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Though personally, I would prefer the funds to be invested on light rail transportation. I think the priority should be on local light rail transit and streetcars. The kind of local transit that people would use on a daily basis. HSR is used by most only for occasional long-distance travel, so local light rail would be a wiser investment imo.
Outside of NYC and San Francisco, the US probably has the worst public transit system in the developed world. Ideally, I think we should invest in both HSR and light rail. But if funds are limited then I would make light rail the priority. It's virtually impossible to get around anywhere without a private car, which makes us absolutely dependent on unstable and rapidly dwindling foreign oil supplies.
Despite the belief held by some that the interstate highway system is vital for national security, I would argue that it did exactly the opposite. The interstate and our auto-centric lifestyle makes us absolutely dependent on a scarce and politically unstable resource, hence we are vulnerable and less secure than ever.
Though personally, I would prefer the funds to be invested on light rail transportation. I think the priority should be on local light rail transit and streetcars. The kind of local transit that people would use on a daily basis. HSR is used by most only for occasional long-distance travel, so local light rail would be a wiser investment imo.
Outside of NYC and San Francisco, the US probably has the worst public transit system in the developed world. Ideally, I think we should invest in both HSR and light rail. But if funds are limited then I would make light rail the priority. It's virtually impossible to get around anywhere without a private car, which makes us absolutely dependent on unstable and rapidly dwindling foreign oil supplies.
Despite the belief held by some that the interstate highway system is vital for national security, I would argue that it did exactly the opposite. The interstate and our auto-centric lifestyle makes us absolutely dependent on a scarce and politically unstable resource, hence we are vulnerable and less secure than ever.
Why is it where cities that have invested in light rail because "it will ease congestion" have not seen a decrease in congestion?
Please explain why, to this day light rail cannot cover their operating costs without city, state and federal subsidies?
Why is it where cities that have invested in light rail because "it will ease congestion" have not seen a decrease in congestion?
Please explain why, to this day light rail cannot cover their operating costs?
What is wrong with using propane buses?
Good questions.
First of all, it's a big myth that light rail transit can't be profitable. Because in many cases they are.
I'll address this more in depth later because its an interesting subject, imo.
In regard to buses,
For one, Buses are really noisy because they rely on internal combustion engines (even the propane ones) which makes them vibrate like crazy. They have a very harsh, jolting ride. For the passenger, riding on the bus is a very unpleasant, jaw-rattling experience. Do you think people would be willing to give up their cars to ride on a loud harsh-riding bus? I don't think so. Not many will do that.
Also, buses rely on internal combustion and conventional automotive technology which means they have thousands of mechanical moving parts. The maintenance costs are very high. Buses last only 10-15 years at most, and have to be replaced frequently.
Streetcars and light rail run on electricity, so there are few moving parts. A streetcar typically lasts 30 to 40 years or more. They run on electricity, making them much quieter than buses. They run on tracks, so the ride is much smoother.
Light rail is very roomy inside. Buses are cramped because the wheel wells and the large mechanical engine takes up a lot of space inside the bus. So passengers have very little elbow room. Streetcars don't have that problem.
The advantages of light rail over buses are endless. Too many to list them all. But ideally, a good transit system will have a combination of both light rail and buses. You can't build tracks on every single street so you use the buses to fill in the gaps.
ANSWER GOV SUBSIDIES. THEY intentionally make themselves barely surviving and ask for hand outs.
JUST ASK MTA IN NYC THEY are PROS at it.
ahem they wasted millions of dollars on things they do not need and wont repair anything. Mean while give themselves huge bonuses.
unions and management there are squeezing the tax payers and those that ride DRY.
while providing very bad service with bad hygiene.
ALL the while they have a monopoly.
ENABLE SOME COMPETITION ALREADY without subsidies. Thus returning the tax payer money.
or how about this give tax payers a transportation allowance instead if they want and they can spend it on the competing transportation that emerges.
NO DIRECT SUBSIDIES.
Anyway if they must bail transportation industry out then giving us the money to make our own choices would be best.
but AGAIN warning the more you subsidize in what ever shape or form the more expensive and arrogant the workers of those industries will become and eventually STILL bankrupt you.
ANSWER GOV SUBSIDIES. THEY intentionally make themselves barely surviving and ask for hand outs.
