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I find it quite embarrassing to see a tiny country like Japan have high speed trains and we are not able to have that
Atlanta just began to build a street car system which will cover about a two mile loop. Do you know how much the operating costs will be? $20 per ride. Those are operating costs, not construction costs.
Miami's Metromover cost $80 million per mile to build. In 1999 the operating cost (ignoring construction) was $20 million, while it brought in half a million in revenue.
You sound like the kind of person who spends all of his income leasing a BMW and buying Ed Hardy t-shirts to look cooler than the next guy. We simple don't have the ability to waste money on vanity projects like Japan does. They don't have the huge underclass to support and police like America does.
they would love mass transit but although they have conveniences paid by a prior generation, they do not want to pay taxes for the next.
Sorry but my taxes pay for plenty of others in the current generation now, and quite frankly I'm tapped out and not interested in paying for a train which is a stupid idea here.
The light rail is for impractical people like PhotoPro who have to post on a message board where to park to visit a comedy club in Ybor and are shocked when the answer is "on the street or in a garage". They'd ride it once a year to go to the Florida Aquarium, a journey that would take longer than driving just to complain about the entire experience.
Maybe I'm biased coming from Philadelphia with actual traffic nightmares, but I enjoy being able to easily nagivate any downtown here in a metro area that is not very large at all with the exception of rush hour. I'd much rather my money go to fixing or finishing the 275/I4 interchange.
Look, there are other countries ten times more congested than Florida and they have 200+miles per hour trains moving people around!!!!
It's not a matter of "can" it is a matter of "will"!
People like you who choose to stand the way of progress are the reason we don't make any progress! & sadly for us the Gov is full of people like you!!!!!
I find it quite embarrassing to see a tiny country like Japan have high speed trains and we are not able to have that because of all the horse & buggy stuck in the 1700's people standing in the way of smart progress!!!
!!!!
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!!!!!
!!!
Another thirteen exclamation marks might have convinced somebody else.
Japan was firebombed into submission a mere sixty years ago, and they didn't have much left to remove between their metro areas when they built their modern train systems, with our help.
Ditto much of Europe.
But the Japanese salaryman who works in Tokyo can only afford a tiny apartment two or three hours away by train, and guess what, those trains don't speed through congestion at triple digit speeds. Many salrymen can't even get home every night, so they drink with co-workers in bars until closing, crash elsewhere for a couple of hours, stagger back into the office hung over, and repeat. It's no fun to try to live with a mere six or eight hours at home each night. Fewer and fewer get married each year, and the resulting lower birth rate threatens to collapse the entire Japanese economy within a generation. Great example; Japanese workers would love to enjoy the good life in Tampa, with a big jacked-up pickup truck speeding from light to light for less than an hour each way.
Where do you expect to board a train five mornings per week, and where do you expect to disembark?
Unless you have a job in a train station, and live in another train station, you'll still have to commute both ways at each end. Will you ride a series of busses at each end, both to and from your job to one station, and to and from your home at another station? And how will you get to each bus stop? Will your job be within 4 blocks of a bus stop, and will you walk in the 90F heat, absurd humidity, and be a sweaty, miserable co-worker stinking up some cubicle?
I spent years commuting with public transportation way back when it was still state of the art, living and working within sight of bus stops, and I've seen the WMATA, DASH, CUE, METRO systems on their best days.
When I finally achieved safe and convenient free parking, I left the poor people crowding under rainy bus stops and drove on by, with my stereo blasting and a grin on my face.
Socialists who demand others pay for transportation (and free lunches and Obamaphones and free condoms, etc) really either want other drivers to get out of their way, or they want to enrich themselves at the expense of others with the pork projects for their crony capitalists.
Nobody in a traffic jam envies the tired looking beaten-down poor people standing endlessly at the bus stops. Smile at them, see if they can even react. They want you to pay for twice as many busses, with subsidized fares, and more comfortable benches in the shade. But you still won't sit next to them.
Think elevated rail lines. Miami, Chicago, NYC and others did it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuteTheMall
Having just spent the last 40 years in Northern Virginia, I can assure you that traffic in the Tyson's Corner boondoggle has never been worse. The reason is construction of yet another above-ground route tacked onto the Metro System (subway).
Also, an underground subway won't be possible here, dig down just a couple of feet and you'll strike water. So it would have to be an entirely above-ground system, and it can't have any cross-streets, so there will have to be occasional overpasses. That means building formidable barriers, walls which cannot be breached, dividing neighborhoods into islands and abolishing traditional shortcuts. There will be traffic jams at every overpass trying to get across the "high-speed" rail line, there will be permanent detours to reach a way across, and if there are too many exits, entrances, and on-ramps, there will be too many traffic jams. If there are too few crossings, exits, etc, each traffic jam will be much, much worse.
