Turn restrictions? Station spacing problems? Elimination of parking? None of that would happen with a streetcar. Maybe you guys are thinking of light rail running in a dedicated transitway. I'm talking about a streetcar operating in mixed traffic, like in Toronto. It would operate exactly the same as the buses do today. The key difference is drastically higher capacity (and a smoother ride).
But if a subway is going to be built anyway then a streetcar is redundant, so unnecessary. But if a subway is 30 years away then a streetcar could help more immediately. How long until the subway is built? I'd like to request that someone start a separate thread (or link to an existing one) and show us some info on this proposed Broadway SkyTrain. |
Salt Lake : APTA 3rd Quarter 2012 numbers
Light rail: 56,900 Commuter Rail: 6,000 Total: 61,900 Three new light-rail lines are opening this year. A new 40 mile stretch of commuter rail just opened (Front Runner South) |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Quote:
See discussion in the Vancouver forum's relevant thread. |
Quote:
|
"Unless you go with longer LRVs" is not a constraint. Streetcar vehicles can be as long as you want, and you can couple them into trains whenever you want. If you want more capacity then you would buy longer LRVs, or you put 2 of them into a consist. Done and done.
From APTA: https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8098/...58a5e43f40.jpg |
But the point still remains it would simply be a band-aid solution, no need to spend the money putting in these rails, buying rolling stock, building an OMC, hiring new labour force, etc... for a route that will require a full metro a decade later (in fact it already does). Just extend the skytrain now.
|
You're right. Get the damn shovel in the ground already!
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
It's still impressive though. And not surprisingly the location of a planned rapid transit line. Part of the uniqueness here is so many are using this for quite a long haul to get to UBC. There are surely other examples though. When ridership gets that high, you often end up with multiple routes sharing a busy section, and then branching off in various directions further down. I wonder if buses per hour might be a better way to judge ... as then you count all the service in a particular location - and discount the very busy lines, that have lots of people jumping on and off for short distances. (which might make the 99-B stand out even more ...). |
Quote:
And on top of that, longer LRVs in mixed traffic are even worse than streetcars in mixed traffic - more chances to get stuck behind a car. The reason the turn restrictions, dedicated lanes, etc. are proposed for the light rail solution is that otherwise the service would be slower than the bus is today. |
Quote:
I'm not very familiar with the Canadian funding mechanisms or decision making process for a big investment like a subway, so I'll have to rely on you to tell me how many years away the SkyTrain is from reality. Quote:
|
Quote:
36-meter trams have more capacity than an 18-meter articulated bus, but remember that light rail would have to replace more than one bus line, because the 99-B has relief lines that are at capacity as well. And a mixed-traffic streetcar wouldn't even be able to have the higher frequency of either own-lane light rail or rapid transit, because sharing space with cars introduces the same bunching issues that buses have. |
Quote:
|
Boston should reinstate all-door boarding first.
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
Quote:
Right now the transit authority is being accused of being "very inefficient" with system-wide operating cost recovery of only 53%. They are in the process of trimming redundant and low productivity routes to achieve a recovery of ~70% in less than 10 years. I don't see how any parallel high-frequency line can survive once any mass transit [band-aid] solution is implemented. The only thing that could be left would probably be basic local #9 service. A route near my area is deemed "extremely low productivity" with 28 boardings per hour and it is slated to be cancelled completely in a few month. That's how much they're trimming service... |
All times are GMT. The time now is 3:00 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.