BRT or LRT?

There is a lot of cities worldwide implementing a new BRT(Bus Rapid Transit) systems. They consider it as an alternative to the more expensive metro lines. But why BRT wins in a battle with LRT(Light Rail Transit), tram lines?

Both modes are operating on separated lanes by sharing the same intersection, with right of way category B. Both of them have about the same distance between the stops, they have integrated scheduling, transfer possibilities to other modes, some smarter charging system and they both need about the same infrastructure investments.

But BRT is non guided public transport mode what makes it less comfortable and less safe then a guided LRT mode and the drivers need to be more trained. BRT are running with a gasoline or natural gas engines(electric buses are not frequently used), what pollutes the city centres with a high population density where the lines operate, but LRT runs on electricity what is provided by a catenary. Electricity can be produced environment friendly or at least the pollution is made outside the city.

Someone could say the streetcar is more expensive then a bus, yes, but the rubber tired and more complex buses have more expensive operating costs. Besides a streetcar performs better, smoother, operates with a faster speed and shows better capacity skills.

As the only arguments for the BRT I see its reliability. If one tram breaks down, the whole line is down. When there is power interruption, whole network is down, but buses keep running.

Maybe there is some other decision influencing facts I have not noticed? Or the developers don't rely on their local power supply?

Biofuel in India

The research of Bloomberg says India could meet up to 50% of countries transport fuel demand by the year 2020 by transforming their agricultural waste into the biofuel, bioethanol. Additionally it will create more then one million new jobs. And it is not just a research for an independent institution, government of India has already set up the goal to reach 20% limit by the year 2017.
By implementing such plans into the European Union, we could make a fuel production buffer zone in Eastern Europe, where are a lot of countries willing to accept that. It means we could fulfill the European fuel demand and create a lot of new jobs in the border regions where it is necesarry.
Isn't the European plan to make the same life quality in all the regions?
Or maybe we have some existing biofuel plans?

America's infrastracture

There was an article about America's infrastracture posted on The Economist. The main idea of it was the need of a change in US transport policies and fundings, but the main message sent was no matter how the transport system struggles and how overloaded and outdated the infrastructure is in general, the main concernment for the politic makers is to win next the elections and be loved by the electorate.

An early Obama administration flirtation with a tax on miles driven attracted little support, but some cities have run, or are thinking of running, pilot schemes. Congestion charges present another possibility. State governments have increasingly turned to tolls to fund individual projects, but tolling inevitably meets stiff public resistance. Meanwhile, Manhattan’s attempt to duplicate the congestion charges of London and Stockholm failed to win the necessary political support, despite the offer of a generous federal subsidy in return for trying the experiment. An earlier attempt to auction scarce landing and departure slots at New York’s three large airports faced stiff resistance from airlines and was ultimately killed.

In this case, there is no matter of long term economic or whatever growth, their world turns around the elections.

So, probably, the biggest problem of US transport system is not the wrong politics or superiority of a private car, but their political order or lack of sustainable thinking among the nation, and a courage to make unpopular decisions?

full article: The Economist

change of a behavior

The Automobility as a system is evaluated in a self generating way and spreading all ower the world since last hundred years. It begins with a road, car, gas station, car services and ends with mcdrives and drive-in movie theaters.  But all this system does to the society is connects the separated. People have lived for centuries just next to their working places, they have eaten the food grown by them self or their neighbors, but now there is a car. And all we do is spend a time in a car by getting ourselfs to some new shopping district we haven't been to. Automobility is a system which gives an option to go further in shorter time, and people use it. Unfortunately they spent their time to reach places which are taken away from them by the same car. It separates our points of interests and all it leads to is to trap as into socialless space between them where it traps us!

When and how will this system change?
What should happen to make the system change?