Originally Posted by
Rocket
Few people with options are going to walk blocks or miles to a trolley,... wait for a trolley, then travel at 8-10 mph to a trolley stop that again is blocks or miles from their workplace, then finish the commute by foot, especially in a Detroit winter [[with sidewalks that don't even get shoveled).
Trolleys only seem to work well when there are no other options, and you have high population density near trolley lines, and workplaces for those same people are also near trolley lines.
70-110 years ago we had a big percentage of Detroit population living in duplexes,.. all some 8'-10' apart near trolley lines. Many workplaces such as Ford were also along trolley lines, and we had a highly motivated workforce [[I.e. a strong work ethic and little if any welfare), and few could afford cars, so the trolley system worked great.
But trying to force society to go backwards 100 years seems silly. Especially at the horrific cost that comes with light rail.