ShonTron
Moderator
It looks like this thread is going around and around and around without any resolution. The discussion has gone way beyond anything going on (or not) in London. I'll close this thread for a few days.
|
|
|
I actually think the level of, shall we call it passion, about this comes from folks thinking that no, the alternative they dislike isn’t worth doing at all.I wonder if we can agree that something will be better than doing nothing.
I actually think the level of, shall we call it passion, about this comes from folks thinking that no, the alternative they dislike isn’t worth doing at all.
And frankly, agreeing with that is why I’m only quasi present here… I DO think the LRT proposal was better, I DO see a decent case for BRT and I DO care a lot more that something get done than about mode.
As always the missing variable is feasibility. You can have a proposal that puts a bunch of subways under every major street, but unless there's actually a way for that proposal to get shovels in the ground, its no better than not having a proposal. There have been a ton of proposals in Montreal about what to do with the Deux-Montagnes Line and YUL before the REM, some of them were probably better than the REM, but REM was the one that actually allowed shovels to enter the ground. Same thing with REM B and the Pink Line, the latter probably has a better alignment and serves more people better, but the former actually has a chance of getting built.And frankly, agreeing with that is why I’m only quasi present here… I DO think the LRT proposal was better, I DO see a decent case for BRT and I DO care a lot more that something get done than about mode.
I really struggle to see how automating a bus on a BRT route is different than automating an LRV. The only difference is lane keeping, which is a trivial, solved problem.I’ll grant that there is a certain attractiveness to the proposition that tramway style systems have very limited application in genuine new build, and that it makes more sense to build BRT until such time as actual light metro goes in (and on a 2050 horizon I can see the potential for that level of service on the north and east corridors in London).
With that said, I do have doubts about near term bus automation, and a strong suspicion that surface rail can be automated NOW if someone would commit to funding it.
I really struggle to see how automating a bus on a BRT route is different than automating an LRV. The only difference is lane keeping, which is a trivial, solved problem.
The difference of course is most automated rail systems are fully grade separated or have 100% priority. Automating an LRV that runs on street is just as difficult as a bus.The same as why we don't have AI driven cars. At least with automated rail systems, the train should stay on the tracks and not crash. Key word is ... should.
The city isn't going to do anything in its current state. I'd like to see Metrolinx start to get more involved directly in London's transit planning.View attachment 379508
Well London's population is up quite a bit over the last census. Question is what is the city going to to do to address this growth? The 2030 transportation plan was supposed to cater to growth predictions made in the 2010s. However we're now growing roughly twice as fast as past censuses (ignore 1991, that is high because London's city limits grew and annexed some surrounding towns).
Will this be a wake up call to build the missing BRT connections- and plan for some ehnancements/extensions? We have a municipal election in October and how London manages this growth is going to be a major campaign issue. Transit is going to be the primary way London can build it's way out of congestion, but popular opinion is still pretty car focused. There could be a major change in perception coming... perhaps very soon.
The city isn't going to do anything in its current state. I'd like to see Metrolinx start to get more involved directly in London's transit planning.
I can also say as someone who will be moving to London in a few months that I am excited to vote for a transit-friendly candidate in said municipal election.