Problems With BRT: Part 4 of…Many
Rail solutions - be they trams or light rail or heavy rail or whatever — look nice in the rain, snow, sleet - whatever. They’re nice to look at. They are aesthetically pleasing. Generally-speaking, they add to the beauty of the cities in which they operate.
Buses, on the other hand, including BRT of course, rarely have this capacity to look aesthetically pleasing. Most of us would be happy if buses were something less than awful to look at, but I don’t think anyone is getting their hopes up.
Below is a picture of a bus in the snow. It has done what buses are good at doing - turning snow into a nasty, slushy, sleet that is ugly to look at, and may even be good for creating dangerous black ice. In either case, people who appreciate the appearance of their public spaces should avoid anything that turns them into living monuments to dirt and grime and soot. I’ve named each photo appropriately:
Ugly Dirty Death:
Now check out what a railcar/tram looks like in the snow.
Beautiful Clean Life:
In short, buses make snow look horrible.
If your town gets snow, you should keep this in mind when deciding whether you want to invite a bus or a railcar into what you hope will stay or become your beautiful downtown.
I think the fact that buses and other rubber-wheeled motorized traffic turns city streets into sewers of dirty slush is the earth’s way of telling us that something is wrong with this idea. Buses manage to take one of nature’s most beautiful creations and turn it it into something that resembles raw sewage in appearance — quite the dubious distinction.
It’s up to us whether or not we want to take any pride in how our cities look. Fortunately, San Francisco doesn’t have to worry so much about “Nasty-Bus-Slush Syndrome” - we don’t get much snow - but our buses still do get plenty nasty-looking. It’s actually pretty difficult to get away from those horrendous-looking tires. That’s probably the reason many BRT bendy buses are covering up their tires. For anyone who might suggest that aesthetics are not important, I’d ask you to ask your BRT admins why they saw the need to spend money on wheel well/tire covers.
This ‘Problems With BRT‘ series is represents just a few of the myriad posts I’ve written on why BRT is a failed technology based on a failed ideology and why it should never be considered a viable form of transport for any reason whatsoever. A full listing of BRT critiques might require a more extensive search. I’m afraid I’ve wasted an awful lot of words attempting to knock down this particular scam. So it goes.
[Image1: Flickr/cheukiecfu]
[Image2: Flickr/pikelet68]
Leave comment (2)[p.s. The Forums are open for participation.]
December 21st, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I’m guessing that living in SF doesn’t give you much experience with snow. Buses don’t make “black ice” any more than any other vehicle. It’s generally an atmospheric condition of days above freezing and nights below freezing, and the culprits are the piles of snow on the side of the road that melt during the day and leave an invisible sheen of ice on the road after dark.
I’m curious about your rabid opposition to BRT and buses in general. I’d prefer subways and trams myself, but I’d take a bus, even an articulated one, over a streets full of passenger cars & taxis. I’ve cycled around many articulated buses in NYC, and they’re no worse than any other large vehicle. Speeding delivery trucks and taxis remain the worst hazard that I face.
Buses may not be aesthetic, but they’re often warm on a rainy - snowy - icy day, and I appreciate their arrival and taking me to a destination.
Cheers for the holiday.
December 21st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I grew up in Jersey - we got a decent amount of snow. Since then I’ve spent a good amount of time in snowy climates, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Chicago. But you may be right in that buses may not help to create black ice - either at all, or more or less than other motorized transport, etc.
I am rabidly opposed to BRT because it’s a sham - it’s not real transit.
I am rabidly opposed to buses because they are not quality transit, but also because they are very scary to not just myself, but to pedestrians and cyclists in general.
BRT is giving buses a new lease on life, unfortunately, but i’m hoping we can still see them go the way of the dodo.
Cheers!