Re: [Sydney] Light Rail into the CBD? + UNSW heavy or light rail?

["Garry Hoddinett" <hoddos@netspace.net.au>]

"geoff dawson" <geoffrey.dawson@aph.gov.au> wrote in message
news:xeXO6.8$cQ4.7049@nsw.nnrp.telstra.net...
> RE: undergrounding Sydney light rail in CBD:
> The result is a traffic system that is more convenient for surface
motorists
> (the trams are out of their way) and less convenient for public transport
> passengers.
> Trams and buses should be on the street, as close as possible to where the
> people want to go. That is their natural advantage.
> I believe that some European cities have experimented with undergrounding
> central city light rail sections, realised that they are less convenient
and
> less attractive for passengers, and put them back on the street.
> If congestion is a problem the traffic should be managed to keep it out of
> the way of the trams and buses. Get the priorities right.
> Regards, Geoff
 I can generally agree with the thrust of your argument ie "Trams and buses
should be on the street, as close as possible to where the
people want to go" but it is a Light RAIL system.  Note the speed the SLR
vehicles travel at when they share the street with pedestrians and
vehicles - you could almost walk faster especially when stops are taken into
consideration.  Compare this with the speed the vehicles travel at on their
own right of way - many many times faster.  There has to be some trade off
with the accessibiltiy of a street system and the speed of a system on its
own dedicated right of way.  Its a few kilometres from the northern end of
the Sydney CBD to Central and this would take a considerable time for a
vehicle on a street based system to travel.  The extra time means more
vehicles (and hence more staff) would be required to sustain a given
frequency.  Further a street based system would be vulnerable to all sorts
of vagaries that a system on it's own right of way would not have (eg
traffic congestion, accidents etc.) leading to a less reliable service.  I
make the point again that there is an asset in the in the unused railway
tunnels that could be turned to the advantage od CBD public transport users.