How to Spot the Transit Denier?
Transit, LRT, Tram & Public Transport deniers come in many forms; from libertarians, petrol heads & asphalt warriors to right wing neocons.
..the Cardinal has compiled a list of thirty eight most commonly used arguments by opponents to at-grade LRT:-
Excuses Ignorance Criticism Opposition Hostility
1. Trams are inflexible.
a. If the road becomes closed, due to an accident or emergency road or utility repairs, is there any way a tram service can be maintained?
2. Trams are noisy.
3. The construction of a tram system, causes disruption to towns & city’s; noise, dust, road closures, utility diversions.
4. Why do the electricity cables, gas & water mains, have to be dug up & moved to accommodate the building of a tram system?
5. We have a perfectly good bus system/service, why do we need a tram system?
6. Will the tram system mean that a number of our existing bus routes will be shut down?
7. Who will operate a new tram system?
a. Will the trams run 24/7?
b. Can trams continue to run if it snows, unlike many buses & trains?
8. Are tram drivers trained, to the same high level of competence as:
a. Bus drivers?
b. Train drivers?
9. Will there be conductors on the trams to collect fares?
10. Will the trams be as safe or safer for vulnerable people travelling on their own late at night than other public transport modes?
11. Are trams accessible to seniors, disabled people & parents with prams?
12. Do tram systems operate on signals like the main line railways?
13. How is the location of the tram stops decided?
14. How fast do trams travel along the road?
a. Do trams have to obey the roads speed limit?
15. How long will tram rails last, before the road has to be dug up to repair or replace them?
16. Trams represent an old fashioned & outmoded 19th century form of transport.
17. Who pays for new tram systems, the Government, the City/town council or the local Transport Authority?
18. Who decides, if a new tram system represents value for public money?
19. Is private investment used to pay for tram systems to be built?
20. Tram systems are expensive.
21. Will public transport ticket prices rise, to pay for the tram system?
a. Nobody will use the trams, when they are introduced because the fares will be too expensive.
22. A tram system will bring crime & more undesirables into our town/city centers.
23. Trams cause congestion on the roads, to other users; private cars, buses.
24. Trams will cause delays at road junctions for private cars & buses.
a. How will the designers phase junction traffic lights, to meet the needs of the trams & other road users?
b. Will trams get priority at road junctions, over other road users?
25. Why don’t they, the city/government, build a metro/underground system instead?
26. The trams should run in tunnels under the town and not down the streets. This will free up more road space for private cars.
27. We need less public transport, not more.
28. Public transport & particularly trams slow down the speed of traffic.
29. Trams are dangerous for:
a. Pedestrians.
b. Cyclists.
c. Car drivers.
30. The overhead electric tram wires & masts are an eyesore.
a. The tram line will pass through a conservation area, overhead poles & wires will be an aberration.
d. The overhead poles & wires will spoil the attractiveness of the town/city.
e. The overhead electricity wires will reduce the value of my house/property.
f. The overhead electrical cables are a cause of cancer in children.
h. How do tram system designers ensure that the return current passing through the tram rails does not corrode buried utilities?
i. How do tram system designers ensure that the current in the overhead wires, does not cause interference with business computer, data & hospital life support equipment?
31. Trams cause accidents in towns & city’s.
32. Government accident statistics prove that trains & trams have a poorer safety record, per passenger miles travelled than other forms of transport.
a. The statistics prove that more pedestrian accidents are caused by public transport, than by private cars.
b. Buses have a better safety record than trams.
c. How quickly, can a tram stop if a child runs out in front of it?
33. A tram line past my house/property will cause the value to fall.
34. My shop/business will suffer if a tram line is built on this street.
a. Where will my customers park, if they cannot stop outside my shop/business?
b. Where will my suppliers park, to deliver to my shop/business?
c. The city council will raise my taxes to pay for the tram system.
d. If a tram line/system is built, all my customers will ride/take the tram to the out of town shopping malls.
35. Trams are a European form of public transport.
36. Can it be proved that trams are successful in reducing the number of journeys made by private cars, in towns & cities?
38. Building the tram system, will mean that lots of houses & shops/businesses will be demolished to make room for it.
a. The proposed tram system will result in a reduction of open spaces, trees and children’s play areas.
Anymore? the Cardinal will post the monikers of respondents who can come up with any others or those that demonstrate their prejudice.
