reducing future road repair and rebuilding. makes it seem worth floating a big bond issue to supplement fed money to bring back street cars.

if you’re going to reduce on street parking for merchants, you might as well do it right the first time.

but it’s probably 15 years or more before the cost savings of street cars overtakes higher installation, wiring, and equipment costs.

http://www.actransit.org/aboutac/bod/memos/e299ed.pdf

The cuts do not seem so terrible. Some places do loose some service, but not many people ride there anyways. The 59 and the 41 should have been eliminated a long time ago.

Anyhoo, if we can’t have civil discourse on pros and cons of ACT management and strategy, I’ll try a different tact. I recently discovered the Infrastructurist blog – they have really good posts on transit and other big scale civic development. Currently, they have an interesting post on 36 reasons streetcars are better than buses (including BRT).
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/06/03/36-reasons-that-streetcars-are-better-than-buses/

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/metropolitan-martini-ready-to-go

Walk through Jack London drinking one at your own risk. Technically that would be illegal.

If you’re going to accuse people of being born yesterday or having a “vested interest in the bureaucratic status quo” you’re going to need to back that up. On point 1, Chris was born in 1982 and I was born in 1976, so you’re refuted. On point 2, I’d love to hear what you think our “vested interests” might be.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger, more tinder-dry straw man in my life.

Glen, if you’re relying solely on EBX and the Berkeley Daily Planet as your source for dispassionately objective analysis of fact (as it seems you do, after perusing your website), you’ve got bigger problems than having your nose tweaked by a “faux-literate” punk like me on this here blog.

David V— I have seen some hanging straps on a few buses but they don’t look like an easy target or solid support if someone needs to make a sudden grab. VH buses aren’t made like city buses should be because they aren’t city buses—they are touring coaches sporting cheap interior hardware to adapt them to an un-envisioned role. Have you been watching the corrugated bellows in the articulated buses come unstuck? Thin fiberglas shell seats vibrate four inches up-and-down? Slender stanchions secured by just one bolt to interior walls? These Rube Goldberg, spit and chewing gum improvisations aren’t even close to the best on the market. That’s why apologists for R. Fernandez’ and C. People’s love affair with Brussels and the rest of Europe can only talk about low floors and third doors. To top it off Van Hools aren’t robust enough to hold up under long use on American roads, which is why AC Transit refuses to have its buses tested at the Federal facility in Pennsylvania prior to buying them.

I purchase equipment and services on behalf of others. I know when the customer (East Bay bus riding public) is being over charged and short-counted and boy, are we ever!