Quote:
Originally Posted by cabotp
Street cars are just a fancy track based bus system. That have absolutely no benefit over the current bus system that we have today. We would be spending a whole bunch of money and not getting anything better than what we have.
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That's a bit of a hyperbole. There are some advantages to a streetcar over a bus system.
First, public perception. If the public likes rail transport more than buses (it is often perceived as more convenient, luxurious and comfortable), and encourages people to use transit instead of drive, then the extra cost can be made up by extra patronage over the years.
Second, capacity. Even if a streetcar gives no advantage time wise, a single train can usually hold more people than an articulated bus. Therefore you need fewer trains than you do buses. And the trains themselves last longer. A streetcar can easily last 50 years, a bus, maybe 10(?).
Which leads to operating cost. If a train can hold more people than a bus, then you need fewer trains running at once to hold more people. For example, on Main and Commercial we often have 2 articulated trolleys running at the same time, back to back, because 1 is not enough (but the second almost never gets more than half full). That is double the operating cost to run buses.
Streetcars can also be easier to operate. With advances in train control, the train can keep the driver from exceeding the maximum speed limit for each meter of track, and can tie into traffic control to keep drivers from running red lights (which seems to be a problem right now even possibly killing pedestrians) and adjust light timings based on the location of trains to allow better operation.
That said, I don't think streetcars are the solution that Surrey needs at this moment, as travel time is the biggest problem that keeps many people south of the Fraser from riding transit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by memememe76
You mean those streetcars like in San Fran that go to the Wharf? I HATED those things (basically, I found MUNI pretty annoying my entire time there). I have no desire for some slow rickety trolley from Guildford to Whalley.
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Ummm, no, not like those. You are either referring to the heritage streetcars they run on the F line, or the historic cable cars (they are actually pulled by a physical cable under the street). Modern streetcars are nothing like that. But the cable cars do offer one advantage: they allow public transportation over some of the steepest hills in any city in the world. Even to this day I don't think there are many north/south bus lines over the steepest parts of the hills.