Re: Santa Barbara County - Update: The End.

[RickD]

Downtown Rail Improvements

In the last update I promised to improve the notorious rail level crossings around downtown. So here we go.

Let's first take a look at the current situation:

27.1

There are no less than 11 level crossings! There is not a single over- or underpass except for Interstate 5. This means, when a train passes through, access to downtown from the north is almost completely blocked resulting in huge traffic backups during rush hour.
The plan is to grade seperate crossings no. 3, 10 and 11.

27.2

Santa Barbara Central Station serves 4 AMTRAK trains per day (Pacific Surfliner) and the regional commuter rail SBlink. Upgrading the level crossings will allow SBlink to switch from a 60 minute schedule to up to 30 minute intervals during on hours. This will hopefully make rail more attractive for commuters. Current ridership figures are disappointingly low.

27.3

The first improvement will be done right here at crossing 3 next to the station where 1st Street crosses the tracks. The situation here has been especially bad as this is the main surface road in and out of the CBD. Not only is there much traffic on the road but also the gates had to close very long because the stopping and departing trains are very slow.

27.4

An underpass has been constructed. There are plans to remove the median on 1st street and add 2 extra lanes, making it 6 total. It will probably take a while till this will be possible in this situation.

27.5

Crossing number 4 on W 4th Street will not be rebuild for now. It is expected that traffic levels decline as more people use the First Street underpass. However, should it be necessary, another underpass will be constructed here.

27.6

The rail overpass over the Interstate was for a long time the only grade separated rail crossing in downtown.
A level crossing on an 8-lane Interstate highway?  Not even in Santa Barbara. 

27.7

Crossings 5, 6 (not in picture), 7 and 8 will stay in place. There is not enough budget to upgrade them all and there is also not enough room to build over- or underpasses. At least not without demolishing existing development.

27.8

Same here with crossing 9 on W 18th Street. The freight siding is the remainder of a once larger facility. Freight traffic through downtown has been reduced to a minimum since the bypass line through the foothills has been built.

27.9

W 22nd Street is another major arterial road. The level crossing here definitely needs to be upgraded. Whats making it a bit more difficult is that N 8th Avenue won't be able to connect to the underpass. It must be rerouted towards N 9th Ave. and in consequence some buildings are to be demolished.

27.10

Here is a detail shot of the new setup. A small park has been build where the houses where demolished. This won't help the people who lost their homes but makes the neighborhood more attractive for the others.

27.11

On N 11 Ave. the city planners opted for an overpass. The rails here run in a trench slowly ascending into the foothills.

That's it for today. I hope you agree that the presented measures are a great relief for traffic flow in downtown. However, I am always open for suggestions.

Replies

GreekMan:

WOW! very impressie work! I do think you should put more buildings to the right of downtown. the area above and to the left of the coca cola buildings

I think you are right, the transition is too abrupt there. I'll look into it. Need more CO jobs anyway.

Where did u get those boat marianas in the first picture?

They are from Pegasus.

noahclem:

Your city center looks beautiful at night--though I wouldn't say that it's pretty much abandoned as you've said

Thanks, Noah. What I meant was that nightlife takes place elsewhere. There are only offices around.

travismking:

I really like how your downtown skyline is clumped together and rather small and not spread out and sprawling like mine tend to be

This is partly due to the fact that there is not very much room on the map because of the large mountains. Glad you like it.

Nexis4Jersey:

the tram in 26.11 reminds me of around here

Thanks. I watched your great youtube videos a while ago but forgot to subscribe to your channel, did that yesterday (I am "MrDubert" on youtube).

threestooges:

I know it's not meant to be a replica of the real Santa Barbara, but I will admit there was a disconnect when I first saw downtown.

I see what you mean. It might have been a mistake using the real name. But now I am stuck with it. Only thing I can do is keep repeating that my MD is really totally fictional and never was intended to be a recreation of any kind.
Hope you approve of the rail upgrades in this update.

turtle:

I agree with Greekman, though, that area just to the right of downtown seems ripe for re-development once SB recovers from the crisis

Yep, but at the moment the simulator is giving me headache with demands and selection of growable buidlings.
Glad you like it anyway.

ecoba:

I especially love how you can see the mountainous terrain near the bottom; very accurate for California's coast.

