The multi-billion dollar dreams of government planners are now complete for yuppies and developers to salivate over. If you think this is a good idea, here are some thoughts for you. -Max Borders
I’m not against the concept of rail, but our choices (heavy rail, light rail, monorail) are still incredibly expensive compared to cars.
We need engineering students to work on developing LOW COST transit models. Use prefabricated parts and standardization. Don’t worry about putting a remote control on Mars or a better NASCAR.
Disney World, the foremost resort and theme park in the world, is famous for their monorail. When they developed Epcot almost 30 years ago, they extended their monorail system to reach the new park. However when MGM was built right next door to Epcot, Disney deemed it too expensive to add another mile of monorail track. When Animal Kingdom opened 10 years ago, Disney once again, decided that buses were a far better transit option than the monorail. Disney can teach us a lot of lessons, but this is probably the most important one.
Get the technology to where costs are reasonable, and rail is a great idea. Until then, we need buses – NICE, CLEAN ones.
Random Charlotteansays
Buses and rail trail cannot be compared as equals, simply because they’re very different. Both light and heavy rail can carry a much higher (and denser) amount of users. It’s a great idea for Disney to use buses, because they hop on… and sit there for a while and then get off at one, or few locations. In dense cities (which Charlotte and the triable become more and more so by the day), a light rail is a great idea where people need to get on and off at different locations with ease.
Fuel costs just keep on raising and they won’t be coming back down for a long while (if at all). It’s better to use locally produced electricity (such as with light rail) than to put more money into the hands of our “enemies” such as Venezuela and other oil-producing countries.
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Dana says
I’m not against the concept of rail, but our choices (heavy rail, light rail, monorail) are still incredibly expensive compared to cars.
We need engineering students to work on developing LOW COST transit models. Use prefabricated parts and standardization. Don’t worry about putting a remote control on Mars or a better NASCAR.
Disney World, the foremost resort and theme park in the world, is famous for their monorail. When they developed Epcot almost 30 years ago, they extended their monorail system to reach the new park. However when MGM was built right next door to Epcot, Disney deemed it too expensive to add another mile of monorail track. When Animal Kingdom opened 10 years ago, Disney once again, decided that buses were a far better transit option than the monorail. Disney can teach us a lot of lessons, but this is probably the most important one.
Get the technology to where costs are reasonable, and rail is a great idea. Until then, we need buses – NICE, CLEAN ones.
Random Charlottean says
Buses and rail trail cannot be compared as equals, simply because they’re very different. Both light and heavy rail can carry a much higher (and denser) amount of users. It’s a great idea for Disney to use buses, because they hop on… and sit there for a while and then get off at one, or few locations. In dense cities (which Charlotte and the triable become more and more so by the day), a light rail is a great idea where people need to get on and off at different locations with ease.
Fuel costs just keep on raising and they won’t be coming back down for a long while (if at all). It’s better to use locally produced electricity (such as with light rail) than to put more money into the hands of our “enemies” such as Venezuela and other oil-producing countries.