Imagine taking the Howard Frankland bridge and moving it onto the top of Dale Mabry, starting at I-275.
Florida already has rail lines, nobody wants to ride trains, and trains are slow because they pass through congested traffic areas. More rail lines would just make this worse.
The people behind this scam have no intention of riding trains themselves, they just want to get rich off our backs and enrich the corrupt politicians with this multi-billion dollar slush fund. There's that job creation scam, on the taxpayers' backs, funding unions who bribe politicians, while traffic gets worse.
Where do you expect to board a train five mornings per week, and where do you expect to disembark?
Unless you have a job in a train station, and live in another train station, you'll still have to commute both ways at each end. Will you ride a series of busses at each end, both to and from your job to one station, and to and from your home at another station? And how will you get to each bus stop? Will your job be within 4 blocks of a bus stop, and will you walk in the 90F heat, absurd humidity, and be a sweaty, miserable co-worker stinking up some cubicle?
The prevalent point is that is has to more convenient to use mass transit than to drive, otherwise we wont have it, when you have to park 6 blocks away then the 4 blocks away from the train station become a moot point, its an absolute certainty that this will eventually happen, it wont in your lifetime or your work life but it will, you can choose not to care that's fine, I mostly don't, I have a short commute if my employment ends then I will most likely move so either way not my problem. I have been in buses zooming through the bus lanes while people were parked in their cars not going anywhere, I seen people get on buses and envied them because I know I had a 1+ commute and they will be home in 20 min, none of that is likely in the Tampa Area for the next 15-20 years anyway my guess. BTW there is no such thing as Obamaphones. if you want to tie the Safelink program to a president it will belong to Bush Sr.
What about "Park n Ride". Drive from home to train station of bus terminal and its a ride from there.
Millions of people who live on Long Island NY do it everyday and have been doing it for years and years.
Some have a "station car" a beater they leave at the station all day and drive to their homes upon their return.
Yeah, you may have to walk a couple of blocks to get to the bus stop or train station but trust me, nobody dies from walk. I used to walk 6 city blocks to the train station and then 5 once I got off in midtown, rain, sleet, snow, heat, wind,and 10's of thousands did it and do it today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuteTheMall
!!!!
!
!!!!!
!!!
Another thirteen exclamation marks might have convinced somebody else.
Japan was firebombed into submission a mere sixty years ago, and they didn't have much left to remove between their metro areas when they built their modern train systems, with our help.
Ditto much of Europe.
But the Japanese salaryman who works in Tokyo can only afford a tiny apartment two or three hours away by train, and guess what, those trains don't speed through congestion at triple digit speeds. Many salrymen can't even get home every night, so they drink with co-workers in bars until closing, crash elsewhere for a couple of hours, stagger back into the office hung over, and repeat. It's no fun to try to live with a mere six or eight hours at home each night. Fewer and fewer get married each year, and the resulting lower birth rate threatens to collapse the entire Japanese economy within a generation. Great example; Japanese workers would love to enjoy the good life in Tampa, with a big jacked-up pickup truck speeding from light to light for less than an hour each way.
Where do you expect to board a train five mornings per week, and where do you expect to disembark?
Unless you have a job in a train station, and live in another train station, you'll still have to commute both ways at each end. Will you ride a series of busses at each end, both to and from your job to one station, and to and from your home at another station? And how will you get to each bus stop? Will your job be within 4 blocks of a bus stop, and will you walk in the 90F heat, absurd humidity, and be a sweaty, miserable co-worker stinking up some cubicle?
I spent years commuting with public transportation way back when it was still state of the art, living and working within sight of bus stops, and I've seen the WMATA, DASH, CUE, METRO systems on their best days.
When I finally achieved safe and convenient free parking, I left the poor people crowding under rainy bus stops and drove on by, with my stereo blasting and a grin on my face.
Socialists who demand others pay for transportation (and free lunches and Obamaphones and free condoms, etc) really either want other drivers to get out of their way, or they want to enrich themselves at the expense of others with the pork projects for their crony capitalists.
Nobody in a traffic jam envies the tired looking beaten-down poor people standing endlessly at the bus stops. Smile at them, see if they can even react. They want you to pay for twice as many busses, with subsidized fares, and more comfortable benches in the shade. But you still won't sit next to them.
On my visits to Florida i drive all around from Brookesville to St Pete to Tampa, theres no part of that area that would convince me to take public transit rather than my own car, Florida is just built for a car to be its chief mode of transport..
