(12-11-2016, 05:59 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: There might be some speed advantage.
Have a look at those LRT speed limit signs that are going up along the line, and the number of signalized intersections that the Region has shown no willingness to make always green for LRT. There would have been a clear speed advantage to a grade separated line. (There would also have been a cost in time to access the platform.)
(12-11-2016, 05:59 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: But when you get to the economics of it, without regard for feelings or emotions, an LRT system as we are building is a good fit for our city, in terms of capacity needs and space needs. If you were to build a subway instead the effect would be to subsidize more space for cars. That's simply the economics of it.
Talking about "simply the economics" in terms of capacity and space is weird for a rapid transit line that is about shaping the built environment and guiding new development. Those aren't emotion-free decisions, and neither are the decisions made by prospective riders.
That said, unless there really is something new we're finding out here, relitigating the technology choice for this particular nearing-completion transit line isn't particularly valuable.