Duggers_Dad wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:05 am
^ Thanks, it annoys me when media blares the ominous and omits to resolution part.
Agreed on that for sure. Good follow up seems to be a harder and harder quality- especially when it comes to print journalism. But that’s another discussion for another forum thread..
Just happy our streetcar plan looks full speed ahead …
Yeah, 400 registered voters. It would be interesting to know exactly how random their selection was and how the survey was actually presented (total slant job). I mean the city just aprooved 28 million towards this. You would think this is too far down the line at this point, pun intended. Must be the same people who said they would never set foot in the CHI Center or Schwab Field but now go to multiple concerts and the CWS every year. Hope the streetcar authority gets all over this.
The results of the poll should not be taken seriously because the pollsters did not try for much accuracy. First, there are about 300,000 registered voters in Omaha, which is far less than the possible number of riders. Even then, for best results, you need to poll about 10% of your population, which in this case would be 30,000 people. They polled 400, or 0.1%. Second, their methods were limited to only phone interviews and texting. Not everyone has a phone or even a talk/text plan. Also, what sort of person picks up the phone for an unknown number? Or returns a text survey to one?
So a more accurate statement for the results of the poll is "68% of 0.1% of Omaha residents who are registered to vote and possess a phone with calling or texting capability and chose to answer it at the time the pollster called/text back disagreed with the building of the streetcar based on a confusing if not inaccurate statement regarding its funding sources."
"Video game violence is not a new problem. Who could forget in the wake of SimCity how children everywhere took up urban planning." - Stephen Colbert
That poll is nothing more than nonsense propaganda. 400 people?? Lol, what a joke. Then in the interview the guy claims it to be “VERY accurate”. Riiiiiigggghhht. I bet most of those people are also against the new Mutual tower and basically every project that uses TIF.
I read a comment on Facebook from one of the people who stated they took the poll and they stated the questions were very misleading.....doesn't sound crazy from the lead guy claiming "its very accurate".
skinzfan23 wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 8:37 am
I read a comment on Facebook from one of the people who stated they took the poll and they stated the questions were very misleading.....doesn't sound crazy from the lead guy claiming "its very accurate".
Somehow I'm not surprised. Not really sure how this "poll" was even newsworthy TBH.
skinzfan23 wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 8:37 am
I read a comment on Facebook from one of the people who stated they took the poll and they stated the questions were very misleading.....doesn't sound crazy from the lead guy claiming "its very accurate".
Somehow I'm not surprised. Not really sure how this "poll" was even newsworthy TBH.
That “poll” was a complete sham and “red herring”. 400 registered voters and slanted misleading questions? Lol. Give me a break. Talk about a slow news day at KETV..
This poll is absolutely nothing to be concerned with nor taken seriously…
Yeah, 400 people took the survey. I thought about emailing the group that did the survey to show support for the streetcar.
"Some" = 400 ppl
My senior graduating class from Central was probably about that size, maybe larger.
What a crock. Like someone else mentioned I'm shocked it was even covered. Someone must know somebody with the news.
The only thing I will say is someone or a group of people must really be opposed to this with as much attention they keep trying to throw at it in a negative way.
Surveys like this from entities like this are abject bull |expletive|. Their call list is predetermined so they get the result the entity hiring them wants.
"We surveyed 500 gun owning evangelical Christians from counties that went 80% or more for Trump twice and it turns out they overwhelmingly think the solution to gun violence is banning drag queens from libraries."
Or some non-partisan version thereof.
Last edited by Big E on Wed Apr 12, 2023 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I like how a representative from the organization that conducted the poll was quoted as “nobody really wants the street car, nobody is really going to ride it”. Even though, based on their own poll, 32% of people did not oppose the streetcar.
Yeah, 400 people took the survey. I thought about emailing the group that did the survey to show support for the streetcar.
"Some" = 400 ppl
My senior graduating class from Central was probably about that size, maybe larger.
What a crock. Like someone else mentioned I'm shocked it was even covered. Someone must know somebody with the news.
The only thing I will say is someone or a group of people must really be opposed to this with as much attention they keep trying to throw at it in a negative way.
While I'm agnostic-to-slightly-negative about the streetcar, the way this poll was presented--and the purported methodology--was the personification of half-a**edness.
From the article, over half of the people polled were over 55.
First question: Registered voter in Nebr.? Where's the next question: Are you a resident of Omaha? Of Douglas County?
Nice to see that The Buffett Effect is still extant. "If Warren's against it, so am I!"
Also: "Your taxes won't go up--it's a BOND!"
Honestly I am surprised at the whole Buffett thing... he's typically very liberal. I'm assuming the majority (if not all) of those who supposedly voted against are conservatives who, if they could remember 2 years ago, voted for Trump. So it's a bit odd that it works out like that.
