Quote Originally Posted by Detroitnerd View Post
Oh, yes. This curbside light rail is going to be wonderful. Of course, even though it seems that every transit planner in the world thinks curbside light rail is an idiotic idea, deep down they really just resent Dan Gilbert's money.

When cars are zipping by light rail vehicles that are stuck behind somebody's illegally parked hooptie, waiting for a tow truck, metro Detroiters will have even more reasons to laugh at "mass transit."
I've never understood why it's curbside. It's non-functional curbside and operates like a bus. Buses can be bad because they get stuck in traffic and a transit rider should never have to experience traffic congestion. The whole point of taking public transit is to get from point A to B very fast and not have to deal with waiting for other cars getting out of the way. Yeah, I know this isn't "rapid transit." But that doesn't matter. Success is speed regardless. The M1 rail shouldn't be a pleasure ride down Woodward. It should have utility that people will actually appreciate and want to ride it because they know they can reliably reach their destinations at the same time, every time.

By having it in the center, you can still have left turn lanes on the tracks. This is because left turns are signaled so as the train approaches from behind, motorists are given a left green arrow to clear the trackway and the train can continue without slowing down or stopping.

You can discourage motorists from parking in transit vehicle ROW with astronomical fines. Usually something on the low end of $1000. If they fail to pay that fine in reasonable time, they could have their drivers license suspended. If they attempt to drive, their plate will be scanned, car pulled over and impounded and not released until the fine is paid in full.

We've implemented so many bicycle lanes and bus lanes in Chicago but initially many motorists refuse to acknowledge their limited access and restrictions. Started out with warnings, but then strict enforcement and very high fines made people learn quickly enough.