[ssiguy]

The problem with urban areas like Detroit and Dallas is that, unlike Vancouver, much of the damage has already been done.

Yes the street car was very good in Detroit pre-war but that was before the car and more importantly, it's huge inner city freeway system. Vancouver has no freeways so SkyTrain really is faster for a lot of people. Detroit/Dallas on the other hand have massive freeway networks including getting to the downtown.