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Old 04-09-2014, 06:53 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
Reputation: 7875

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Quote:
Originally Posted by chirack View Post
The car is usually faster outside of rush, about the only advantage public transit might have is if you plan to drink.
Transit is also cheaper in many cases, if you are going to downtown, transit can make sense because it saves on gas and the cost of parking especially if you plan on doing a lot of walking around downtown. But at that point it is a personal preference, I don't mind driving to a downtown on non rush hour times and using transit when commuting for work. Though in NYC, I almost never drive into Manhattan because it costs a fortune to get there and a pain to park.

The thing I love most about having a good bus and rail system is that it gives people options besides driving for their commutes.
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Old 04-09-2014, 06:57 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
Reputation: 7875
Quote:
Originally Posted by IC_deLight View Post
Drive one anyway. The bigger the better. After all, the urban bicyclists need to be able to see you to avoid accidents. For the safety of those earbud wearing cyclists you should have a V-8 or larger engine so they can hear you. If you have a weenie car in a congested place like San Francisco the car might be too easy for angst-ridden urbanists to tip in urbanist locales like San Francisco:

Smart Car tipping takes a mysterious turn in San Francisco
Visibility in large vehicles tends to be poor, motorists need to be aware of bicyclists as much as bicyclists need to be aware of motorists
When I am on my bike I always assume everyone in a car is a moron not paying attention and I bike in a more defensive manner and pay attention to my surroundings.

Wearing earbuds while biking can be very dangerous to do because it reduces an important sense. But then again, speeding in a car and taking turns without looking is dangerous for drivers to do, yet drivers still do that.
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Old 04-09-2014, 07:02 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
Reputation: 7875
Quote:
Originally Posted by orlando-calrissian View Post
You're going to have to be a little more clear. I can't think of too many times that I wouldn't need a car to get around. Public transit is awful and it's way too humid to walk/bike around for more than just recreation. Personally, I'd rather spend the extra money on gas if it means that I won't have to spend the day drenched in sweat. Considering that only being outside for half an hour gets you really sweaty here, I'd choose the car every time.
I assume you are in Orlando? I don't know anything about that city, but I have never heard it to be a city with a well developed bus and rail transit system. Chances are in Orlando you are living in a car dependent city. Virginia Beach is the same way, transit is like a unicorn there, you have to depend on a car for everything.
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Old 04-09-2014, 07:07 AM
nei nei won $500 in our forum's Most Engaging Poster Contest - Thirteenth Edition (Jan-Feb 2015). 

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Location: Western Massachusetts
46,009 posts, read 53,194,339 times
Reputation: 15174
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post

The thing I love most about having a good bus and rail system is that it gives people options besides driving for their commutes.
Options are good, but for many decentralized commutes the option of transit isn't something many would choose, it's often too clumsy or just doesn't go. How well does Portland's transit give an option to people working in say, Silicon Forest?
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Old 04-09-2014, 08:10 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
Options are good, but for many decentralized commutes the option of transit isn't something many would choose, it's often too clumsy or just doesn't go. How well does Portland's transit give an option to people working in say, Silicon Forest?
I am not sure for Silicon Forest, I know a few bigger companies do shuttle buses from MAX stops to the office, there have been more dense neighborhoods built in that area, and bike lanes have been put in throughout, which during rush hour there is a good number of people biking, but I think most that commute to work in Silicon Forest still use their cars.
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Old 04-09-2014, 09:34 AM
 
Location: Crooklyn, New York
31,924 posts, read 34,421,649 times
Reputation: 14996
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
Options are good, but for many decentralized commutes the option of transit isn't something many would choose, it's often too clumsy or just doesn't go. How well does Portland's transit give an option to people working in say, Silicon Forest?
Also, rush hour doesn't look this way in the vast majority of American metros.

