28
Mar

2010

Definitions

Post by Steven Dale

How you define a problem determines how you solve it.

Most transit agencies, planners and governments tend to define an urban public transit problem as a decision between Roads and Rails:

Should we use buses, light rail/streetcars or subways?

It’s no surprise then when buses, light rail/streetcars or subways are the end result. That’s what happens when you define a problem from its middle, rather than from its beginning. You get mediocrity, the status quo and exactly what you expect. Better instead to start the discussion where the discussion starts:

How do we move the number of people we need to move through a given environment as quickly, cheaply, safely and efficiently as possible?

Define a problem from its beginning and you’re bound to get more than just Roads and Rails.



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