Problems With BRT: Part 5 of…Many
An odd thing is happening in places with new light rail lines opening - folks who used to ride the electric railcar trolleys back in the day are very pleased to have them back - new stories of real public transportation are bubbling up after laying dormant for decades. This is not just nostalgia talking - people really liked the streetcars:
While fares remained stagnant, the streetcars evolved over time. Norman Shelton, 88, a former motorman who drove streetcars between 1945 and 1948, recalls the vehicles as a bit noisy, but nonetheless smooth and comfortable.
Streetcars run on rails - it can be a dignified way to travel. Buses are not a dignified way to travel, so we must oppose them in all their manifestations, including BRT. Everyone deserves high quality transit — period.
When I read an account of an older member of our society like this - I get a sense of the terrible crime it was for GM to rip up rail tracks all across the country:
“I hated to see the streetcars go,” [Shelton] said. “It made you half sick.”
Most activists who opposed GM’s crimes back in the day eventually lost their battle to keep the streetcars.
The older generation of folks who used to ride and love streetcars want them back.
I believe that ‘pro-transit’ people have a duty to help bring high quality transit back to America.
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