Although Stothert is Republican (generally considered a conservative) and is pro street car... so who knows!
On the surface this surprised me. There were a lot of Biden voters out there in 2020 that were clearly more anti-Trump than pro-Biden or even moderately democrat. That's evidenced by the wide gap all over the country between Trump in 2020 and a generic Republican elsewhere on the ballot (ie, a LOT of people voted party line GOP except Trump).
I think the missing follow up question about "are you registered to vote in Omaha?" is key here. Even in a non-Trump election cycle a rural Nebraska Democrat (they exist) is a whole different bird than an east of 72nd Democrat.
From the article, over half of the people polled were over 55.
First question: Registered voter in Nebr.? Where's the next question: Are you a resident of Omaha? Of Douglas County?
Nice to see that The Buffett Effect is still extant. "If Warren's against it, so am I!"
Also: "Your taxes won't go up--it's a BOND!"
Honestly I am surprised at the whole Buffett thing... he's typically very liberal. I'm assuming the majority (if not all) of those who supposedly voted against are conservatives who, if they could remember 2 years ago, voted for Trump. So it's a bit odd that it works out like that.
Although Stothert is Republican (generally considered a conservative) and is pro street car... so who knows!
I said it before: But he watched the suburbanization of Omaha and the death of transit in Omaha. He watched preferences change from going to Brandeis to going to Village Point.
I don't blame him for having a view counter to the facts in a discipline so far removed from what made him a billionaire, when what he saw over the last 70 years seems to suggest something else.
I'm surprised any one is wasted their time with a poll when it's already a done deal. I do believe the city could done a better job promoting the streetcar and the selling the benefits of it.
Was bike parking mentioned at any of the meetings over streetcar stops? i feel like the BRT stations are underwhelming when it comes to bike parking. Some don't have any and a few busy ones have one or two staples.
Dusty wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:31 pm
I'm surprised any one is wasted their time with a poll when it's already a done deal. I do believe the city could done a better job promoting the streetcar and the selling the benefits of it.
Was bike parking mentioned at any of the meetings over streetcar stops? i feel like the BRT stations are underwhelming when it comes to bike parking. Some don't have any and a few busy ones have one or two staples.
Not that I saw, but that feels more relevant for the Mode Shift team to me.
Dusty wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:31 pm
I'm surprised any one is wasted their time with a poll when it's already a done deal. I do believe the city could done a better job promoting the streetcar and the selling the benefits of it.
To your first point, I completely agree. KETV really should be embarrassed they wasted airtime on a flawed and silly “poll” asking 400 or so registered voters slanted questions to obtain the desired results..a total load of BS..
To your second, I do believe the city and the new Omaha Streetcar Authority have done a good job thus far selling the benefits of the streetcar line. They’ve conducted multiple public meetup forums to help educate and answer public questions etc..
The stodgy anti-streetcar clan will never be convinced otherwise of the benefits of the Omaha streetcar project..Continual communication with those folks is mostly a waste of time…
Dusty wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:31 pm
I'm surprised any one is wasted their time with a poll when it's already a done deal. I do believe the city could done a better job promoting the streetcar and the selling the benefits of it.
To your first point, I completely agree. KETV really should be embarrassed they wasted airtime on a flawed and silly “poll” asking 400 or so registered voters slanted questions to obtain the desired results..a total load of BS..
To your second, I do believe the city and the new Omaha Streetcar Authority have done a good job thus far selling the benefits of the streetcar line. They’ve conducted multiple public meetup forums to help educate and answer public questions etc..
The stodgy anti-streetcar clan will never be convinced otherwise of the benefits of the Omaha streetcar project..Continual communication with those folks is mostly a waste of time…
Ciao..LiO…Peace
Until the hoo ha of reactionarism on it is gone. Give it 10 years and everyone will think it's been the greatest thing ever, and that they invented the idea.
Dusty wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:31 pm
I'm surprised any one is wasted their time with a poll when it's already a done deal. I do believe the city could done a better job promoting the streetcar and the selling the benefits of it.
To your first point, I completely agree. KETV really should be embarrassed they wasted airtime on a flawed and silly “poll” asking 400 or so registered voters slanted questions to obtain the desired results..a total load of BS..
To your second, I do believe the city and the new Omaha Streetcar Authority have done a good job thus far selling the benefits of the streetcar line. They’ve conducted multiple public meetup forums to help educate and answer public questions etc..
The stodgy anti-streetcar clan will never be convinced otherwise of the benefits of the Omaha streetcar project..Continual communication with those folks is mostly a waste of time…
Ciao..LiO…Peace
Until the hoo ha of reactionarism on it is gone. Give it 10 years and everyone will think it's been the greatest thing ever, and that they invented the idea.
