Anti-Rail advocates, whenever a city is thinking about implementing a light rail system, always tout how light rail systems are often over-priced and the initial capital investment is never regained after its implementation.
However, rapid bus systems, though costing seemingly less intially, cost more in the long run, as they tend to be heavily dependent on fossil fuels for direct operations. Secondly, let's face it, a person who is used to driving her car, won't necessarily ditch her car for the bus, but she'd probably ditch his vehicle for a clean, quite and spacious light rail carriage.
What are your guy's assessments?
However, rapid bus systems, though costing seemingly less intially, cost more in the long run, as they tend to be heavily dependent on fossil fuels for direct operations. Secondly, let's face it, a person who is used to driving her car, won't necessarily ditch her car for the bus, but she'd probably ditch his vehicle for a clean, quite and spacious light rail carriage.
What are your guy's assessments?
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Miami
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Nine times out of tne, BRT is used by groups that are actually anti-public transportation to sabotage LRT initiatives. Yes, LA might be the exception, but that's the one out ten.
It's a classic divide and conquer manouver when the Pro and Anti-LRT campaigns are in full melee. The Anti side will have a group that promotes a compromise or a cheaper alternative to LRT. (The flavor of the decade is BRT). The goal is to shave off enough swing supporters as to drop the LRT support below the 50% threshold. Republican Governor Erlich used this tactic successfully to trip up the Purple Line in Maryland, fastracking the ICC highway instead. Fortunately, the voters kicked the bum out this November, but sadly those four years were lost. One could argue that it also cost Austin, TX its LRT initiative in 2000, being that it lost by only 1800 votes out of 250,000 total cast. Now Austin has neither LRT or BRT. Where did all those BRT supporters disappear to?
A lot of BRT v LRT info is documented at the pro-LRT site:
www.lightrailnow.org
An interesting aside: PRP was the "BRT" of the 70's. It's no coincidence that PRP was being developed in the same decade that LRT was making its first impact. The company that funded the most heavily in PRP research? Ford.
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Rapid Bus Transit is basically a low cost experiment used on abandoned rail lines to see if light or commuter rail has a chance to be successful. We need to remember where the electricity from commuter and light rail comes from. Is it from coal and /or nuclear plants? Also the locomotives fron MARC and Virginia Rail Express are diesel powered.
