>Okay,
>
>I will bite on the absurdity of a so-called green taking a critical
>stance against LRT.
>
> >
> > - A big expensive LRT system that is of dubious environmental and
> > social value
>
>is bad but
>
> >
> > - Aggressive transportation policies and urban design to get people OUT
> > of their cars
> >
>
>is good?
>
>Rail is required for mass transit. Busses are slow, inefficient,
>confusing and, by virtue of running on the same infrastructure as
>cars, not really a transportation solution.
Okay, let's take it one step at a time.
"so-called" is perjorative -- 'nuff said
Being critical of LRT is easy, almost too easy. Building LRT is, in
my opinion, worse than doing nothing.
Evan Schnell wrote: "Rail is required for mass transit."
There are many examples that disprove this: Greyhounds, Airplanes,
local busses are all examples of mass transit. None use rails.
Evan Schnell wrote: "Busses are slow..."
Along the Hiawatha corridor, a dedicated bus route with reasonably
frequent service would most likely be faster than LRT from any point
on the corridor to any other point.
Evan Schnell wrote: "Busses are ... inefficient"
No they're not. Energy use per passenger mile is pretty good for city
buses and excellent for long haul.
Evan Schnell wrote: "Busses are ... confusing"
Maybe so. But, most people who ride them seem to be know where to
wait for a bus, when to expect its arrival and where to get off.
Evan Schnell wrote: "Busses are ... not really a transportation solution."
I don't think you're right. But I'd like to hear your reasoning
behind this statement.
We will discover in a few years if the backers of LRT are visionaries
or if they were bamboozled into an expensive bad choice. In any case,
Minneapolis is saddled with the decision to put an LRT line through
south Minneapolis. It might work out, but I believe there were other
choices that would do a better job of serving the Minneapolis
neighborhoods that the Hiawatha corridor passes through. To me, the
Hiawatha LRT looks a lot like a freeway lane with just a few onramps,
none of which are within walking distance of most of the citizens of
Minneapolis.
Regards,
Keith Nybakke
Nokomis East, Keewaydin
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