The Politically Correct Streetcar

Update to this post can be found by clicking here.


For the record, I thought that I wouldn't have to do a blog on this, but now there's no choice, I have to because now VIA along with Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Judge Nelson Wolff proposal for the future.  Ever heard of the Straddling Bus, or the Trackless Train?  You've probably heard about these vehicles for they have been making the news for the past 5 plus years from China. But the real name of these vehicles should be the Politically Correct Light Rail, aka the Straddling Bus, and the Politically Correct Streetcar, aka the Trackless Train.  The Reason Why I call these vehicles "Politically Correct" because there's this unwritten 11th commandment that states "Shall not slow down my car" because these vehicles don't break that technically. 

75.1

The Politically Correct Light Rail official name is the Straddling Bus. Wikipedia calls it the Transit Elevated Bus and it doesn't run on rubber tires, but a track along the roadway.  It is designed to be above the moving traffic while not taking away any space that's set aside for cars or blocking them while making a stop, thus this is the reason why I call this the "Politically Correct Light Rail" because building a light rail track above the roadway isn't the "politically correct" thing to do even though it's the most obvious thing to do.  Now if you ever saw the videos from the early years of Houston's Light Rail removing idiot drivers from the road, then you'll understand why this vehicle has no future and according to the Wikipedia article I sited, it was scrapped in 2017. 

75.2

The next vehicle is already being tested with passengers in Zhuzhou, China, and it should be called the Politically Correct Streetcar, but the official name is this vehicle is the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit. The mayor and VIA is referring to this vehicle as the Trackless Train. (Image 75.2)  It's not a train at all, but a bus that has a body of a modern streetcar and uses a technology called Optical Guidance. Wikipedia States that "Optical guidance relies on the principles of image processing. A camera in the front of the vehicle scans the bands of paint on the ground representing the reference path" and a computer process the image and controls the steering of the vehicle.  This technology isn't just being used in Zhuzhou but in Rouen and Nîmes France and Castellon, Spain.  In essence, the Politically Correct Streetcar is a Guided Bus.  If this vehicle was a train, wouldn't have a need for a steering wheel for trains follow the rail that's lay down.  (I'll leave a link to Reading Rainbow episode "Kate Shelley the Midnight Express" explaining the controls of an Amtrak locomotive which can be seen starting at 1:45) Unlike a regular bus, it has a steering wheel at both ends of the vehicle.  I was trying to look for a story back in 2004 on why GM discontinued with offering this type of rear wheel steering called 'quadrasteer,' but I wasn't able to find the article pointing out how the rear steering wheels would get stuck in the turn position while the vehicle was in motion. In essence, Nirenberg, Wolff and VIA where coned by Chinese salesman who put lipstick on a pig or in this case a bus.

In VIA's own Long Range plans, they want to eventually buy the railway right of way that runs from Centro Plaza to behind the Rim. Now I thought they were going to use this right of way for rail transit, but it's beginning to look like if they ever buy it, they'll be using it for buses.  In my blog post Streetcar IV: The Future of Rail in SA, I stated how "Union Pacific Railroad will also stand in the way like one of their freight trains blocking traffic at a railroad crossing.  They dragged their feet when it came to the linear creekway trails going underneath their railroad tracks.  I'm personally counting on Union Pacific to seal those feet in cement to prevent that train from getting next to the Westside Multimodal Center" now called Centro Plaza. I was sorta right for Union Pacific walked away from talks with the Lonestar Rail district back in Feburary 2016.  It's my own opinion that this event had swayed VIA's rail plans and I'm wondering if the final plan is to turn this right of way into a Guided Busway.  

I can only hope that VIA has the foresight to use the type of guided bus called Kerb Guidance or (KGB) because it doesn't require a computer to guide the vehicle.  According to Wikipedia, "kerb-guided buses (KGB)" uses a "small guide wheels attached to the bus engage vertical curbs on either side of the guideway. (Image 75.3) In the video above, you'll see a Streetfilms video on the the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway between Cambridge and St Ives in England.  This type is used also used on Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit in England and on the O-Bahn Busway, in Adelaide, South Australia. Personally I wish that VIA would implement this technology at many of it's transit centers to provide level boarding so our buses don't have to waste time getting the ADA ramp out. Level boarding is a boarding method where the platform is at the same height of the floor of the vehicle making the stop.  This method is used on many light rail systems to allow quick and easy boarding for wheelchairs. By clicking here you will see a video from DART about how their level boarding works on the DART Light Rail in Dallas.

