I'm not a big fan of public transportation since it has limited endpoints and has plenty of incentives to be inefficient. Of course, it's also an illegitimate function of government but that objection will only fly once we as a society get a notion of the proper functions of government. I voted against the recent Maricopa County proposition to expand light rail as well as the original proposition that started it.
What makes the light rail expenditures more egregious isn't just that such systems have failed in nearly every municipality, it's also that there exist alternatives that are so much more efficient and cost-effective. SkyWeb Express is one such alternative and it costs a quarter of typical light rail. What's more, it's almost completely automated, private, and able to bypass stations. Oh, and it looks like a cross between a monorail and Rocket Rods.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much municipal interest in it.