http://bunkerville.files.wordpress.c...raffic-jam.jpg

http://theanalogoustruth.files.wordp...c_jam_rita.jpg

http://www.fastmotoring.com/wp-conte...tion-in-KL.jpg

If my commute to Downtown Winston-Salem/Norfolk/Raleigh/Chattanooga/Toledo/Santa Fe/Albany is not that bad, why would I go out of my way to ride transit? Why would I even care about funding transit projects in other cities?
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Old 04-09-2014, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
Reputation: 7875
Quote:
Originally Posted by BajanYankee View Post
Also, rush hour doesn't look this way in the vast majority of American metros.

http://bunkerville.files.wordpress.c...raffic-jam.jpg

http://theanalogoustruth.files.wordp...c_jam_rita.jpg

http://www.fastmotoring.com/wp-conte...tion-in-KL.jpg

If my commute to Downtown Winston-Salem/Norfolk/Raleigh/Chattanooga/Toledo/Santa Fe/Albany is not that bad, why would I go out of my way to ride transit? Why would I even care about funding transit projects in other cities?
Why would you care about funding road projects and highway projects in other cities?
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Old 04-09-2014, 10:18 AM
 
3,423 posts, read 4,417,680 times
Reputation: 3633
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Visibility in large vehicles tends to be poor, motorists need to be aware of bicyclists as much as bicyclists need to be aware of motorists
Hmmm. Suspect a Prius would incur more damage than a Suburban in a collision.

Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
When I am on my bike I always assume everyone in a car is a moron not paying attention and I bike in a more defensive manner and pay attention to my surroundings.
If you're wearing earbuds you aren't paying attention to your surroundings. You are deliberately blocking out your awareness of your surroundings. Apparently that's what many transit riders feel a need to do when they are riding transit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Wearing earbuds while biking can be very dangerous to do because it reduces an important sense. But then again, speeding in a car and taking turns without looking is dangerous for drivers to do, yet drivers still do that.
Bicyclists go riding on roads made for cars which is dangerous for bicyclists yet they still do that - at least until the inevitable occurs.

As far as turning is concerned, cars typically wait in line and turn in order of arrival. Bicyclists don't. Bicyclist behavior causes a problem (mostly for the bicyclist) at an intersection when the bicyclist approaches on the right hand side of the car and expects to go straight while the car is in the right hand lane for the purpose of turning.

In any event I think the thread is more about why people don't take transit - and "because they take other modes of transportation" is the point rather than engaging in losing off-topic debates about bikes vs. motor vehicles.
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Old 04-09-2014, 10:18 AM
 
Location: Crooklyn, New York
31,924 posts, read 34,421,649 times
Reputation: 14996
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Why would you care about funding road projects and highway projects in other cities?
In a big 'ol country like America, most people wouldn't. In a smaller, denser country, most people probably would. Or at least their attitude towards transit (HSR for example) would be very different even if they didn't care all that much about the transit system in a city 100 miles away. In a small country, people probably think about mass transit the way the Bos-Wash corridor thinks about it, only they don't have to deal with a huge populace that's completely apathetic towards mass transit because it doesn't affect their lives in any meaningful way.
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Old 04-09-2014, 10:28 AM
nei nei won $500 in our forum's Most Engaging Poster Contest - Thirteenth Edition (Jan-Feb 2015). 

Over $104,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum and additional contests are planned
 
Location: Western Massachusetts
46,009 posts, read 53,194,339 times
Reputation: 15174
Quote:
Originally Posted by IC_deLight View Post
Bicyclists go riding on roads made for cars which is dangerous for bicyclists yet they still do that - at least until the inevitable occurs.
Road aren't for car specifically (excluding certain highways).

Quote:
As far as turning is concerned, cars typically wait in line and turn in order of arrival. Bicyclists don't. Bicyclist behavior causes a problem (mostly for the bicyclist) at an intersection when the bicyclist approaches on the right hand side of the car and expects to go straight while the car is in the right hand lane for the purpose of turning.
As right hand turn lanes, the current manuever is to go to the left of right hand turn lanes whenever practical for the reason you just said. However, actually bicycling would give you a better perspective on how safe and practical bicycling is.
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