On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 10:01:48PM +0000, Bruce wrote:
"MaxB" wrote:
Public transport is by definition a mass transit system and,
equally, by definition, cannot be all things to all people.
Are you suggesting that a "mass" transit system should only cater for
that proportion of the masses who are fit, mobile and childless?

I got the impression that he was saying that it couldn't reasonably be
suitable for all possible users. I'm sure that it would be possible to
design a public transport system that is *only* suitable for people in
wheelchairs, or only for blind people if you really wanted to.

eg, if you only care about wheelchair users, you don't need as much
head-room in the trains so could fit double-deckers in the tube. Or if
you only care about blind users, you can save a fortune on light bulbs.

In reality, a sensible public transport policy is to find and implement
a happy medium which serves the needs of the vast majority of users the
vast majority of the time, while recognising that it isn't practical to
serve the needs of everyone all the time. This means that,
unfortunately, a small number of people who are severely disabled, such
as those afflicted with Bromley, find it more difficult to use the tube
than normal people do.

--
David Cantrell
Professor of Unvironmental Science
University of Human Progress