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Thread summary:

Lightrail: solar panels, electricity, green energy, wind turbines, global warming, transport system.

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Old 04-26-2008, 09:01 AM
 
Location: Wherabouts Unknown!
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Wild Style wrote:
As per cost, I think if someone took a more practical look at cost which are not only what the state pays but what individuals have to pay for upkeep, insurance and pollution cost, cars are far less efficient.
If we took all of the money spent on cars, maintenance, fuel, highways, insurance, etc, and put all of that money into public transportation ( with trains as the focus ), this country would once again be the envy of the world for its First Class Transportation system. While we'll spend great amounts of money on our cars, we'd ( myself included ) balk at spending the same amount of money to make public transportation work for us, because we'd have to give up some of our ME FIRST mentality.
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Old 04-26-2008, 09:41 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sterlinggirl View Post
The 10 Billion number for a new high speed rail corridor seems outrageous, but is less than Delta and Northwest lost due to high fuel costs 1Q of this year.
Tying the airline hubs into the rail system might provide the best of both worlds, allowing the airlines to concentrate their business on long-haul fuel efficient routes, while still being able to get the customer to their end destination. Regional airports wouldn't be too hard to convert into terminals.
This is an excellent observation "Regional airports wouldn't be too hard to convert into terminals" and it fits into my thoughts when I started this thread. There are a lot of local airports in my region that have maybe two or three flights a day which are extremely expensive to take. I also know that there are existing rail lines that are in decent shape that could be used to funnel people into a regional hub, say Green Bay or Milwaukee.

For example, instead of flying out of Iron Mountain, one could take a train to Milwaukee and achieve overall savings on a personal level and in overall cost benefit savings. This may be a blessing in disguise for smaller cities
- it would meke them easier to access and could even spur development by the connection.

Besides the air travellers, it could open up a lot of other travel opportunities. Why not have an Auto Train type system that could use those same rails and have vacationers from the Chicago area load their cars onto rail for a trip to upper Wisconsin or the UP and then have their cars for vacation plans. After all, the stretch from Chicago to almost Green Bay is not what I consider to be overly laden with relaxation.

Hats off to sterlinggirl for the thought.
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Old 04-26-2008, 11:08 AM
 
Location: America
6,993 posts, read 17,308,415 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NewAgeRedneck View Post
Wild Style wrote:
As per cost, I think if someone took a more practical look at cost which are not only what the state pays but what individuals have to pay for upkeep, insurance and pollution cost, cars are far less efficient.
If we took all of the money spent on cars, maintenance, fuel, highways, insurance, etc, and put all of that money into public transportation ( with trains as the focus ), this country would once again be the envy of the world for its First Class Transportation system. While we'll spend great amounts of money on our cars, we'd ( myself included ) balk at spending the same amount of money to make public transportation work for us, because we'd have to give up some of our ME FIRST mentality.
And this pretty much sums up the whole debate as to why.

[/thread]
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Old 04-26-2008, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Floribama
18,929 posts, read 43,261,108 times
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The biggest question is how do you keep public transportation safe? Are we going to have a police officer on every train? I think we need to remember that people move to the suburbs to get away from crime, and all it takes is a few incidents (like the one in Baltimore) to turn people off for good. People feel safe in their cars where they can lock the doors and not sit next to some crackhead weirdo with body odor. We also need to remember that people have kids, and don't want them on a crowded train or bus. I personally like my car (even if it had to be a Prius), and the only good thing I see about public transportation is it would get a few more people off the roads to make more room for me.
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Old 04-26-2008, 01:45 PM
 
955 posts, read 2,151,472 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover View Post
The biggest question is how do you keep public transportation safe? Are we going to have a police officer on every train? I think we need to remember that people move to the suburbs to get away from crime, and all it takes is a few incidents (like the one in Baltimore) to turn people off for good.
I understand your point, but this thread is on intercity rail, not subway or light rail urban use. You can see some comments on light rail in the thread on light rail proposal for Detroit under the Detroit subsection of Michigan.
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Old 04-26-2008, 01:48 PM
 
