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KentWallace t1_ixj69z0 wrote

Reply to comment by guptaxpn in Richmond’s Pulse has been a surprise success. Other cities and states are taking notice. by fusion260

Cheaper to buy upfront, but much more expensive to maintain. And lifespan of a bus is only a decade or two before it needs replacing while trolley cars from before WW2 are still running in SF, New Orleans, and Rome.

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guptaxpn t1_ixjeiy4 wrote

I remember reading a news article years ago that made arguments against it in favor of rapid transit. Basically I support buses because I feel like they are something that provide for many but are an achievable thing to lobby for because of the up front costs. I do like a smooth running metro system, don't get me wrong, but I'm much more attracted to the reconfigurability of rapid buses with priority lanes. Much cheaper to fix errors than to dig up tracks.

Basically I think a system should trial a light rail line with buses first. Then move to introduce trains.

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tmos540 t1_ixjqg82 wrote

Oooh yeah that's clever. You could turn priority lanes into tracks in some places, especially if you could bury the lines when the priority lanes ended.

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