Public Transit in Knoxville vs Chatt vs Tri Cities - Tennessee (TN) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

calvinbama · 05-07-2011, 11:32 PM

From what I know Knoxville is really pretty above avg when it comes to public transit in the south. If you cruise the KAT site you will get a good idea of that. I like the rap about putting your bike on the front of the bus. I live in parkridge, and there is a route to the downtown hub station once an hour. They have a route down kingston pike which is the commercial highway that a large part of the city is based around. So you can find all levels of housing and commerce based around that route. The downtown station has some express routes to the edge cities in farragut and turkey creek. Downtown and ut area has free trolleys that run a few times an hour. Overall, if you ride a bike and plan your schedule for at least 30 minutes or so on the bus you can make it work in knoxville living just about anywhere.

hiknapster · 05-08-2011, 12:13 AM

When we first moved to Knoxville, six years ago, public transportation was terrible. Slowly, it started getting better and recently it really became fairly ambitious, especially for a city of this size. I've seen lesser systems in Fort Myers-Cape Coral and Orlando. They have a new terminal, I nice outpost in Fountain City and I am seeing more buses running and running later, too. Get out and support it if you want it because without riders they will eventually stop.

calvinbama · 05-13-2011, 12:46 PM

Wow, I just got done reading an article on the best and worst cities in America for public transit. Guess who they ranked as the #1 worst city for public transit in the USA. Knoxville, TN! Can you believe that? What a load of crap. In Tuscaloosa the transit system was absolutely worthless, inflexible, and time consuming. In Knoxville it seems modern, service based, on time and fairly ubiquitous.

This is just a bogus ranking. I don't know how in the world they came up with that. I mean I've barely seen transit in places like Mobile, Montgomery, and Birmingham. Their suburban areas are totally inaccessible, but they ranked much higher than Knoxville.

What a joke

hiknapster · 05-13-2011, 03:10 PM

Not a joke. The study is coming from the Brookings Institute so it's not the typical Forbes-type list where money was exchanged and not facts or research.

As it fits for this thread, the Tri-Cities area wasn't even considered which doesn't surprise me. That's really a suburban/rural area.

I haven't checked Chattanooga's ranking but I did compare Knoxville's with Fort Myers, FL because I know Fort Myers has a pitiful system and I quickly figured out why Knoxville failed miserably: they took the entire Knoxville MSA which includes far north of Sharp's Chapel - no man's land - far west to Petros -

! - and right into The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Are they kidding me?

In contrast, they took a tiny sliver of Fort Myers, FL, yet used all of Worcester County, Massachusetts which is hundreds of miles of land, from New Hampshire to Connecticut.

Check it out.

Brookings - Quality. Independence. Impact.

calvinbama · 05-16-2011, 08:43 AM

I see. We learned about this is my GIS courses in college. MAUP or modified aerial unit problem. Basically, the results of a geographic study will change with any modification of the study area. It makes sense to me now, but I still don't think we have the worst transit system in the country.

fivekitten · 05-19-2011, 11:46 AM

I just want to say that I took a Knoxville KAT bus for the first time and I was impressed with the station and the schedule and the bus. And it's nice they got the whole "green/solar/biking" thing going on. Except cafe wasn't open for coffee in the morning

after an overnight bus ride on Megabus. Hope it keeps growing! I'll definitely use it more often.

tntornadox · 05-20-2011, 12:34 AM

KAT has been making strides for the past few years, but they could do more for the 'A' in their name... it could be a vital asset to the community if they branched outside the city a bit more. It is Knoxville AREA Transit after all, isn't it? As the study suggests, they don't do anything for the greater Metro area.

hiknapster · 05-20-2011, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tntornadox

KAT has been making strides for the past few years, but they could do more for the 'A' in their name... it could be a vital asset to the community if they branched outside the city a bit more. It is Knoxville AREA Transit after all, isn't it? As the study suggests, they don't do anything for the greater Metro area.

So you think they should be going out north of Sharp's Chapel, as far west as Petros and over and into the Smokies? Or are you just saying to come out into the county more often?

When I moved here, six years ago, they barely went out into the county. It was really pathetic. Now they have really stepped it up. Now, I see the buses operating almost to midnight in Fountain City. That's amazing. In Orlando, I never saw a bus run that late.

The more people that ride, the more they will expand. But the norm is the farther you go out in the burbs, the more that people rather drive their car than deal with public transit. I do realize it is a Catch-22 but kudos to them for stepping it up. I agree it would be great if they keep this up, though.

tntornadox · 05-25-2011, 05:22 PM

^ But, Fountain City is still within Knoxville city limits. They could venture further out into the county and maybe the adjoining counties where it makes sense...

example: Why is there no TYS-Downtown route?

calvinbama · 05-27-2011, 06:49 AM

Cost/Benefit analysis. Most people who live outside of the city do so for a reason. They don't want to be accessible to the city and all of its perceived problems. Low density makes public transit difficult as well.