
Trackless trams are ready to replace light rail - oftenwrong
https://theconversation.com/amp/why-trackless-trams-are-ready-to-replace-light-rail-103690
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BugsJustFindMe
> _Trackless trams ... have rubber wheels and run on streets._

So it's a bus.

> _It replaces the noise and emissions of buses with electric traction from
> batteries recharged at stations in 30 seconds or at the end of the line in
> 10 minutes._

So it's an electric bus.

> _That could just be an electric bus_

So it's an electric bus?

> _It has all the speed (70kph)_

So it's an electric bus with a dedicated lane.

> _capacity_

So it's a long electric bus with a dedicated lane.

> _and ride quality of light rail_

So it's a long electric bus with a _well-maintained_ dedicated lane.

> _with its autonomous optical guidance system_

Oh dear.

> _It passed the ride quality test when I saw kids running up and down while
> it was going at 70kph – you never see this on a bus due to the sway._

So it's a long electric bus with a well-maintained dedicated lane and no
turns. But it's still just an electric bus.

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FiatLuxDave
I actually strongly disagree with your skepticism on this. A long electric bus
with a dedicated lane may be exactly what we need.

I've been wondering for years why something like this wasn't in wide use.

Forget the autonomous part of this. I see advantages over both trains and
buses.

Over trains:

1) the cost of a lane of road is significantly less than the cost of a mile of
rail, especially if it is grade separated

Over buses: 1) less operators are needed than an equivalent number of buses

2) more axles can mean less weight per axle which means less road wear than
buses. I wonder how many axles they are using and how much weight there is per
axle.

Yes, there is no real new technology here. It doesn't have a nuclear engine
and blow out happiness bubbles as it goes by. But, it is a configuration of
existing technologies which provides a mass transit option that is needed in
cities right now: the low-capital-cost train. That is what light rail was
supposed to be.

Configurations can matter. Look at the design of HMS Dreadnought. That wasn't
really a new technology either, but it instantly made every other battleship
afloat obsolete.

~~~
BugsJustFindMe
> _A long electric bus with a dedicated lane may be exactly what we need._

I agree. It's still just a bus.

> _I see advantages over both trains and buses._

No you don't. It _is_ a bus. It doesn't have advantages over itself. Don't
conflate "short diesel bus that shares lanes with other traffic" and "bus".

> _Over buses: 1) less operators are needed than an equivalent number of
> buses_

Wat? We already have long buses!

I don't object to putting an electric bus in its own dedicated lane. I object
to this "trackless tram omg new magic technology" bs.

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marssaxman
Seattle has an extensive network of "trackless trolleys", and... yeah. It's
just an electric bus. Light rail still represents a significant upgrade.

