[PRCo] Re: Portland Green Line

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

Mr.Lybarger;

This could be a difference in age / cultures;  those of
us who used transit in the 1940s or 1950s understood
and accepted this.  Younger folk seem to want more
immediate transport.  People sometimes miss the
concept of the average speed;  the vehicle is
traveling much faster to maintain that average
isn't it.  Those familiar with transit will agree that
22mph average is very good.

Average speeds in the 40s etc. were slower for a number
of reasons, one being the volume of people and those
needing change from the operator.  Remember the days
before exact fare?  Remember the changer the
operators used?  More frequent service but generally
slower as well.  Exact fare is a trade off with
ADA access isn't it.

Portland has often been cited here as an excellent
system hasn't it.  They do have a system of rail with
distinctions between streetcar and urban service.

Train length is hardly a qualifier of success.  Systems
of the 40s and 50s were generally single cars;  some
had MU service which ended quite early in Pgh. didn't it.
It is acknowledged that city streets dictate train length;
that has to be accepted.  Blocking an intersection is
wrong; transit trains need to work within the confines
of theenvironment.


 Phil
Without  a   'coast'   but  not  a   'cause.'



________________________________
From: Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net>
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 5:20:08 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Portland Green Line

That's apples vs. oranges.  If you use that to select a
transportation mode, that's one thing, but if you compare
transit systems you have to look at those areas.  And
it's not just the ramp...it's the operator's time away
from the platform that's a big factor in the dwell time.


> > 2009/9/16 Edward H. Lybarger  <trams2 at comcast.net> wrote:
> > 22 mph isn't so bad when you figure that a New York express
> > train does  maybe 17 or 18.  You have to look at the number
> > of stops and the dwell time,  which has increased most places
> > because of the need to accommodate the  handicapped patrons.

> Joshua Dunfield responded:

> If I'm comparing it to driving, walking, or biking, I really don't
> need to look at the stops or the dwell time.  MAX wheelchair
> ramps are pretty fast, anyway.


> -j.