Guided Busway Better Than Light Rail

Hey Austin, forget light rail, it's too expensive and not flexible enough. Try the O-Bahn Guided Busway. It's basically a narrow rail system which regular buses can operate on; the beauty of it is that the rail only needs to be 20 feet wide, which means less impervious cover over the aquifer and recharge zone. Buses can enter this guided rail, travel straight through at speeds of 62 mph, exit, and continue with normal service on roads, thus eliminating the need for expensive light rail lines. Read about Adelaide, Australia's O-Bahn at www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/obahn.html.
   The O-Bahn is cheaper to build, easier to operate, more flexible, environmentally friendly, and easily adaptable to urban or rural settings.
   Think about it. Capitol Metro is proposing to spend $739 million on 14.6 miles of light rail and expecting an average of 37,400 weekday boardings (Source: www.fta.dot.gov/library/policy/ns/ns2001/01austin.html). In 1986, Adelaide (Austin's sister city), completed the $100 million, 7.4-mile O-Bahn (this cost includes construction and purchase of a bus fleet) which serves approximately 30,000 passengers per day. So we could surmise that for $200 million it is possible to construct a 14-mile guided busway. This is significantly less expensive and invasive than a light rail system. This is a better use of our tax dollars, and a more sustainable option. The O-Bahn requires considerably less right-of-way than light rail and places less deadweight load on sensitive environmental areas. I rode the Adelaide O-Bahn; it is fast and exceptionally quiet. There is less noise for nearby residences than a steel-on-steel light railway. Did I mention it is significantly less expensive to build and operate and involves less disruption of the landscape? Go online, look at the pictures, read about it, see what you think.