Quote:
Originally Posted by bigguy1231
The problem as I see it, is they are going to take away traffic lanes for what in effect will be a glorified bus or street car system.
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Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a glorified bus system. LRT is a significantly higher order of transit: faster, smoother, quieter, more accessible, more permanent, longer-lasting, cheaper to operate, and proven in city after city to attract both new riders and new private transit-oriented investment in a way that buses and BRT simply cannot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigguy1231
It will not be a clear unfettered road for the public transit. They will still have to stop at each stop light, they will still get slowed down by traffic in intersections. Dedicated lanes are not the same as a dedicated right of way. As long as the system is at street level it will be no different than what we have right now.
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That's incorrect. Because LRT will run on dedicated lanes, it will not get stuck behind traffic. It will also feature signal priority at intersections, so lights automagically turn green as the tram approaches.
Finally, as I noted earlier, a lane of LRT carries significantly
more people than a lane of automobiles, so it will actually facilitate a gross* reduction in automobile traffic.
* N.B. I write "gross" because at the same time that LRT takes cars off the road, it also draws billions of dollars in new private investment, which will significantly increase the number of people living, working and recreating in the transit corridor (400-800 metres to either side of the line, depending on how you calculate it).
As a result of all that new activity, overall
net traffic will probably increase. However, that traffic is best understood as an indicator of successful urban revitalization, not a problem to be solved by rationalizing traffic flows.