synonymouse Wrote:
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> Overhead lines are the way to go - plenty of power
> and others, like the Europeans, don't find the
> maintenance any big deal.

1) Maybe, just maybe there is a political culture in Europe much more willing to support public transportation investment than exists in the US.

There is a serious possibility of Californians voting to repeal a gasoline tax increase which was enacted, in part to fund transit. If that measure succeeds, what revenue source will replace gasoline taxes dedicated for transit.

Several years ago, a Pennsylvania state legislator objected to a measure to increase funding for the state's transit systems, calling it more "welfare" for Philadelphia.

The Koch Brothers put up money against a referendum in Whichita Kansas to provide more funding for transit.

In this kind of environment, many American transit systems are hard pressed to keep existing service, let alone purchase, install and maintain expensive overhead electric wires.

2) European transit systems, are in fact, are increasing their use of battery electric buses. Vienna has them. Other cities which ordered them in 2017 include London, Nottingham, Charleroi & Numar (Belgium) and Paris.

Think of the wires as
> if arteries and veins. For now batteries remain a
> trendy "green" novelty, a useful assist for going
> off line for a time but inadequate for loaded
> articulateds and hills. That may change but
> manufacturing large quantities of potent batteries
> will not come without environmental issues of
> their own.

The issue of disposing batteries has not been resolved, but there is consideration to reuse them in non-transportation applications and to recycle them.
>
> Visual pollution is in the eye of the beholder -

Yes, overhead wires are accepted in Dayton, OH. In fact, the Dayton transit operator wanted to get rid of electric trolleybuses, but it was pressured by the community into keeping them and then modernizing the trolleybus system. Many other communities would object to introduction of overhead electric wires.

> from my perspective the SalesForce skyrise is ugly
> as sin.

At the end of the day, it's not why you or I think, it's what the community desires.

Those anthills are an advertisement of
> bloated wealth and power - and accordingly the
> first thing to get blasted by aliens or rampant
> mother nature in any good sci-fi or disaster
> flick. Gojira prefers a low-rise Tokyo.

Irrelevant and a deflection...