Trolly money could be put to better use

Editor:

So the government is going ahead with the proposed trolly system for downtown San Jose! What can they be thinking?

First, this projected $254,000,000 project will likely cost half again as much, as such projects usually do. But even at the published cost, we’re talking about over $25 million per kilometer and for what benefit?

Can a trolly car with a capacity of (say) sixty carry any more people than a bus with the same capacity? How can that be?

Can a trolly car travel through traffic any faster than a city bus? How can it outrun the traffic in front of it?

If there’s an obstacle on the tracks in front of a trolly car, can it change lanes to avoid it or be rerouted to a different street? Won’t it have to stop and wait?

And what of the disruption of vehicular traffic along these ten kilometers during construction. Just how long will this construction project take? Is the juice really worth the squeeze?

A quarter of a billion dollars spent repairing Costa Rica’s surface roads would render far greater benefits to a far larger segment of the population and that benefit could begin to be realized immediately. And because repairing the roads is very labor-intensive, sorely needed jobs would be created.

Or, the quarter billion could be spent in support of the national health care systems with its many shortcomings or to strengthen public education.

Infrastructure improvement is an important part of bringing or keeping Costa Rica competitive in the world, but this trolly system will contribute nothing to that end.

David C. Murray
Grecia, Alajuela