Quote:
Originally Posted by miketoronto
Why would suburbs be against having rapid transit expanded into their borders?
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Fear of city residents. Historically, US suburbs were fiercely protective of their separation from central cities such as Chicago. Suburban residents often have irrational fears that transit extensions will give homeless people and urban criminals easy access to their neighborhoods. When you add the threat of eminent domain takings, noisy trains, and higher taxes, suburban transit extensions are quickly buried.
In addition, Chicago's rapid transit equipment is only marginally suitable for a run as long as Loop-Schaumburg. The cars (only a little larger than the Scarborough Line's) have short wheelbases, weigh less than many "light rail" vehicles, have hard seats and no washrooms. If track geometry is not beautifully maintained, they become very uncomfortable at speed.
Much smarter to integrate fares and let the regional rail network handle regional trips.
(Incidentally, next time you need a book review for uni, you might be interested in a book illuminating the differences between Canadian and US cities: Goldberg, Michael A. and Mercer, John.
The Myth of the North American City: Continentalism Challenged. UBC Press, 1986)