Reply #15: If you really believe [View All]

[Lydia Leftcoast]

that a grid of overhead tracks would a) be less expensive than LRT, b) serve more riders with automated technology that has NEVER been used on more than one line at a time (not even in Tokyo, which has ONE automated train line and ONE monorail, which do not connect with each other), and c) not meet with massive opposition due to interference with trees, etc., then there's no help for you.

If your public transit commute took longer than driving, that's because Dallas has a rudimentary system. Americans have forgotten how to do transit since days when the systems in New York, Chicago, and Boston (which still carry an awful lot of riders) were built. In New York, the subway is by far the fastest way to get anywhere. Ditto Tokyo and London. In Portland, I may have been moving along at 30mph on the MAX, but I was often passing the cars on the parallel freeway (I-84), and I never had to look for a parking spot. Either a train or a bus always brought me within walking distance of where I needed to go.

In Los Angeles, the problem is DEFINITELY racism. I was in LA in 2001 for a conference and rendezvoused with an online friend who lives car-free in Los Angeles and has for years. He gave me hints on getting around by bus and subway, and I did so successfully. The system is actually quite good. But I was often the only Caucasian on the bus, and some of the local attendees at the conference were certain that I had risked my life by riding the bus with all those Latinos and African-Americans (none of whom were the least bit hostile, by the way).

To run a successful transit system you need

1. A combination of buses and trains that go to all the major destinations. At this point, most cities have one or two rail lines and lousy bus service. (Minneapolis being an example of this, and racism is a problem here, too.)

2. Frequent service seven days a week. A maximum of 15 minutes between buses/trains

3. Lines that are scheduled to minimize transfer time. If you know that the next bus or train at your transfer point will be along in five minutes or less, you're more likely to ride the bus or train than if you have to wait half an hour.

4. A single fare system with monthly passes

5. A PR campaign to get people--especially children and youth-- actually trying out transit. A lot of people became converts to LRT in Portland after actually riding it.

6. Easily available information

But a grid of overhead tracks 2 miles apart? People would still have to get to the tracks somehow.

Finally, unlike PRT, light rail has actually been implemented, not only in the U.S. but all over the world. It works very well in countries and cities that haven't been brainwashed by the car companies into thinking that public transit is for losers.