Perhaps I'm sheltered or naive, but it seems to me that in a well designed system you shouldn't really have to take two bus connections to get to your nearest l

Perhaps I'm sheltered or naive, but it seems to me that in a well designed system you shouldn't really have to take two bus connections to get to your nearest light rail station. More like zero, or one max if you live on the outskirts. This is how it is in London, and while I realize that's not a typically sized city, it's not unusually dense either. I think that kind of system is possible anywhere, it just requires motivation.