And it is not easy to build on in SC4 as you probably know.

penguin007:
Thanks!

Skimbo:
Heyho, Skimbo thanks for reading.

sumwonyuno:
Great to hear you are still working on that building. I could use it to help fill the gaps GreekMan and turtle pointed out.

[kwakelaar]

A very interesting update to read through and good pictures to demonstrate the new over/underpasses. One of the most fascinating things to see are how the different authors cope with a fully developed city where things need to change. This is a great example, and you have come up with realistic sounding and looking solutions to the problem of congestion in your city.

[Jayster]

The update before this one was the best I've seen from you so far IMO!  I love the downtown area! it looks fantastic! This update was also very nice. I really liked how you went through and changed the the at-grade crossings. It would have added a little extra touch to it if you would have gone into more detail and used some construction scenes with rebuilding the crossings. But excellent none the less! Keep up the great work! 

Jayster

[Skimbo]

Wow, an uncountable number of levelcrossings, the drivers will be thankful for replaceing at least some of them through underpasses.

Uncountable not because they cannot be counted but  because that's a real huge number in my definition (Okay, that might be so because I'm used to rail lines with trains every thhree minutes in both directions )


Great entry and city!

[cammo2003]

Level crossings are a problem most cities have to deal with at some stage, and you've dealt with them well. I assume the rest will be eliminated at some stage.

It's not unrealistic to have nearly none in a metropolitan area; Sydney has an amount within built up areas that I can probably count on my two hands. It never used to be like that (Melbourne's prolific use of them hints at how it used to be), and I believe that a few of the ones that do remain in the south western suburbs are being eliminated as a part of the Southern Sydney Freight Link project (I believe legislation was put in that this and other things need to be done when projects are built in an area - another is that improvements to disabled access must be made to a station if any upgrades pass through or otherwise affect it).

This is how the problem is usually tackled; piecemeal, so that diversions can be put in place so that traffic continues to flow.

Nice MD you have going here; I'll try to follow it.

[GreekMan]

Great attention to detail there! I am loving your CJ!!!!!!!

I tip my hat to you! 

[JBSimio]

I've been lurking here for quite a while and decided it was finally time to say hello.    I've always enjoyed your diary and I'm not sure why I haven't been commenting until now!

Level crossings are much more common here in the US than anywhere else from what I've seen.  I think the reason for this is the huge decline in rail use as cars and trucks took over.  Aside from a few heavily used passenger corridors (Chicago to Detroit, Boston to DC, etc), most other rail lines became almost entirely freight traffic and the trains were few and far between.  Level crossings just weren't a major issue because the interruptions to road traffic happened so infrequently.  Finally seeing the error of our ways, commuter lines are starting to increase again and I feel like that's what you've addressed in your update.

I like how you tackled the problem, handling the busiest crossings first.  Very realistic and convincing to me.   

Since you asked for suggestions, my first thought was that you could probably get away with eliminating #8 altogether.  It wouldn't be unrealistic to limit the industrial access points to only those main roads at #7 and #9.  Looking at 27.7, I would say you could just make that street a dead end similar to the block just to the right of #8.  Just my thoughts on that one. 

JB

[DerChrischi]

Hi RickD,
I find your journal really great. Very diverse. 've just looked at me from the very front again and I'm thrilled!
Although I personally like not your foot, but that's a matter of taste.
The work you've done to you between the transitions from rural to urban are impressive. The design of nature I find really great. One can see the love in detail and the time you've spent. You must really have a crazy patience!
A clear Yeah! Want to see more ...

[nbvc]

Nice work with the rail.

[ManuelR]

I liked the CBD-update very much, very nice and realistic. I must say that there aren't alot of realistic looking RHW constructions, but yours are truly excellent! 

[io_bg]

Nice reconstruction shots and great-looking downtown!

[Terring7]

Very interesting Mayor Diary and a really beautiful city
Here are my suggestions. I'll agree with the use of the underpasses, but you can expand them a bit and provide totally safe crossing, without the need to demolish buildings and spent too much money.

I think that the underpass ramps are a bit too close to each other, but you get the idea.



No need to remove buildings to build the underpasses.



