Bluffs expansion is overkill. All they really needed was 6-8 lanes. They are building 12 if I remember correctly. The city and region aren't going to grow enough to warrant 12 lanes before the expressway becomes deficient and needs another overhaul.
I find it sad that nebraska underestimated the size needed for the dodge expressway...how do you dump 2 lanes onto 3 lanes express...and only leave 3 lanes.... when you add traffic, you don't lose lanes! - they were absolute idiots when they designed it!
You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
I approve of your post Titos and award you the highest of fives.
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michaelsjewel
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Post by michaelsjewel »

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
michaelsjewel wrote:The problem if you want downtown to grow, you need ways to get there that are more efficient...480 helps, but that gets congested and can only hold so much and everything is dumped onto 80...
Freeways help to kill downtowns. Freeway planners thought the same way you are in that it would bring people in, but instead they brought people out. You grow a downtown by making it a desirable place to live, work, and play for all people and do so in a way where a car is an option, not a necessity.
you aren't going to convince people of the midwest to convert from cars to public transportation just because it's the greener thing to do...public transportation wouldn't be utilitzed enough in omaha to make it even affordable enough to not bankrupt the city.
There are many different kinds of mass transit. Most would not bankrupt the city if done properly. Transit isn't necessarily about being green. Transit gives you options for travel and alleviates traffic congestion. The main reason people don't ride transit is because the investment is usually severely lacking in America. By default then, transit is looked at as something for poor people unless you live in a dense area. If you make it more convenient and desirable than driving, and you can, often with compatible land use planning, then people will use transit.
At least council bluffs' expressway expansion is prepping for all the traffic to go to omaha... omaha needs to think the same...
The Council Bluffs expansion is overkill. All they really needed was 6-8 lanes. They are building 12 if I remember correctly. The city and region aren't going to grow enough to warrant 12 lanes before the expressway becomes deficient and needs another overhaul.
I find it sad that nebraska underestimated the size needed for the dodge expressway...how do you dump 2 lanes onto 3 lanes express...and only leave 3 lanes.... when you add traffic, you don't lose lanes! - they were absolute idiots when they designed it!
You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
Freeways may help to ruin downtown... but they do bring people downtown that otherwise woudn't be downtown. Those people prefer to live in a suburb because they all want a house that is more bang for their buck. Don't get me wrong, I hate the suburbs (I actually live midtown omaha). The reason downtowns fail is because they are also seen as overpriced areas to live. People want large houses with land, you can't find that downtown. If you want to buy something in downtown omaha, it's a condo that is roughly 200k just to start...whereas you could afford a much larger home in a suburb with better schools, better shopping, and lower crime. (this is a problem because everyone has the mentality that they all need to have their own cottages) Downtowns help kill themselves by being overly expensive, freeways help bring people downtown that otherwise would rather work closer to home. Blaming it on a freeway that brings in all the worker downtown in the first place (at least for Omaha's concern) seems bogus!  I believe the council bluffs is doing 6 lanes each direction because 3 are local, 3 are express... which keeps traffic moving in a rather cogested area during rush because it's a combo of 2 interstates in such a short stretch comparably to omaha's longer exit stretch on 80... it may be overkill now, but by the time it's done, they had estimated the growth estimates to utilize it. Probably because they are trying to grow and make council bluffs more desirable. I've driven through chicago on the freeways before, they hardly have enough lanes, but chicago also has way more people than omaha and thus can afford to use a metro (train)... I think it's too early for omaha to do it, though it would be nice. NYC downtown and chicago downtown aren't suffering because of freeways... but they also have other forms of transit.  The US has an obsession with cars, but transit systems like trains are less feasible in the UNITED STATES because of the major gap of distance between cities... Europe itself can better themselves from us in this aspect because they are relatively closer together than the US. The US is quite large.... if you can find a way for these to be more feasable in the US, by all means suggest it to planners. I'm sure they'd love to hear it!  You are right about downtown needing to be more a desirable place to live. I loved living at the orpheum when I did, but not much convenience unless I wanted to walk to the bar or to the old market.
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Post by bigredmed »

You could have the best interstate in the world and downtown Omaha will never compete with other neighborhoods for exactly the reasons stated above.

Midtown Crossing condos are $270K for a 2 bed room unit and ONE parking stall.   My house is twice the size, on 2/3 of an acre (in the middle of the city), and is 90K cheaper.   My schools are OPS dreck, but they are better than what is available below High School in downtown.

