Comment 47286

By Undustrial (registered) - website | Posted September 06, 2010 at 11:59:55

I couldn't agree more Kiely.

I wholeheartedly endorse LRT based on evidence. But I'm going to shy away from arguing that it's better in principle than BRT. And I certainly won't argue against BRT in the meantime as a means of getting our hands on LRT.

I've been thinking more about how I see BRT fitting into all of this. And it certainly isn't as a big expensive rapid transit system. Moreso, I see it as a reorganization of current routes and vehicles to pave the way and test the waters for LRT. Take ten or so old busses, do something cheap and interesting with them (have a local artist paint 'em up, run them on veggie-oil etc), and make a big show of the thing. Kinda like the B-Line and its bendy-busses. Run extensive public consultations on the process to see how riders feel about the route and why.

The real benefits of BRT come with rapid transit stops. The B-line has fewer stops, but none of them are any more efficient than a normal stop. Whether this means beginning construction on stations/stops early, so that riders can pay before boarding (so most of the ticket-taking can get done before the bus gets there), or simply posting extra ticket-takers at those stops, people can get a better idea of how this would all work. And as a final benefit, during construction of LRT lines, such bus routes are going to be necessary to handle transit interruptions right along all our most vital lines.

This could be done quickly and cheaply, but lead to so much more.

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