Seattlest: Something Monorail This Way Comes

jk1

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:23:31 -0800

Based on everything I've read, monorail probably is the safest, most cost effective way to construct rapid transit. It has a light footprint, is quieter and causes less disruption while being built than either light rail or traditional subways/elevated trains. Additionally, aside the Seattle fire, monorails seem to have fewer accidents per mile than other forms of RT. In fact, compared to systems that run at street level and therefore come into conflict with automobiles, monorails are amazingly safe. Of course, public transit in general is far safer than other forms of transportation to begin with. In the end, as ever, Bradbury's science is less important than his ideas.

Jake of 8bitjoystick.com

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 13:07:39 -0800

That sounds like a Shelbyville kind of idea.

Courtney Nash

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:23:36 -0800

Hey Kevin, I voted for the monorail. Every. Single. Time. I'm a fan of the monorail or any (in theory) scalable public transportation, and I'm a huge fan of Bradbury's science fiction. Both are irrelevant to the point I was making: Wouldn't Bradbury's argument go over a wee bit better, when using Seattle as an example, if we had both 1) a working monorail and 2) not driven further monorail development into the ground as a city? We're not exactly the best example for him to use as a model city in comparision with LA.

Kevin

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 11:33:38 -0800

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Low, loooow blows there. If this was boxing you'd be banned in Nevada. Or, if you worked in the Bush Administration you'd get a promotion. Both accidents are not because of inherent monorail designs, its because of bad design and shoestring maintenance. You take any kind train and put the rails too close together without a proper signal and it'll happen. As for quiet, I've lived near the BART, I've lived with MUNI light rail, monorail noise is nonexistant compared to those two screechers.

Matt Silvie

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 11:10:27 -0800

I met Ray Bradbury at the San Diego Comicon of 2002. He was a very sweet old man in a wheelchair, he insisted on paying for things even though everyone there gave him everything he wanted for free. His personal assistant was also evidently older than anyone at the convention. If Ray Bradbury says the monorail works in Seattle, then, by God, the monorail works in Seattle! Let's build one from his house to the all comic book stores on the West Coast.

g.raf

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 10:32:48 -0800

this comes from a man who refuse to even drive a car