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I hear the US lags behind a lot of developed countries in infrastructure For those of you who have been to other countries, how was the infrastructure there?
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Originally Posted by CastletonSnob1
I hear the US lags behind a lot of developed countries in infrastructure For those of you who have been to other countries, how was the infrastructure there?
The difference in rail transport is possible the biggest difference, as Europe is a smaller continent with much better train connections. Even the NYC Subway has now encountered problems due to money being diverted elsewhere by City Mayors and there is sometimes a battle for resources between cities and states.
In terms of airports, some US Airports are seeing a lot of improvement and redevelopment such as LaGuardia and JFK, and Europe has it's own list of nightmare airports.
The US has an extensive road network, and it's upkeep is no doubt expensive, however some reports suggest that there has been an under investment in parts of the networks upkeep including some critical infrastructure such as bridges.
I hear the US lags behind a lot of developed countries in infrastructure For those of you who have been to other countries, how was the infrastructure there?
U.S. infrastructure is pathetic.
China is building bullet trains all over the country...much like Japan, Germany, France, South Korea, etc. Those are the trains that go up to 300mph, and they arrive in vibrant economic areas that are fantastic to walk around.
Most U.S. cities don't even have metro subways, let alone bullet trains connecting any of them. There is old outdated amtrak lines, but they are in decrepit rundown stations surrounded by urban rot and decay. They are so archaic and limited usage, they are more like a novelty than functional.
I've been living in Asia for years, and its embarrassing when students ask me that if they go to Los Angeles, how can they get from A to B, and I have to explain that Americans are car-dependent, and have very few alternative options, to get to most places.
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Originally Posted by Tiger Beer
U.S. infrastructure is pathetic.
China is building bullet trains all over the country...much like Japan, Germany, France, South Korea, etc. Those are the trains that go up to 300mph, and they arrive in vibrant economic areas that are fantastic to walk around.
Most U.S. cities don't even have metro subways, let alone bullet trains connecting any of them. There is old outdated amtrak lines, but they are in decrepit rundown stations surrounded by urban rot and decay. They are so archaic and limited usage, they are more like a novelty than functional.
I've been living in Asia for years, and its embarrassing when students ask me that if they go to Los Angeles, how can they get from A to B, and I have to explain that Americans are car-dependent, and have very few alternative options, to get to most places.
The Airport redevelopments at LaGuardia and JFK, are also a step in the right direction, as is investment in the LIRR and hopefully the new NYC Tunnels will get the go ahead soon. So it's not all bad news.
And isn't California planning a high speed rail network costing $77 Billion.
Yeah, the u.s. has metros, of course. But 50 states, at least 50+ cities that could have subways (I think every european capital city has a subway)....but U.S. only has them in the largest of cities - yeah, L.A. is a major world city, of course they'd have one. As an aside, L.A. is generally world-wide known as one of the largest western cities in the world with one of the worst public transportation or metro systems. Yeah, it is there, but it would be ranked real low on any scale, despite being one of the otherwise most important cities in the world.
But plenty of cities don't have subways...i.e. Cincinnati, Tampa, and all kinds of other large enough size cities that if were not in the U.S., and in another developed country, would definitely have metro lines.
High Speed Rail. It's great that California might build the first one in such a massive country. But, it's far from building an entire network of bullet trains connecting all the different cities - like you'd see in most other developed countries or even China.
I hear the US lags behind a lot of developed countries in infrastructure For those of you who have been to other countries, how was the infrastructure there?
Infrastructure covers a huge area, so the answers are going to depending on which area we are talking about.
For instance, communication infrastructure, as far as I know, is just as good in the US as elsewhere.
Same with water and I would guess the electric grid.
Where you start to see differences in in things like roads, bridges, transit, etc. Some of these things are state specific. Like in Canada, Quebec's infrastructure is considered to be poorer than other provinces in regards to roads.
Someone mentioned airports, and yes, a lot of US airports look shabby and old, but some are nice. You have to remember that a lot people coming from other countries may land at LAX, or JFK and La Guardia. Not great airports IMO...but I hear that may change in regards to NY.
Good transit overall seems lacking in a lot of US cities.
High Speed Rail. It's great that California might build the first one in such a massive country. But, it's far from building an entire network of bullet trains connecting all the different cities - like you'd see in most other developed countries or even China.
Um no. Only 13 countries have high-speed rails (max. speed >=300 kph).
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Originally Posted by Tiger Beer
Yeah, the u.s. has metros, of course. But 50 states, at least 50+ cities that could have subways (I think every european capital city has a subway)....but U.S. only has them in the largest of cities - yeah, L.A. is a major world city, of course they'd have one. As an aside, L.A. is generally world-wide known as one of the largest western cities in the world with one of the worst public transportation or metro systems. Yeah, it is there, but it would be ranked real low on any scale, despite being one of the otherwise most important cities in the world.
But plenty of cities don't have subways...i.e. Cincinnati, Tampa, and all kinds of other large enough size cities that if were not in the U.S., and in another developed country, would definitely have metro lines.
High Speed Rail. It's great that California might build the first one in such a massive country. But, it's far from building an entire network of bullet trains connecting all the different cities - like you'd see in most other developed countries or even China.
I am not sure what bullet trains actoss the US would cost but I would guess at trillions of dollars. I do welcome some of the investment in the airports on the East Coast of the US, as LaGuardia and JFK desperately needed upgrading.
In the UK we are currently building our own high speed network HS2 at a starting cost of £55 Billion and there have been a lot of recent rail improvements such as Crossrail, Thameslink, London Overground Trans Pennine Improvements etc, whilst the London Underground has seen a lot of investment and is to see further expansion in relation to the Northern and Bakerloo lines.
Most UK Cities have fairly good regional and national commuter train links in to cities coupled with metros, light rail, trams and indeed regular bus routes.
The Airport redevelopments at LaGuardia and JFK, are also a step in the right direction, as is investment in the LIRR and hopefully the new NYC Tunnels will get the go ahead soon. So it's not all bad news.
I really hope someone talks some sense into a politician's head concerning the Cali high speed rail.
Anyway OP, when it comes to US infrastructure there are many logistical and political obstacles in the way and some even cultural.
For starters is the sheer land mass of the US. A transportation network could work well for the east coast because it's compact but for the west and south it is hard to fathom. Most of the countries with better infrastructures are small so it's easier to manage. China is making an effort but there is a reason why they can make such an honest effort and we cannot.
Which brings me to the political obstacles, mainly the fear of an overarching central government. China has a very centralized government which has its hands in everything so it can make something like this happen with little complication. In the US, our infrastructure is usually delegated to the states and even without delegating there are still legal and zoning issues to consider.
And then there are the auto and gas lobbies. Here in California we once had a great public transportation system, the Pac Electric in the early 20th century. Then big auto killed it and freeways were built. The addition of suburbs buried it. The metro lines are making a comeback because it has gotten so crowded on the roads.
Of course here in the US because of our car culture I don't see an upgrade on our transcontinental rail system for a long time.
The Airport redevelopments at LaGuardia and JFK, are also a step in the right direction, as is investment in the LIRR and hopefully the new NYC Tunnels will get the go ahead soon. So it's not all bad news.
California and Florida are said to be just like Japan. Texas is getting there too.
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