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this thread, because it’s basically pointless. In a few years urban streetcars will return to plying the streets of downtown and midtown for the first time since I believe the 1950s.
But here is my 2¢. I suspect the streetcar will come in noticeably over budget, and the city/Metro transit will be on the hook for paying at least some of those costs, not to mention ongoing maintenance, etc.
I further predict that the streetcar will continue to spur urban redevelopment along and close to its routes. This development, mostly in housing, will in turn lead to further development of restaurants and other businesses sought by all of the new residents. Maybe even an urban grocery store or retail ventures like Target. That has happened and continues to happen in Kansas City along their trolley line.
As to ridership numbers, I really haven’t a clue what those will be. If the line were to be extended to the zoo you might see a larger tourist component, with people using downtown hotels for lodging then hitting the Durham museum and the zoo via the streetcar. It will already go to the arena and close to the ballpark. It will also be relatively close to the Joslyn museum.
Will it be a panacea for all of Omaha’s shortcomings? Nope. But it will be a nice addition that the citizens can be proud of.
If transit authority doesn’t safeguard against vagrancy, criminality and vandalism due to free ridership this project is dead in its very expensive water. Otherwise the streetcar a great addition to the urban portfolio.
riceweb wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 9:23 am
It's just suburban NIMBYism in response to increasing urbanization far from city centers.
In many metros across the US, you can now find boxy mid-rise apartments popping up in Transit Oriented Districts, served by Bus Rapid Transit, even in the outer ring suburbs. Historically, these types of projects ignored the suburbs because of a lack of demand, but housing patterns have shifted in the last decade. Interestingly, even in suburbs there's a case of the "missing middle", because there's not enough land available, so these areas quickly transition from very low density to mid-rises popping up all over. Probably seems sudden to many folks.
I don't know much about this guy, but there is a short quip about the streetcar and recent survey. He might reach some people who are against the streetcar, so I guess that's good? I happened to come across his page after trying to find out who was yelling at the OPA person in the Steelhouse video Coyote just posted.
April's agenda. Nothing really new; voting on Kiewit contract, vehicle spec requirements, and signing the Statement of Intent with CB. They reported in the March minutes, that about 270 signed in for the event at MC on March 7. Also, they are considering about 45% off wire. Per Gustafson, it should be no problem to go off wire on Harney and by CHI Center, so I assume he meant the 10th street spoke.
The Omaha Streetcar Authority is on board with looking beyond state boundaries. They unanimously agreed to keep Council Bluffs in the loop on Monday. The plan is to share information across the river because someday a street car route might cross into Iowa. Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh came to the meeting to stress the importance of the move.
“As many of you, I believe this will be a game changer for the Omaha community and we hope that it will too be a game changer for Council Bluffs,” said Walsh. Real estate developer Jay Noddle is the president of the Omaha Streetcar Authority.
Council Bluffs is going to benefit greatly from this. If they can build actual dense residential buildings along that line, they can advertise closeness to downtown Omaha, grocery stores, etc.
I'm also curious to see how the North KC streetcar goes, as it's somewhat similar to the CB link.
It just amazes me how many people are extremely short-sighted and stuck in their ways with things - and since they apparently won't use it, NOBODY will (if you ask them anyway).
The street car project is the perfect example IMO. The amount of development/redevelopment that will result from a project like this would easily pay for the project. Just because they're a "boomer" living in west-O and they've always gotten their way with things in life doesn't mean nobody else will use it and that the project is a terrible idea.
I realize I'm profiling here but still, these people just make me shake my head/cringe and it gets really old listening to them or reading things from them going on and on when it's clear they don't have any idea what they're even talking about.
Their newest talking point is basically "a bad idea gets even worse with expansion ideas into Council Bluffs"...sigh, based on what exactly??
stormchaser wrote: Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:48 am
It just amazes me how many people are extremely short-sighted and stuck in their ways with things - and since they apparently won't use it, NOBODY will (if you ask them anyway).
The street car project is the perfect example IMO. The amount of development/redevelopment that will result from a project like this would easily pay for the project. Just because they're a "boomer" living in west-O and they've always gotten their way with things in life doesn't mean nobody else will use it and that the project is a terrible idea.
I realize I'm profiling here but still, these people just make me shake my head/cringe and it gets really old listening to them or reading things from them going on and on when it's clear they don't have any idea what they're even talking about.
Their newest talking point is basically "a bad idea gets even worse with expansion ideas into Council Bluffs"...sigh, based on what exactly??
We need to make a holiday, national "hug a city planner" day, or "Buy a planner a beer day". Because if you think it's bad from here... Imagine the |expletive| they have seen, heard and dealt with
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