M-1 rail discussion

[professorscott]

What would be better for the community as a whole would be to use the money and upgrade the entire system instead of along a corridor. M-1 rail won't do anything for someone without a car who lives in NW Detroit and commutes crosstown.

"The money" comes from, mostly, private investors and philanthropists who can use it how they choose. Astonishing, how freely people want to make decisions about other people's money. You can take your money and whatever money you can raise and use it to upgrade the bus system [[or, better, throw your support behind whatever the RTA eventually proposes). Penske, Gilbert et al. will use their own money how they like.

By the way where is it said authoritatively that it is more expensive to operate a streetcar than a bus? Incidentally, some people have been referring to M1 Rail as a trolley. "Trolley" is an anachronistic slang term, used that way. It's a streetcar. The trolley, on old and vintage streetcars, is the pole that is used to pull down the device that draws power from the overhead catenary wire whenever that needs to be done. Contrary to the old song, the trolley was not a part of a streetcar which was capable of going "clang, clang, clang".