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A key question is whether you need a system that can handle a throughput of 16,000 passengers per hour.  Clearly, this is not the case in Austin or San Antonio, and it is not likely to be the case.  Likewise, it is not the case in Dallas, which has built the most extensive light rail system in the southwest. The average throughput on DART's light rail system is 1,884 passengers per hour.  The average rush hour throughput is 6,280 during the morning and evening rush hour. Neither of these figures come close to 16,000.  Moreover, the average passenger loads on DART's light rail lines, when adjusted for system expansion, have remained relatively stagnate.  As noted in my previous post, there are areas of the country where light rail is the optimum choice.  But not every area! For the country as a whole, buses (rapid or otherwise) are a better public transit choice. The BRT in Austin will run on city streets. It will not require capital intensive rights-of-way. And it will cost a small fraction of the estimated cost for the proposed light rail line, even adjusting for the difference in operating costs and the life expectancy of the capital equipment. BRT can compete with light rail times for distances of 12 to 15 miles.  After that trains (light rail and commuter rail) win the race. I lived in Australia for five years. Whilst there I traveled to Adelaide monthly on business. Adelaide has the O-Bahn, which is a 7.5 mile guided bus way. I have ridden it numerous times. The buses run at speeds up to 62.5 mph on a dedicated track. At interchanges they can leave the guideway and serve neighborhoods without requiring passengers to change mode of transit. The system offers flexibility that is impossible with rail. The system was costly, although no more than comparable light rail systems, but the City Council has scaled back plans to extend the system because of the cost. It has found that regular buses are more cost effective for a city like Adelaide. The system is not widespread throughout the world, but it is an indication of an alternative that may be a better fit than light rail. I would like to see the studies that say people will ride light rail but would not ride a bus. I would like to understand the methodologies that drove the studies. And I would like to know whether the people conducting the survey told the respondents the cost and pricing differences.
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