Quote Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto View Post
Bus rapid transit is no solution. SMART, as it stands, has the longest average bus trip lengths in the nation. In. The. Nation. And that's at the higher operating costs inherent to buses. All because Detroit don't need no dang stinkin rail. Good luck running a massive regional BRT system when diesel hits $5/gallon--the metrics aren't going to improve any, and you'll be stuck with a white elephant subject to severe economic shocks while the rest of the world moves forward on electrically-powered trains.
Yep, suburban Detroit would be better off having a regional commuter rail system with local buses that connect the surrounding areas. Urban Detroit needs mass transit -- frequent, high-capacity, rail system serving the core of Detroit [[and connecting to the airport and major suburban job centers such as Dearborn or Southfield) in addition to frequent, 24hr bus service on all major roads in the core city. There is little chance to have a major urban revival in Detroit without connecting the city's neighborhoods and suburbs with its center.