75.3

The reason why I called these technologies "Politically Correct" because they don't break the 11th commandment which states "Shall not slow down thy car."  Yes I made it up, but it's literally the truth when you try to remove a vehicle lane anywhere in the world especially here in San Antonio.  The people who created these Politically Correct Transit Vehicles are trying to bring low cost fancy transit vehicles to the public believing that there's isn't enough  political support to remove a vehicle lane nor pay for light rail. We are hearing about these things because the Mayor and VIA doesn't think that Light Rail, if brought to a vote, will pass unless it's during a Presidential election and from what I understand on who goes votes, well he's right.  

As a rule, I don't mention political parties on this blog for I have a very good habit of insulting both Trump supporter and Hillary supporter in same sentence and I want to win over everyone to my point of view.  But for this point, I'll be breaking this rule for I need to get across the point that what you think is true, isn't.

Back in 2014, I attended a townhall hosted by Tommy Adkisson to test the waters to see if he should run for mayor. I was just 34 years old and the youngest dude in the crowd.  Back then, we were still talking about the Streetcar and I told the crowded in attendance what I wrote about in Streetcar Part III, No Need for Streetcars Down Broadway about how it's just there for development but I was still for it.  After the meeting was over, I walk over to this person and who wanted the bike lanes removed from South Flores and I told her that "you know, when you ride a train, you don't have to fold up your stroller like when you board a VIA bus."  Her reply was this, "well they should just suck it up and deal with it" and then went on  to describe how we need more car lanes. Now if I were to ask my friends who vote for democrats, does this sound like a democrat? They would have said no, that's a Republican.  But in reality, this is an average Bexar County Democrat voter; she pro-car, anti-bike, and the most important thing to our Mayor, is that this is the type of person out of all of the eligible voting population that is guarantee to show up and vote in every city election. This is the person that our Mayor and VIA needs to convince to increase VIA's funding. (Image 62.1)

62.1

My goal wasn't to make fun of Democrats, my goal was, is to try to get you to show up to every council election.  The majority of San Antonia's population do want trains, they do want bike lanes and more bike paths, but those people don't show up and vote, that crazy lady does and all the people who serve our local government, both past and present know this. this is why VIA is talking about the Politically Correct Streetcar and not Light Rail.  

This is also why I don't get into state and national politics on this page because I guarantee that the most people who identify with one particular political party over the other political party have stereotypical ideals of how their political party acts like and how the other side of the isle act like and my experience have found for the most part that this is not to be true. I'll just leave it at that and I hope never to have to cross this line again.  

And that's why Mayor Ron Nirenberg has ditch light rail for a bus with lipstick on it which I'm correctly calling it the Politically Correct Streetcar.  VIA needs more money and he's gambling on people like that person that I talk about in voting yes for it. Regardless if VIA buys the Politically Correct Streetcar, they need to receive more in the sales tax like Dallas, Austin, and Houston to meet the transportation demands of our growing city. 

Remember when I ask then Councilman of District 8 if he would bring rail to a vote as mayor?
K. Are you willing to bring Light Rail to a vote?     
Answer:  Yes     
Explanation:  If voter-approved, commuter rail will be an important element of a modern, multimodal transportation system in San Antonio. I have committed, on the record, to implementing this plan as mayor of San Antonio.   
I will be holding him accountable in the next election and For the Record, I will be also voting for Mayor Ron Nirenberg proposition on VIA as well.

Images:

75.1: a model of the Transit Elevated Bus.  By – FelixM – - InnoTrans 2016 – Chinese Bus… -ish Thing, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51672318
75.2:  A Screenshot from the YouTube video "World’s first "smart train" with virtual tracks launched in Hunan, China" https://youtu.be/Lqgvk6LWUDk

75.3:  The kerb guide wheel of a guided bus in Mannheim, Germany By Martin Hawlisch (LosHawlos) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87974 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/MB_O_405_N_MVV274_guide_wheel_detail.jpeg
62.1:  The statistics that ilovesanantonio.org has on their site about voting. Was featured in the blog post "3 Reasons You Should Vote" bikesanantonio.blogspot.com/2017/04/3-reasons-you-should-vote.html