JUST ASK MTA IN NYC THEY are PROS at it.
ahem they wasted millions of dollars on things they do not need and wont repair anything. Mean while give themselves huge bonuses.
unions and management there are squeezing the tax payers and those that ride DRY.
while providing very bad service with bad hygiene.
ALL the while they have a monopoly.
ENABLE SOME COMPETITION ALREADY without subsidies. Thus returning the tax payer money.
or how about this give tax payers a transportation allowance instead if they want and they can spend it on the competing transportation that emerges.
NO DIRECT SUBSIDIES.
Anyway if they must bail transportation industry out then giving us the money to make our own choices would be best.
but AGAIN warning the more you subsidize in what ever shape or form the more expensive and arrogant the workers of those industries will become and eventually STILL bankrupt you.
The End of Innovation
New York City politics was not standing still, however. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who had taken office in 1933, was no friend of streetcars, of elevated lines, or of private ownership of transit. He pressed relentlessly for “Unification,” the City takeover of the BMT and IRT. The IRT was happy to go out of business but the BMT fought almost to the last.
After taking over the private companies, not only did the innovations of the BMT end, but the City lost its taste for subway building. The IND “Second System” of 1929 remains unbuilt. The private lines that attracted IND competition were abandoned, several immediately and more as the years went on.
If government (via taxpayers) ceased subsidizing air travel, and automobile travel, perhaps the economic superiority of rail would be self-evident.
Governments in America are designed to secure rights and govern those who consent. They are not designed to operate businesses, nor provide services. Frankly, they should divest themselves of such activities, and return to the basics.
Americans are too ignorant to give up their cars and actually drive.Better yet,actually walk more to lower the so called "obese epidemic". Having another transportation option is a great idea ,I dount it will ever happen.
ANSWER GOV SUBSIDIES. THEY intentionally make themselves barely surviving and ask for hand outs.
That's a major issue, just like any government agency they want more and more funds to expand. They are going to spend whatever is given to them and then ask for more. We have buses running around in my area that are empty a lot of the time. If this was private company at the very least they wouldn't be buying $500K buses but instead smaller vans that meet the needs of their work load.
All the people opposing it are generally not bright and forward thinking enough to realize our population is going to increase and we need more and better transportation options. They're the same type of ignorant luddite that thought our Interstate Highway System would be an expensive boondoggle that would just be a massive money drain when it has in fact been one of the most important engines in American commerce.
not really.
alot of people that are against HSR are the types that like to have the freedom to drive themselves without having to rely on someone else doing the driving.
I do not mind HSR, if it can be done with no public funds at all to support it. if you want something done on private funds, then I dont mind at all, but if you want it subsidised, then I am against it.
alot of people that are against HSR are the types that like to have the freedom to drive themselves without having to rely on someone else doing the driving.
I do not mind HSR, if it can be done with no public funds at all to support it. if you want something done on private funds, then I dont mind at all, but if you want it subsidised, then I am against it.
HSR supplements road transportation, it doesn't replace it.
How many toll roads built and maintained by private funds do you encounter on your daily commute or even on a cross-country road trip? They're quite rare. The highway system has been subsidized from construction to maintenance by the government since its inception. Road infrastructure *has never made a profit* and gas/vehicle taxes only provide a little over half of their cost. The rest come from non-related government taxes, bonds, general accounts, etc...; Subsidized.
Contrast that with Amtrak which has received less total government funding in the last forty years than the Highway Trust Fund has received in the last 3 years just from the "general fund"; $20 billion more. The northeast corridor, which operates America's only high speed rail, made a $61 million profit in 2010.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman
That's a major issue, just like any government agency they want more and more funds to expand. They are going to spend whatever is given to them and then ask for more. We have buses running around in my area that are empty a lot of the time. If this was private company at the very least they wouldn't be buying $500K buses but instead smaller vans that meet the needs of their work load.
The Nixon Administration created Amtrak in 1970 because the private sector could not make a profit on passenger rail. The freight companies which operated on the same tracks as passenger rail urged the government to intervene because passenger rail helped offset capital cost(which it continues to do).
Conrail, which the government created to take over potentially profitable rail lines from bankrupt rail companies, became profitable in its last 7 years of operation and was sold to private investors in the largest IPO in U.S. history at the time ($1.65 billion).
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Better yet,actually walk more to lower the so called "obese epidemic". Having another transportation option is a great idea ,I dount it will ever happen.
