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Old 03-05-2014, 04:17 PM
 
5,466 posts, read 8,253,504 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mattee01 View Post
More people would be lining up to use it if they could see it as an alternative. Good transit doesnt come from good planning, it is a prerequisite to it.
How does this make sense from a business standpoint? You can't take a build it and they will come attitude to this. Who will front the dollars? Taxpayers?
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Old 03-05-2014, 04:30 PM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
5,238 posts, read 8,754,259 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redcliffe View Post
How does this make sense from a business standpoint? You can't take a build it and they will come attitude to this. Who will front the dollars? Taxpayers?
Public transportation, by definition, is not a business, nor should it be. Public transportation is built to make a better society, not to make a profit.

People won't use a system that sucks. If it's not useful, it won't get used. So let's make it useful.

And of course taxpayers pay for public transportation, with the taxpayers that (directly) use it paying a little more.

And what do we get for that money spent?

Less traffic, less pollution, lower unemployment, better roads...

Or even, saving money on a car, car insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc...
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Old 03-05-2014, 04:52 PM
 
5,466 posts, read 8,253,504 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Art123 View Post
Public transportation, by definition, is not a business, nor should it be. Public transportation is built to make a better society, not to make a profit.

People won't use a system that sucks. If it's not useful, it won't get used. So let's make it useful.

And of course taxpayers pay for public transportation, with the taxpayers that (directly) use it paying a little more.

And what do we get for that money spent?

Less traffic, less pollution, lower unemployment, better roads...

Or even, saving money on a car, car insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc...
Alright, the folks that want it so badly should be the ones that foot that bill. I don't ride the bus, so why should I and others(most of Greenville) who don't ride be forced to pay for it? If it can sustain itself without the taxpayers that don't use it, then go for it. But it can't, can it? The current system is the right size for those that use it. A lot of the buses are empty. Oh, and whenever money has to change hands, it is indeed business. Even a church is a business. Your example just takes from the taxpayer.
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Old 03-05-2014, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, Ga
2,490 posts, read 2,531,641 times
Reputation: 2052
Quote:
Originally Posted by redcliffe View Post
Alright, the folks that want it so badly should be the ones that foot that bill. I don't ride the bus, so why should I and others(most of Greenville) who don't ride be forced to pay for it? If it can sustain itself without the taxpayers that don't use it, then go for it. But it can't, can it? The current system is the right size for those that use it. A lot of the buses are empty. Oh, and whenever money has to change hands, it is indeed business. Even a church is a business. Your example just takes from the taxpayer.
You dont get to pick and chose what you pay for. Why do I pay for highways I never use? Why do I pay for schools I dont have children in? Why do I pay for police and fire fighters Ive never called? Its part of building a better society. On this, I basically have to say tough s**t. We all pay for stuff we dont use. Get used to it. Greenville would be a much better place if it could be accessed by transit and the next generation will be the one to suffer for foot dragging now.
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Old 03-05-2014, 05:10 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, Ga
2,490 posts, read 2,531,641 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Art123 View Post
Public transportation, by definition, is not a business, nor should it be. Public transportation is built to make a better society, not to make a profit.

People won't use a system that sucks. If it's not useful, it won't get used. So let's make it useful.

And of course taxpayers pay for public transportation, with the taxpayers that (directly) use it paying a little more.

And what do we get for that money spent?

Less traffic, less pollution, lower unemployment, better roads...

Or even, saving money on a car, car insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc...
Exactly!!! They want money to be used to keep expanding roads but thats unsustainable. Just look how well procar worked for atlanta
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Old 03-05-2014, 05:46 PM
 
243 posts, read 281,305 times
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Quote:
Why do I pay for highways I never use?
I don't think it is possible for you not to use highways. Even if you don't drive yourself I am pretty sure that most (if not all) food at some point between where it is grown/made and the store/restaurant you by it at is transported using a highway. I don't ever recall seeing a grocery store with a rail road stop out back by the loading dock.
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Old 03-05-2014, 05:52 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, Ga
2,490 posts, read 2,531,641 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gamecock303 View Post
I don't think it is possible for you not to use highways. Even if you don't drive yourself I am pretty sure that most (if not all) food at some point between where it is grown/made and the store/restaurant you by it at is transported using a highway. I don't ever recall seeing a grocery store with a rail road stop out back by the loading dock.
We are talking about direct use, not services provided through. That coukd very well include transit via the form of people services or small quantity goods.
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Old 03-05-2014, 06:21 PM
 
243 posts, read 281,305 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mattee01 View Post
We are talking about direct use, not services provided through. That coukd very well include transit via the form of people services or small quantity goods.
you would be hard pressed to make that argument (at least on a large scale where it would effect most people) for public transportation anywhere in SC. Even when I lived in Columbia everyone I knew (whether or not they provided me some type of service) drove every where, unless you count the shuttles around campus which aren't exactly your typical "public transportation." When I lived in Columbia is was pretty routine to see buses driving around the city all day with no more than a few passengers on them. Those buses also caused traffic problems because they slow down the flow of traffic at stop lights (even when they weren't making stops) not to mentioned clogged up traffic lanes (well one lane at least) when they made stops.

For the lifestyles of most South Carolianians (at least based on my own experience) increased public transportation doesn't make sense, it will just be a waste in money. I don't really know anyone in SC who would choose public transportation over driving as it forces you to schedule your activities based on something completely out of your control.

Yes sitting in traffic for extended periods can be a pain in the ***** but the vast majority of the time if you are smart about the routes you take you can avoid most if not all of the traffic. Wrecks and other incidents that cause traffic to come to a stand still are going to happen increased public transportation isn't going to do a whole lot to change that.
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:03 PM
 
5,466 posts, read 8,253,504 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gamecock303 View Post
you would be hard pressed to make that argument (at least on a large scale where it would effect most people) for public transportation anywhere in SC. Even when I lived in Columbia everyone I knew (whether or not they provided me some type of service) drove every where, unless you count the shuttles around campus which aren't exactly your typical "public transportation." When I lived in Columbia is was pretty routine to see buses driving around the city all day with no more than a few passengers on them. Those buses also caused traffic problems because they slow down the flow of traffic at stop lights (even when they weren't making stops) not to mentioned clogged up traffic lanes (well one lane at least) when they made stops.

For the lifestyles of most South Carolianians (at least based on my own experience) increased public transportation doesn't make sense, it will just be a waste in money. I don't really know anyone in SC who would choose public transportation over driving as it forces you to schedule your activities based on something completely out of your control.

Yes sitting in traffic for extended periods can be a pain in the ***** but the vast majority of the time if you are smart about the routes you take you can avoid most if not all of the traffic. Wrecks and other incidents that cause traffic to come to a stand still are going to happen increased public transportation isn't going to do a whole lot to change that.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Saved me whole lot of typing. Mattee you're in Atlanta. Big city. All the transit you need. If I needed transit I'd be somewhere like that. Greenville is a small city that isn't transit dependent. Art, maybe you should try Atlanta.
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Old 03-05-2014, 09:17 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, Ga
2,490 posts, read 2,531,641 times
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Actually Atlanta still needs more and its addressing that. As for the Columbia situation youre still talking about a very limited, long wait time, ineffective service. Scheduling around it is a lot simpler when you have plenty of lines that go where u need them to, runs every 5-15 minutes, and operates all days for a decent amount of time. Considering 40% of SC residents dont have income liabilty, Id imagine thats the minimum number who would ride it, and a lot more than that would simply for the ease and being cheaper than gas. Theres nothing wrong with driving, but there is something wrong when no other viable altetnative is mentioned as that leads to monopoly which is what the highway system and car dealerships are.
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