You can even create underground roads to expand the underpasses, so you don't need to build too much ramps. Using roads under pedestrian mails will make your city even more safe.



-10% realism, 110% safety

[threestooges]

I like it. It's a very effective presentation, and very realistic in that you didn't try to do it for every single one. As you pointed out, traffic will divert to the areas with more efficient access. I'm curious to see if there will be any economic effects noticed as a result of the traffic shift. I also think that level crossings are fine in some areas, even with commuter traffic (part of that depends on frequency and how long they go down before the train actually arrives, I think that plays a significant role in the traffic delays based on personal experience... waiting 30 seconds after the gate drops before the train actually arrives, it's longer than it seems). I like the Amtrak automata you chose (Does the locomotive say "Amtrak California" on it?) but have you also seen the Surfliner automata as well? I know you referenced the genuine article in your update.

I'm curious why 8th avenue crossed over at an angle instead of resurfacing a street to connect to 9th. It seems like it would have been cheaper in terms of relocating people, and the existing stub of 8th could have been downgraded to a street with the houses rotated to face it. I like the way the park turned out though.

Nice update, and regardless of any actual connection to the city of the same name, you're doing a excellent job with it.
-Matt

[penguin007]

Great update on the rail crossings very realistic how you have done it all will definately be using some of these ideas

Will

[Albus of Garaway]

I adore this MD! I read through the entire thing today, and it was so much fun. You've inspired me to implement many of your building styles in my own region(s). In fact, you may or may not have caused me to demolish my entire CBD... It will be well worth it, though, if I can rebuild it to look anything like yours! Really, wonderful job.

Jason

[Tomas Neto]

Fantastic city, my friend!!! I adored the way that you resolved the means of transportation!!!

[canyonjumper]

Great update Raphael! The realism emanating out of this MD is incredible

                Your friend,
                               Jordan

[Kevin1a]

@RickD: Looks good.  I might hate level crossings even more than you do.  You do a good job of giving your cities a very American feel.  I've recently started following your MD, so I don't know the history, but if I had to place it, I would put it somewhere in Ohio.

@Terring7: I like your solution, and I've used it myself, but I find it to be unAmerican. 

I see setups like that occasionally in Germany, but in the US, I haven't seen a lot of stuff like that.  I think a more authentic solution would be to use the NAM elevated pieces to build an overpass with an intersection, although the underpass looks better, and I understand why someone would choose it.

[Battlecat]

Nice job on your latest update!  I like all the attention to detail with the upgraded railway line! 

[RickD]

Public Transport - GLR

Public Transport in (real) Santa Barbara is operated by the SBMTD (Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District). It provides bus and light rail service in the county.
The purpose of SBMTD is to provide a reliable, safe, comfortable means of mobility to those who lack other transportation or who may otherwise drive cars.

In (Sim) Santa Barbara, public transport is (nicely put) incomplete. Santa Barbara is, and has always been a car city. There are a few bus lines that connect the suburbs to the CBD and an express bus link from the CBD to the airport. Additionally CalTrans operates a commuter rail service (SBlink).

In the late 70s and through the 80s there was a big ecological movement in (Sim) Santa Barbara. In 1983 the green party came into power. They had big plans to improve public transport and reducing pollution from car traffic. The biggest and most controversial project was establishing light rail service throughout the region. After a long fight over budget, construction of the first line (Red-Line) started in 1986. Nearly all road construction and improvement projects were cancelled to finance the project.


28.1

The official system Map. Trains operate at 15 minute intervals during on-hours.


In late 1987 the first stretch of Red-Line from West Mesa to Market Square was opened to traffic. It was an immediate desaster. Ridership numbers were way below official expectations. Independend experts had warned long before the construction started: Without a complete public transport concept the project was bound to fail. Without good bus service, people had to take their cars to the stations. And if they have to take the car anyway, they can drive directly to their destination.
But being a prestige project for the government, they would not listen. In 1988 Red-Line was even extended to it's todays terminus in Coast Village. In 1989, the last year of the green party's governance, the Blue-Line project was started. The new government stopped construction as soon as possible which led to an abrupt ending of the line at Market Square station instead of continuing through the CBD on 1st Avenue. Since then no further lines were built. The plans for a huge region wide system are buried deep in a file cabinet somewhere in city hall's archives.