Location: America
6,993 posts, read 17,308,415 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover View Post
The biggest question is how do you keep public transportation safe? Are we going to have a police officer on every train? I think we need to remember that people move to the suburbs to get away from crime, and all it takes is a few incidents (like the one in Baltimore) to turn people off for good. People feel safe in their cars where they can lock the doors and not sit next to some crackhead weirdo with body odor. We also need to remember that people have kids, and don't want them on a crowded train or bus. I personally like my car (even if it had to be a Prius), and the only good thing I see about public transportation is it would get a few more people off the roads to make more room for me.
I think some people need to stop watching law and order. People take mass transit in major U.S. cities with out incident. A guy here in Florida is is going up to woman, forcing them into their cars, takes them back to their apartments and rapes them. Soooo people should now be afraid to drive cars and rent apartments out in the burbs? come on now.
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Old 04-26-2008, 04:04 PM
 
8,317 posts, read 29,375,561 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover View Post
The biggest question is how do you keep public transportation safe? Are we going to have a police officer on every train? I think we need to remember that people move to the suburbs to get away from crime, and all it takes is a few incidents (like the one in Baltimore) to turn people off for good. People feel safe in their cars where they can lock the doors and not sit next to some crackhead weirdo with body odor. We also need to remember that people have kids, and don't want them on a crowded train or bus. I personally like my car (even if it had to be a Prius), and the only good thing I see about public transportation is it would get a few more people off the roads to make more room for me.
When some mass transit (buses and trains) got unsafe from a crime standpoint was when it was abandoned by the middle class, and left to the poor and lawless. Those people had no political voice to insist that transit was safe--and as a result, it wasn't. So, when (not if) spiraling fuel prices and the unsustainability of our highway system forces the good ol' middle class back onto transit and trains--guess what--they will be safe. The fact that people have to cocoon themselves in 2 tons of metal to consider themselves safe from crime while traveling from place to place is a stark commentary on what ****-poor shape American society is in. Maybe if the average American had to walk the streets and ride mass-transit, they wouldn't stand for of the lawlessness and bull**** that permeates so much of urban America these days.


At any rate, the statistically most dangerous thing any American does is when he or she jumps into the old family auto and heads down the road. More dangerous than most of the most dangerous careers, more dangerous than the risks a lot of soldiers may even face. The roads ARE an injury and killing zone--we are just numb to it and accept it.
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Old 04-26-2008, 05:54 PM
 
Location: Wherabouts Unknown!
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jazzlover wrote:
At any rate, the statistically most dangerous thing any American does is when he or she jumps into the old family auto and heads down the road. More dangerous than most of the most dangerous careers, more dangerous than the risks a lot of soldiers may even face. The roads ARE an injury and killing zone--we are just numb to it and accept it.
Beyond a shadow of doubt, driving my car down the highway is by far the most dangerous thing I do in my life. I'm not a religious wacko by any means, but I always take a few moments to say a prayer for safety everytime I drive my car or ride as a passenger in someone elses car.
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:14 PM
 
Location: NJ
2,210 posts, read 7,008,549 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover View Post
The biggest question is how do you keep public transportation safe? Are we going to have a police officer on every train? ....
....We also need to remember that people have kids, and don't want them on a crowded train or bus.
As others have noted above, the car is the biggest killer out there. You are FAR safer on public transportation.

As for kids, city dwellers take them on the bus and subway all the time, without incident. In fact, nothing like people watching to keep the kids amused. Plus all that walking to and fro keeps them fit.


Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover View Post
I personally like my car
And that, in a nutshell, is the real objection.
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:41 PM
 
Location: Floribama
18,929 posts, read 43,261,108 times
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I understand some of your arguments. Maybe some people will use mass transit for commuting to work, but I think most Americans will still always need a vehicle for other purposes. What about grocery shopping, am I supposed carry ten bags of groceries on a train? I like to garden, am I supposed to carry plants and 25lb bags of manure on a train? What if I buy a new 50 inch plasma TV, I am supposed to carry that on a train? Most Americans will always need a vehicle, but I think in another decade they will be much more efficient than what they are today. I'm not trying to argue here, I'm just trying to understand other peoples way of thinking (even if I disagree).
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