As for the crowds? Keep telling the northerners what a fun day you had at the beach today,how wonderful the weather is, best move we ever made,its paradise down here.
Dont wonder why the place is getting crowded as those northerners want their bit of paradise as well.
We've lived in Florida since 1982 and it has changed dramatically. There used to be a very noticeable difference in the population once the Winter visitors went home each spring. Some businesses would put shutters up and open up the next Fall. That is no longer true, there is very little difference between Winter and Summer now as far as the crowded roads go.......maybe a slight difference, but nowhere like before.
And as one poster mentioned, Florida is laid out to make car travel the only real way to get around. Yes, the Japanese may have a sophisticated rail system, but the Japanese people also are more oriented to use mass transit........the roads are small, lots of them don't own a car, and they have used mass transit for decades so it is a way of life. We Americans like our personal freedom and ability to go when and where we want too much to give that up.
I love my personal vehicle. And as a parent, when the school used to call because my daughter was sick, I'm glad I didn't have to rely on public transit. Many people come and go for the weather and the beaches. I can and will cope with traffic as long as necessary. I've been here since the mid 80s and there are road barricades somewhere always. The transport officials are continually chasing a rabbit trying to catch up in the ever changing environment.
P.S. I'm not opposed to mass transit, I just think the smallish size of our surrounding cities doesn't justify having it.
Another thirteen exclamation marks might have convinced somebody else.
Japan was firebombed into submission a mere sixty years ago, and they didn't have much left to remove between their metro areas when they built their modern train systems, with our help.
Ditto much of Europe.
But the Japanese salaryman who works in Tokyo can only afford a tiny apartment two or three hours away by train, and guess what, those trains don't speed through congestion at triple digit speeds. Many salrymen can't even get home every night, so they drink with co-workers in bars until closing, crash elsewhere for a couple of hours, stagger back into the office hung over, and repeat. It's no fun to try to live with a mere six or eight hours at home each night. Fewer and fewer get married each year, and the resulting lower birth rate threatens to collapse the entire Japanese economy within a generation. Great example; Japanese workers would love to enjoy the good life in Tampa, with a big jacked-up pickup truck speeding from light to light for less than an hour each way.
Where do you expect to board a train five mornings per week, and where do you expect to disembark?
Unless you have a job in a train station, and live in another train station, you'll still have to commute both ways at each end. Will you ride a series of busses at each end, both to and from your job to one station, and to and from your home at another station? And how will you get to each bus stop? Will your job be within 4 blocks of a bus stop, and will you walk in the 90F heat, absurd humidity, and be a sweaty, miserable co-worker stinking up some cubicle?
I spent years commuting with public transportation way back when it was still state of the art, living and working within sight of bus stops, and I've seen the WMATA, DASH, CUE, METRO systems on their best days.
When I finally achieved safe and convenient free parking, I left the poor people crowding under rainy bus stops and drove on by, with my stereo blasting and a grin on my face.
Socialists who demand others pay for transportation (and free lunches and Obamaphones and free condoms, etc) really either want other drivers to get out of their way, or they want to enrich themselves at the expense of others with the pork projects for their crony capitalists.
Nobody in a traffic jam envies the tired looking beaten-down poor people standing endlessly at the bus stops. Smile at them, see if they can even react. They want you to pay for twice as many busses, with subsidized fares, and more comfortable benches in the shade. But you still won't sit next to them.
You either have never seen Stockholm's metro, or never spend anytime thinking about improvements. Sometimes I really wonder why we think we're so advanced! Having big homes and big couches and big Tv's has resulted in more than half the population being obese and overweight with health problems so large that normal people can't afford insurance it has become so expensive; even the Obamacare crap which now is at the mercy of whomever will accept it. I for one rather be uninsured than go in the worst areas of town with that insurance.
The rest of your post is flat out ridiculous...life is OUTSIDE your house not INSIDE some house! When we lived in Miami, we had a 1200sqf place, and we spent 10% of our time in it; mostly to sleep, because we were always out enjoying everything Miami has to offer. If I was in Japan, I wouldn't mind a small place, as "cleaning" is not my favorite hobby! OMG...what a waste would it be to spend money to have someone else clean my house too! I rather spend that money to travel somewhere and have fun.
I am not responding to your posts anymore because they make no sense.
I will say that in a country as advanced as ours NYC metro looks like ****...and I don't know why...but I wouldn't have expected it to look like that considering that it is the most useful mode of transportation in existence. I want to spend my time at the destination, and not on the way there! This might be a hard concept to grasp.
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