[Lee_Haber8]

Hey everyone.

My name is Lee, and I'm part of a group doing a design project for university. Our project is to design a rapid-transit system down Park Avenue. However, we don't know if we are going to chose BRT or LRT. That's where we need your help!

We are conducting a survey, and it would great if you could help us out by going through it and answering the question.

Here is a link (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=165192) to the survey.

Thanks,

Lee

[graupner]

my opinion is that BRT is better, because it costs less to implement and build, it's easier to maintain ( we already have the facilities) and it can be put in place faster. (no need to add tracks and such)

I would pay the same for both

[Mike D]

As I stated in the the thread with the survey, I think LRT is better because you can transport more people per vehicle (one LRV carries more people than one bus) and at a lower operational cost - that is, you can run two or three light rail cars in one train controlled by one operator, whereas with BRT, you would need to run more buses to be able to transport the same number of people and each bus would have to have a driver who would need to receive at least a salary. BRT may cost less to implement than LRT, but your operational costs could eat up those savings. Plus, it's not easier to maintain. You would have to repave the bus lanes more frequently than you would have to replace rails and ties. Also, you would have to buy buses more frequently. Railcars last 30-40 years with proper maintenance. Buses last 12-15 years and that's with proper maintenance.

[GDS]

BRT all the way - LRT doesn't work on Park because of the huge expense to build from Pine to President Kennedy (no choice but to go underground) to allow Metro access - without that the system is useless since most users get off after Pine. Also the huge cost to to modify the street grid at Van Horne to accommodate an LRT there and at St-Zotique. That will add between 200-240 million to the cost of the project which already runs over 30 million per kilometer including the cost of vehicles. So you are easily looking at a 380-400 million dollar project.

A BRT with a few more priority right of ways and priority signaling along with articulated buses (already purchased) plus the construction of city run parking garages to compensate for the removal of street parking has a minimal cost (under 50 million).

This coupled with the fact that we would not need to create a repair/storage facility for LRT vehicles and hire + train staff in their maintenance make it a more logical choice.

BTW - if you take a 380 million dollars, you can pay 180 bus drives for 30 years