Beltline Streetcar: Transit is a service, not an "equipment"

Hans Klein 26 February 2023

In the continuing debate over a Beltline streetcar, I would like to make a point that is academic but has practical relevance.

When analyzing technology, it is important to distinguish between *equipment* and *service*. For many systems, what matters is the service. The equipment is important only insofar as it contributes to the service.

Atlanta’s airport illustrates the difference between equipment and service. Atlanta has the world’s busiest airport, but we rarely think of it in terms of Boeing jets vs. Airbus jets; Boeing and Airbus make *equipment*. No, what matters is the service. We think about air travel in terms of Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, etc., because those companies provide the travel *service*.

In general, transport is a service. Equipment matters only insofar as it contributes to the service.

The same holds true for transit: transit is also a service. Transit is a service to get people from their origin to their destination. The particular equipment used in the service matters only insofar that it is efficient and effective. For transit, the “equipment” is 1) the right of way (RoW) and 2) the modal technology, e.g. light rail (LRT), streetcar, or bus rapid transit (BRT). The choices of RoW and of modal technology matter only insofar as they contribute to efficient and effective transit service.

I don’t like this word, but I will use it: “fetish.” In today’s debate over transit, we risk fetishizing equipment rather than focusing on service. Well-intentioned transit supporters are mistakenly equating a particular equipment (streetcar on the Beltline RoW) with transit service. But this is the wrong focus. We should focus on the service, for that is what transit is. If you support transit, then you should support whatever modal technology and whatever RoW provide the best service.

So, today’s debate should be about these two questions:

First, which RoW contributes to better transit service, a radial RoW or a circular RoW? I argue that a radial RoW contributes to better transit service because it takes people from home to work and back again.

Second, which modal technology contributes to better transit service, Streetcar or BRT? I argue that BRT contributes to better transit service, because it costs less, is easier for MARTA to maintain, and is more flexible that Streetcar.

Most everyone in today’s debate supports transit, and I guess that everyone would prefer that MARTA use the best RoW and the best modal technology. We need to focus the debate on the choice of RoW and the choice of modal technology.

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