Raise the Hammer

Yes, people like me who deal with this subject matter for a living are just "talking down to you" when we tell you are experience and professional observations. Guys, I don't live in Hamilton, so you can take my advice or not. But, if you guys are seriously going to listen to a group of politicians who's arguments against LRT are so poorly thought out that I was actually laughing when I read them, then you should probably not trust their answer to LRT, which is some very poor version of BRT. If that's what they really want at all, I suspect that what they are really thinking about is probably, just some express bus system and some painted lines on the road with nice bus stops and nothing else. Which is not BRT! The old line that BRT supporters often announce to the public which states that, BRT is like a rail system with buses instead o trains and that is cheaper to operate and build. This above all shows the real naivete of the public and the complete and utter lack of any operational BRT knowledge, of most BRT supporters. It will never give you as much bang for your buck, as a LRT system will.

What those politicians won't or don't tell you is that, a true BRT system that even comes close to having any operational cost savings at all or has the built in passenger carrying capacity and operational flexibility of the virtually free LRT system you are ready to give up, will require a very special, complex and expensive to build BRT system. It will require more than just painted lines on a road, it will require expensive physically segregated BRT rights of way, with well thought out complex stations and will be just as disruptive to the core of the city and its businesses during construction as the LRT construction, could be. Then as passengers levels increase it will cost a lot more than a LRT system to run, which is the big issue with BRT systems, their very steep operational cost curve as passenger levels increase compared to rail based systems. On top of all of this, you will have to pay at least a portion of the building costs if you choose this transit option instead of LRT.

Look at the highly disruptive debate in Brampton they are having around the final 3km of the Hurontario LRT Line. Even when they choose a route they will have to wait for their turn again for provincial support and will probably have to put in their own money for a line they don't own! Until then, they are stuck with their Zuum System, which is not true BRT and it will be many years until it has its own physically segregated right of way. Which will allow something close to real BRT ability and capacity.