On Wed, 2 Feb 2011 12:06:31 +0000
Ian Jelf wrote:
In europe most reasonable sized cities have
a metro and almost all have an extensive tram system.

They also pretty much all have higher population densities, which makes
heavier transport systems more viable.

Do they? I'll take your word for it. But even if more people in britain
live in sprawling suburbs than in the centre thats probably an even greater
argument for a metro system.

And before anyone mentions buses - I don't count them as a serious public
transport system for commuting.

Ah. I thought we were doing too well on the agreeing front. Buses

Can't have everything eh?

*can* be a very effective, even stylish means of travelling. Go to
Oxford. Or Nottingham. Or Edinburgh, I'm told (although I have no
experience of bus travel there).

I lived near nottingham for a few years and while the buses are fine on the
outskirts, once they get near the city centre things tended to slow down.
And thats the problem with any street based transport - buses or trams. They
get stuck. Luckily the NET tram system in nottingham uses its own right of
way for a lot of the route but I imagine it still suffers traffic jams at
peak times.

B2003