[sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros

[Alan Patrick Howes]

Metros can be intrusive too, depending on whether they are elevated or in
subway - and if the latter, construction can be horrendously disruptive. And
there are various options for clean buses, including hybrid battery/diesel
or flywheel/diesel.

Each scheme really needs to be judged on its merits - the problem is that
too people (including too many professionals) have a bias of some sort. My
bias, if it is one, is that I fear that bus-based solutions, which are so
much more flexible and scalable, are too easily dismissed by some.

-- 
Alan P Howes, Special Transport Advisor, 
     Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department
aphowes at dm.gov.ae
Tel:    +971 4 286 1616 ext 214
Mobile: +971 50 5989661


-----Original Message-----
From: BruunB at aol.com [mailto:BruunB at aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2001 5:21 AM
To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros


Wendell,

I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that 
matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow this 
much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My 
point was that one might have to wait a long time. 

One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers of

people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel 
vehicles gets very large. I understand that some businesses are failing
along 
one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of buses 
or jitneys in any one road.

Eric