06-19-2020, 08:22 AM
(06-18-2020, 11:07 PM)plam Wrote:(06-18-2020, 07:27 PM)ac3r Wrote: I have to say...the entire launch of light rail transit in Waterloo Region was pretty bad.
As you point out, it's relative. There are always going to be some start-up costs. Do they exceed the value provided? Could they have been less? (In some ways, yes, others, no; I'm as much in favour as anyone of eliminating systemic problems, like cars crashing into things, but can't imagine engineering the system to reduce that so much, at an acceptable point in the trade-off space).
Eliminating car crashes can’t be done without imposing an airplane-style level of training, certification, investigation, and enforcement on drivers. Combined with road maintenance fees, congestion charges, carbon taxes, and probably other fees I haven’t thought of, if we fully internalized the costs of driving it would probably become so expensive that public transit could start turning a profit again.
That being said, any smaller and more politically realistic measures that we can take are welcome. Examples include narrower lanes and better design of conflict points between motor vehicles and other traffic.
I’d start with much more use of solid concrete bollards. If cars are going to crash into stuff, it should be immediately as they leave their assigned right-of-way rather than later when they crash into whatever happens to be there.