Basically, all the whining about interstates means nothing till you have a way for people with kids to justify living there.
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Post by Dundeemaha »

Freeways not only destroy downtown but all of the nearby urban communities that are cleaved in two (Park East by I-480, North Omaha by the North Freeway). The tradeoff to the large cheap house with a big lawn is the long drive and traffic during your commute. Why should people who want to live downtown and nearby have their communities destroyed to reduce the cost of living in the periphery?
bigredmed wrote:Basically, all the whining about interstates means nothing till you have a way for people with kids to justify living there.
Not every home buyer has kids. Not everyone with kids has the same values as you. Are they less important?
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Post by cdub »

michaelsjewel wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
michaelsjewel wrote:The problem if you want downtown to grow, you need ways to get there that are more efficient...480 helps, but that gets congested and can only hold so much and everything is dumped onto 80...
Freeways help to kill downtowns. Freeway planners thought the same way you are in that it would bring people in, but instead they brought people out. You grow a downtown by making it a desirable place to live, work, and play for all people and do so in a way where a car is an option, not a necessity.
you aren't going to convince people of the midwest to convert from cars to public transportation just because it's the greener thing to do...public transportation wouldn't be utilitzed enough in omaha to make it even affordable enough to not bankrupt the city.
There are many different kinds of mass transit. Most would not bankrupt the city if done properly. Transit isn't necessarily about being green. Transit gives you options for travel and alleviates traffic congestion. The main reason people don't ride transit is because the investment is usually severely lacking in America. By default then, transit is looked at as something for poor people unless you live in a dense area. If you make it more convenient and desirable than driving, and you can, often with compatible land use planning, then people will use transit.
At least council bluffs' expressway expansion is prepping for all the traffic to go to omaha... omaha needs to think the same...
The Council Bluffs expansion is overkill. All they really needed was 6-8 lanes. They are building 12 if I remember correctly. The city and region aren't going to grow enough to warrant 12 lanes before the expressway becomes deficient and needs another overhaul.
I find it sad that nebraska underestimated the size needed for the dodge expressway...how do you dump 2 lanes onto 3 lanes express...and only leave 3 lanes.... when you add traffic, you don't lose lanes! - they were absolute idiots when they designed it!
You'd completely question humanity if you were to experience most of Chicago's inbound/outbound expressways during peak hours.
Freeways may help to ruin downtown... but they do bring people downtown that otherwise woudn't be downtown. Those people prefer to live in a suburb because they all want a house that is more bang for their buck. Don't get me wrong, I hate the suburbs (I actually live midtown omaha). The reason downtowns fail is because they are also seen as overpriced areas to live. People want large houses with land, you can't find that downtown. If you want to buy something in downtown omaha, it's a condo that is roughly 200k just to start...whereas you could afford a much larger home in a suburb with better schools, better shopping, and lower crime. (this is a problem because everyone has the mentality that they all need to have their own cottages) Downtowns help kill themselves by being overly expensive, freeways help bring people downtown that otherwise would rather work closer to home. Blaming it on a freeway that brings in all the worker downtown in the first place (at least for Omaha's concern) seems bogus!  I believe the council bluffs is doing 6 lanes each direction because 3 are local, 3 are express... which keeps traffic moving in a rather cogested area during rush because it's a combo of 2 interstates in such a short stretch comparably to omaha's longer exit stretch on 80... it may be overkill now, but by the time it's done, they had estimated the growth estimates to utilize it. Probably because they are trying to grow and make council bluffs more desirable. I've driven through chicago on the freeways before, they hardly have enough lanes, but chicago also has way more people than omaha and thus can afford to use a metro (train)... I think it's too early for omaha to do it, though it would be nice. NYC downtown and chicago downtown aren't suffering because of freeways... but they also have other forms of transit.  The US has an obsession with cars, but transit systems like trains are less feasible in the UNITED STATES because of the major gap of distance between cities... Europe itself can better themselves from us in this aspect because they are relatively closer together than the US. The US is quite large.... if you can find a way for these to be more feasable in the US, by all means suggest it to planners. I'm sure they'd love to hear it!  You are right about downtown needing to be more a desirable place to live. I loved living at the orpheum when I did, but not much convenience unless I wanted to walk to the bar or to the old market.
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Post by Big E »

LOL...  I hadn't seen that one in awhile.  Good times.
Stable genius.
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Post by jessep28 »

Let's all fly around in giant bank tubes.

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Post by RNcyanide »

It's all fun and games until one of those puppies gets stuck mid-tube and everyone flies into a mouth-foaming panic...
When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will.

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jessep28
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Post by jessep28 »

RNcyanide wrote:It's all fun and games until one of those puppies gets stuck mid-tube and everyone flies into a mouth-foaming panic...
People have been potentially trapping themselves in the Chunnel for years and seem to do okay.
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RNcyanide
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Post by RNcyanide »

jessep28 wrote:
RNcyanide wrote:It's all fun and games until one of those puppies gets stuck mid-tube and everyone flies into a mouth-foaming panic...
People have been potentially trapping themselves in the Chunnel for years and seem to do okay.
This is true.
When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will.

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