Why did the twin cities never get a subway system? (Minneapolis: rental car, rental)

[davephan]

Originally Posted by Kaszilla

Only in America is public transportation seen as a second class way of getting around. An ignorant view of you ask me.

Try riding the bus between downtown Minneapolis and north Minneapolis, after dark, at night, and see if you change your mind about the risk of being a crime victim.

[Kaszilla]

Originally Posted by davephan

Try riding the bus between downtown Minneapolis and north Minneapolis, after dark, at night, and see if you change your mind about the risk of being a crime victim.

I have. I used to do it all the time but the question was about a subway system which is a much more efficient form of transportation compared to buses.

[minnomaboidenapolis]

Originally Posted by Kaszilla

Only in America is public transportation seen as a second class way of getting around. An ignorant view of you ask me.

Your statement is quite ignorant itself. Only in America? Just go a little bit up north to Canada and you won't see much of a difference - only the largest 3 Canadian cities have decent public transit. Wanna live in Winnipeg and rely on public transit? Good luck trying.

What about Australia? Again, same story. Sydney is just now constructing a proper metro system. Public transit is near non-existent outside the largest few cities.

How about Mexico? outside Mexico City, not really much in the way of metro systems.

Are you noticing a pattern here? Public transit is feasible only in large, dense cities or in small, dense countries like those you have in Europe or the dense parts of Asia along the pacific coast.

Massive, low-density countries by nature are more automobile centric. Of course public transit will be seen as a second-class means of getting around because it usually sucks in such settings. Enough with the absurd generalizations about America.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by minnomaboidenapolis

Your statement is quite ignorant itself. Only in America? Just go a little bit up north to Canada and you won't see much of a difference - only the largest 3 Canadian cities have decent public transit. Wanna live in Winnipeg and rely on public transit? Good luck trying.

What about Australia? Again, same story. Sydney is just now constructing a proper metro system. Public transit is near non-existent outside the largest few cities.

How about Mexico? outside Mexico City, not really much in the way of metro systems.

Are you noticing a pattern here? Public transit is feasible only in large, dense cities or in small, dense countries like those you have in Europe or the dense parts of Asia along the pacific coast.

Massive, low-density countries by nature are more automobile centric. Of course public transit will be seen as a second-class means of getting around because it usually sucks in such settings. Enough with the absurd generalizations about America.

Public transportation isn’t limited to rail. Go to any small or medium sized town in Mexico and you will have no problem finding buses, combis, taxis, moto-carts, etc. I’ve never been anywhere in Mexico that didn’t have access to some kind of public transportation.

[minnomaboidenapolis]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

Public transportation isn’t limited to rail. Go to any small or medium sized town in Mexico and you will have no problem finding buses, combis, taxis, moto-carts, etc. I’ve never been anywhere in Mexico that didn’t have access to some kind of public transportation.

Most medium sized towns in the US have buses and Ubers now. Doesn't mean they're great for getting around, but they exist. Ditto for Canada.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by minnomaboidenapolis

Most medium sized towns in the US have buses and Ubers now. Doesn't mean they're great for getting around, but they exist. Ditto for Canada.

I’m sure there are objective measures and data to determine access, quality and cost of public transportation between different cities and countries. I would also guess that for the most part the US lags behind most other countries in this area. Personally I have lived in both the US and Mexico and there is no question in my mind that public transportation is far more available and accessible in Mexico than it is in the US, with very few exceptions. I had no car during the time I lived in Mexico and got by just fine. There are only a few places where you can get away with this comfortably in the U.S. (NYC, D.C., Boston, Chicago, S.F.)

[Marv95]

A small subway similar to Cleveland could have replaced the current stuck-at-lights Blue & Green lines. LOL the 94 express bus>>>the Green Line. No reason to take a ghetto choo choo if you're traveling between both downtowns or from either downtown to the soccer stadium on Snelling when you have a faster, less trashier alternative. https://www.metrotransit.org/route/94

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Marv95

A small subway similar to Cleveland could have replaced the current stuck-at-lights Blue & Green lines. LOL the 94 express bus>>>the Green Line. No reason to take a ghetto choo choo if you're traveling between both downtowns or from either downtown to the soccer stadium on Snelling when you have a faster, less trashier alternative. https://www.metrotransit.org/route/94

This is something I’ve brought up here in the past too. It becomes very evident that our light rail system is slow when you compare it to riding the subway in a major city. I still think it’s an upgrade to riding metro transit buses though.

[Marv95]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

This is something I’ve brought up here in the past too. It becomes very evident that our light rail system is slow when you compare it to riding the subway in a major city. I still think it’s an upgrade to riding metro transit buses though.

Can't consider it an upgrade when you feel safer and less disgusted riding the bus. Having ridden both frequently since I've moved here, the buses are cleaner, in some cases newer fleet(Orange Line), and while there are problems with bumpy rides, riff raff and mentally challenged weirdos, the vibe isn't as negative as the Green Line. Not many crackheads eating pot or "sleeping" on the buses. There's a feeling of the wild wild west on these trains, even during the day. Don't know why they can't add faregates or officers to the stations; Central Station is a mess.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

I’m sure there are objective measures and data to determine access, quality and cost of public transportation between different cities and countries. I would also guess that for the most part the US lags behind most other countries in this area. Personally I have lived in both the US and Mexico and there is no question in my mind that public transportation is far more available and accessible in Mexico than it is in the US, with very few exceptions. I had no car during the time I lived in Mexico and got by just fine. There are only a few places where you can get away with this comfortably in the U.S. (NYC, D.C., Boston, Chicago, S.F.)

Did most people have cars in the towns in Mexico you lived?