Mass transit: in efficiency, realism, and stuff in SimCity 3000

Contributor/author(s): Frumple

In my cities, mass transit is a fact of life. I use every possible type of transportation to get my people from here to there and everywhere. However, to say that one type of transit is better than the other, or to totally eliminate the use of it is totally unacceptable. Here, I'll examine three key areas: efficiency, realism, and stupidity (don't ask), to prove that mass transit is needed everywhere.

Efficiency

Let's say there is a Mayor A, and this Mayor likes to build big, efficient, manageable cities. He creates square city blocks (10x10) and places his utilities and city services in an organized and unrealistic fashion.

Now that Mayor A finds traffic is getting a little harsh for his Sims, what mass transit options should he/she take?

Let's start with ground rail systems. Rail takes up the most space in a city, but is very efficient. Rail can transport the farthest distance of about 40-50 tiles before the Sims hit the road. I mainly use rail for industrial purposes, but it's also a very good system for commuters going from Residential to Industrial.

Subways are the next option, but unfortunately these systems are extremely expensive to build. They also can't carry Sims very far (only about 20-30 tiles). Subways, however, carry the most people, use less space, and can be used mostly for residential to commercial transport.

Also, use Subway to Rail Connections as much as you can. These are actually stations, unlike the others in SC2000. Using a combination of subway/rail, you can maximize passenger potential.

Buses are a totally different story. This system doesn't need rails, as it runs on roads. Buses are the best bet for decreasing traffic in residential zones. Though there have been allegations that they "waste space", certain planning can avoid this.

The following example is a way to integrate the bus and rail systems in a residential/commercial zone.

       ---TPR---  T = Rail
       ---TPR---  P = Small Park/Fountain/etc.
       ---TPR---  R = Road
       ---T@R---  @ = Bus Stop
       RRRXRRRRR  X = Crossing
       ---DDR---  D = Rail Depot
       ---DDR---  - = Zoned Area/Whatever
       ---TPR---
       ---TPR---

You can also replace the depot with a Subway/Rail Connection, integrating three systems altogether! Doing this will increase bus usage to about 700-800 if traffic is high. And, in the meantime, you're increasing land value at a low cost. Also, if you're running through a industrial area, try filling the gap with trees to attempt a block on pollution. (Of course, it doesn't fully work)

As for highways, they tend to sicken me, but I still use them sometimes, if my city is large enough. Highways can handle commuters that go far distances between zones, but it's difficult to place your onramps so they aren't inefficient. Rule of Thumb: place the onramp in between the highway and parallel road.

Realism

Now let's go on to Mayor B, who loves to make beautiful, realistic cities. The roads are not squarish and perpendicular, and the zone densities are mixed. A slightly more difficult task to implement mass transit, but doable.

First off, let me say this: real cities in the real world use mass transit!!!

Big cities have buses, trains, subways, highways, everything! You can not build a *real* city without them. Some say that people (and perhaps Sims) don't use mass transit as much and you need lots of traffic to make the city *real*. Not true! Japanese cities have millions of office workers who fill up the subway/rail platforms every weekday. Why the hell did they build the underground rail Chunnel from England to France?! And have you ever seen a major first-world city without buses?! Cars are still used all over the world and traffic is still high, but you NEED MASS TRANSIT to make a city realistic.

As for other things, I'm a little disappointed that buses cannot be used to a great degree in commercial zones. I wouldn't expect buses to go to a factory, but I would expect them to go downtown or something. Also, they could have made it more realistic by allowing buses to stop at rail/subway stations, as real buses always do for transferring commuters. That way, we wouldn't need bus stops and we could save space.

The other systems however, do their job realistically. Real people use rails and subways to get around to their jobs. However, you should try not to "run" a rail line right through a busy commercial or residential. It's noisy and intrusive (unless you live in Japan :P).

Highways, however, only really fit in the U.S., Japan, and other countries. Use highways when you need/want them.

Stuff

This section is on stuff. Actually futuristic transit options that could have been put into SC3000, but weren't.

Firstly, I'm slightly disappointed that nothing really has changed in the transportation area of SC3000. There are still the boring rails, dumb roads, and silly highways. I was expecting a little more, but here's a list of things I wish they were included in SC4000...erm...not sure if it's in production.

- ALRT (Aerial/Air Light Rail Transit)

Here in Vancouver, there is a rail system called SkyTrain, which is a line that is elevated by pillars. It is not a monorail, the track is more of a electronic subway. It would be built like rail, and may allow a small zoned building under it, but it mainly increases land value because of the great view from the train.

- Long-Range Commuter Rail

A different type of rail line could have been made, perhaps powered by overhead electric lines. This rail could transport commuters a whole farther distance than regular rail, but stations had to be a certain space apart.

- Ferries/Docks

Two ferry docks across from each other could handle lots of traffic where a bridge could not reach. It could also boost population from other oceanic cities.

- Other Things...

Teleportation devices, Hovercraft, Flying cars, Bicycle Paths, etc.

And that's my deal on mass transit.

See also
Subways only for mass transit?
Avenues: form or functional?
The where and what of mass transit
Transportation infrastructure
Control your transportation flow
Building the perfect mass transit system
Eliminate traffic and mass transit costs
Bus stops: for shops and houses only?
How to build a big, mass transit free city