Quote:
Originally Posted by denizen467
Is this spelling an inside/foamer joke?
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Probably too obscure for most foamers.
Some
transit activists with better German skills than me uncovered the German rail planning principle of "
organisation vor elektronik vor beton" - Organization before Electronics before Concrete.
As a rule of thumb, it helps planners look for the most inexpensive solution to a given planning problem. It also helps counteract the tendency among politicians to push for large, visible projects with ribbon cuttings. A concrete solution - e.g. the Englewood Flyover - would be the last resort after organizational and electronic/signaling solutions have been exhausted.
Of course, in the US the organizational solutions are often the LAST to be considered. Planners and politicians in the US would virtually never think of asking Metra to solve a problem that CTA is grappling with, even if Metra is better equipped to solve that problem. Mike's Gray Line is a great example... Metra Electric already exists and operational changes to bring service up to CTA standards are only medium-cost, but CTA still insists on pushing a multibillion dollar plan to extend the Red Line.