Please bring this back to L.A.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

Other than long distance point to point destinations rail is a horrible idea. The cost of installing a fixed tracks is prohibitive and contentious. The better alternative is to use road going trains...buses. They would leverage existing road infrastructure and routes can be added/changed quickly to accommodate daily/weekly/seasonal changes. Rolling on dedicated lanes/streets with modern propane/electric buses (think trolley cars on wheels) the system can reach anywhere and provide much better coverage to suburbs and outlying areas.

We have the coaster here in San Diego that serves North county to downtown. Not only is it very expensive to ride in both time and money it also does not get 99% of the folks to their final destination. They then have to rely on buses, taxi, or the trolley. That's a total non-started for most folks - myself included.

Actually, David, the Coaster is much like Metrolink: a large catenry passenger train operated by a diesel engine. One has to be transported to where they can reach it to travel to the various suburbs of San Diego.

Randy is very accurate about the density part of this. Downtown San Diego has its own version of the Red Car (which actually is red), and it stops virtually within a few blocks of everywhere in the city. Restaurants, courthouses, apartments, condos, the baseball field. Though not as intricate as L.A.'s old version, it still manages to reach a good portion of the city as it travels around the periphery. Of course, downtown San Diego is about half the size of downtown L.A. Plus, San Diego's Red line doesn't go beyond the downtown area, TMK.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by Vipergrün

Besides, the people of LA will never give up their BMW's in favor of mass transit.

They will when crude oil is $300 a barrel and a gallon of gas is ten bucks. Those days are coming. Maybe not this year, but not that far away either. If it goes to $5, I park my cars, put them all on "PNO" and go back to my motorcycle exclusively. If it goes to much higher than that, I stop driving (or motorcycle riding) completely. It just ain't worth it at that point. I'll force myself to live more locally (which I already do now to a large extent, I'll just do everything in walking/bicycling distance exclusively).

[RWebb]

not necessary -- just get the Corolla owners to leave their cars at home 3 days a week for a nice light rail ride and you've solved 90% of the problem.

(also made the BMW drivers happier, eh....)

[slodave]

Originally Posted by RWebb

not necessary -- just get the Corolla owners to leave their cars at home 3 days a week for a nice light rail ride and you've solved 90% of the problem.

(also made the BMW drivers happier, eh....)

Thanks!