Even if you think what you would say is obvious, please add. This is genuinely something I think makes sense regarding local bus routes given the longevity of light rail and how infrequently routes change, but I also suffer from confirmation bias, so I’m hoping for reasons this would be a terrible idea but obviously would prefer reasons it would be an even more amazing idea than I thought.

  • @[email protected]
    14•1 year ago

    We tried in Denmark (Aarhus). Quite expensive, and too many issues. Electrical busses (with dedicated lanes) seems like the better solution, bus but this is also not cheap.

    Edit: Spelling

      • @Atomdude
        2•1 year ago

        I’ve never heard rubber waste mentioned as an issue, what is that about?

        • @[email protected]OP
          1•1 year ago

          Sorry I’m lazy, but here’s what Bard spat out

          According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, approximately 1 billion end-of-life tires (ELTs) are generated every year worldwide. Of these, an estimated 75% are not recycled and end up in landfills, stockpiles, or illegal dumps.

          In the United States, approximately 280 million tires are discarded each year. Of these, only about 30 million are retreaded or reused, leaving roughly 250 million scrap tires to be managed annually. About 85 percent of these scrap tires are automobile tires, the remainder being truck tires.

          The estimated amount of waste tires generated in India each year is 765 million. Of these, only about 20% are recycled, while the remaining 80% are disposed of in landfills, stockpiles, or illegally dumped.

          The improper disposal of waste tires can have a number of negative environmental and health impacts, including:

          • Water pollution: Tires can leach harmful chemicals into groundwater and surface water, which can contaminate drinking water and fish habitats.
          • Air pollution: Burning tires releases harmful pollutants into the air, such as dioxins and furans. These pollutants can cause respiratory problems, cancer, and other health problems.
          • Fire hazards: Tire fires can be difficult to extinguish and can release harmful pollutants into the air.
          • Mosquito breeding grounds: Tires can collect water, which can provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes that spread diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

          It is important to recycle waste tires whenever possible to help reduce these environmental and health impacts. There are a number of ways to recycle waste tires, including:

          • Retreading: This process involves removing the worn tread from a tire and replacing it with a new one. Retreading can extend the life of a tire by several years.
          • Shredding: This process involves shredding tires into small pieces that can be used as a filler material in asphalt, concrete, and other products.
          • Pyrolysis: This process involves heating tires in a controlled environment to break them down into their constituent materials, which can then be reused or recycled.

          By recycling waste tires, we can help protect our environment and our health.

      • @[email protected]
        -1•1 year ago

        Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good though, whatever increases ridership and gets people off cars faster is going to have a bigger impact on contamination.

    • smars
      4•1 year ago

      Aarhus is not really a good example of replacing a bus, as it is a rather regional light rail system with a short inner city section. The difficulties they have seen are probably mainly caused by the technical and budgetary choices made during planning.

      For Denmark, Odense looks like a better example, that should be successful if they manage to solve the initial challenges, e.g. with noise/vibrations.

      As for the longevity that OP is mentioning, the systems in Bergen (Norway) and Tampere (Finland) show how important this is, with huge private investments being made along the lines. A bus line can be gone next year, but rails will stay for at least decades.

      • @[email protected]
        4•1 year ago

        My guess is that hydrogen busses suffer the same challenges as hydrogen short-distance trucks. Due to an overall low energy efficiency (electrolysis -> compression -> decompression), it makes better sense for long-distance transport.

        • FlaxEnglish
          2•1 year ago

          Buses have the advantage of potentially being able to be refuelled more often