28.2

The lines in Region View

However, there still are some people in favor of expanding the public transport system. They say that with a well thought plan that integrates bus, rail and light rail into a dense and logical system, public transport would be accepted and used by the people.
And with the raising gas price and the again growing ecological awareness in the population there might be a chance for public transport in Santa Barbara after all. We will see what the future brings.


28.3

West Mesa Station and the western turning loop for Red Line.

28.4

East Mesa Station has recently been upgraded with Park and Ride Facilities. This was one of the very few improvement projects. In 1998 all stations were upgraded to be handicapped accessible.

28.5

Harbor Station is merely a street stop 2 blocks from the harbor.

28.6

Market Square is the connecting station between Red Line and Blue Line. It is also the "temporary" ending of Blue Line since over twenty years now. There is no turning loop, so the driver has to switch cabs.

28.7

3 Blocks down Red and Blue line split. To the right is the stop at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (the highrise with the parking area). The original plan was to continue Blue line along 1st Avenue.

28.8

The "Central Station" stop (bottom right in the picture) represents one of the system's worst flaws. The central station, hence Amtrak and SBlink, are not directly connected to the GLR network. Despite its name the Central Station Stop is (by foot) 10 minutes away from Central Station. People have to walk a detour to cross I-5 at one of the road bridges.

28.9

Red Line tracks transition between an in-avenue and a speparate alignment. The train is approaching N5 Ave/E16 Str station.

28.10

At least the beach is conveniently accessible by GLR.
I had to use an old picture here because somehow the palm trees have been replaced by maple trees. I haven't yet found the plugin responsible for this. The avenue has been replaced by a TLA-5 since the picture was taken.

28.11

The tracks ascend along the cliffs...

28.12

... towards Red Line's eastern terminus in Coast Village.

28.13

The Depot where the trains are stored and maintained.

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment.

Replies

kwakelaar, Jayster, Skimbo, cammo2003, GreekMan, DerGrischi, nbvc, ManuelR, io_bg, penguin007, Albus of Garaway, Tomas Neto, canyonjumper, Battlecat:
Thanks for the comments. Keep 'em coming.

JBSimio:

Since you asked for suggestions, my first thought was that you could probably get away with eliminating #8 altogether.  It wouldn't be unrealistic to limit the industrial access points to only those main roads at #7 and #9.  Looking at 27.7, I would say you could just make that street a dead end similar to the block just to the right of #8.  Just my thoughts on that one.

Very good suggestion. Crossings 6 and 8 have been removed.

Terring7:
Intersting solution. I tried it but it just does not look convincing to me. The problem is the "roof" over the interestion. It looks out of place and why would it be there in reality? It is expensive and useless.
It would be cool to have "uncovered" Flups pieces where you can see the sunken road. Just like the sunken GLR.

threestooges:

I like the Amtrak automata you chose (Does the locomotive say "Amtrak California" on it?) but have you also seen the Surfliner automata as well?

I was under the impression that those were the Surfliner automata. But I might have picked the wrong ones. I will look into this.

I'm curious why 8th avenue crossed over at an angle instead of resurfacing a street to connect to 9th. It seems like it would have been cheaper in terms of relocating people, and the existing stub of 8th could have been downgraded to a street with the houses rotated to face it. I like the way the park turned out though.

Good question that I don't have a good answer for. I guess the European in me wanted to break the grid a little bit. And I thought a small park might look nice there.

Kevin1a:

I see setups like that occasionally in Germany, but in the US, I haven't seen a lot of stuff like that.  I think a more authentic solution would be to use the NAM elevated pieces to build an overpass with an intersection, although the underpass looks better, and I understand why someone would choose it.

I agree that overpasses would probably be more American. But I don't like the look of the NAM elevated pieces (no offence meant to the creator, they were great when they were released a few years ago but they look outdated now). I know there is a cosmetic Mod around, I should give it a try.
However the main reason why I dislike the elevated pieces is that they are just too high. 15 meters is way too much and looks strange to me. That's why I prefer the underpasses.



Edit: Oh no! I crashed SC4D. The site went offline right when I hit the Post-Button.