But it's absurd. Basically, they're trying to bash transit largely for not winning travel market share in areas and for travel patterns where transit isn't even in the market. And in this, rail transit excels. Planners are increasingly coming to the conclusion that urban areas are going to have to live with traffic congestion. They cannot make it evaporate.
Rail transit is a way to bypass the congestion.
Light rail won't have any impact on urban development. Together with effective policies to manage traffic and guide land use, transit-shaped development can be a key tool in helping to contain urban sprawl. Incredibly, opponents or LRT and anti-transit zealots claim urban sprawl is just fine.