All of these requirements to cause transit to 'transport people effectively, but also do X' effectively count as a bunch of micro-unfunded-mandates, which together do what unfunded mandates always do: create externalities that impair the primary vector of value, while also discouraging change.
Not to mention that if you operate a regular bus route that goes on a fixed path inside a city, it usually is much cheaper to set up a trolleybus line instead of an electric bus. There may be some use cases for an electric bus if the infrastructure is not there at all, but most of the time you have already many people involved in setting up a bus route, adding a few people to manage installing the line over the bus route to have a constant connection for a trolleybus is not a big investment compared to how much cheaper a trolleybus is compared to a electric bus
Ok but the Somerville community path is genuinely excellent infrastructure, and definitely has played a role in Somerville having zero ped/cyclist traffic fatalities in the last 3 years. Can say as a frequent user of the path extension. It is very well used!
The community path has had decades of support it certainly was not just 13 people at a single meeting. Also a billion dollar green line extension that took decades to build with extravagant financial gifts to consultants and construction companies the least they could do is include a 10 foot path for bikes and peds.
All of these requirements to cause transit to 'transport people effectively, but also do X' effectively count as a bunch of micro-unfunded-mandates, which together do what unfunded mandates always do: create externalities that impair the primary vector of value, while also discouraging change.
Not to mention that if you operate a regular bus route that goes on a fixed path inside a city, it usually is much cheaper to set up a trolleybus line instead of an electric bus. There may be some use cases for an electric bus if the infrastructure is not there at all, but most of the time you have already many people involved in setting up a bus route, adding a few people to manage installing the line over the bus route to have a constant connection for a trolleybus is not a big investment compared to how much cheaper a trolleybus is compared to a electric bus
Ok but the Somerville community path is genuinely excellent infrastructure, and definitely has played a role in Somerville having zero ped/cyclist traffic fatalities in the last 3 years. Can say as a frequent user of the path extension. It is very well used!
The community path has had decades of support it certainly was not just 13 people at a single meeting. Also a billion dollar green line extension that took decades to build with extravagant financial gifts to consultants and construction companies the least they could do is include a 10 foot path for bikes and peds.