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Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,957,550 times
Reputation: 40635
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randomparent
I recognize that my public transit experience might be different than yours, but when I'm sailing by the traffic jams on I-25, sitting in a comfortable light rail car and looking out at the beautiful mountain views, I'd argue that the "herd" is to be found in the cars idling on the highway, going nowhere fast. Moo!
Really. The herd? Haha. Oh, no, I have to wait 5-8 minutes for train instead of going right now... where I can excercise freedom to to sit in traffic. Great... sign me up to idle!
Most drivers don't pay for the costs for wear/tear on the roads, pollution, and congestion/time lost/loss of productivity.
Our roads/highways/interstates are in need of repair and upgrades and the gas tax and drivers fees aren't cover that.
Most development in the US is dictated by zoning and ordinances which generally support the car above everything else. If I want to build a commercial in property in Houston or Austin, I still have minimum parking requirements for most areas.
Transit is about providing more options.
Providing options is fine, a policy of intentional coercion of taxpayers is not - and that is what I was responding to.
Perhaps the gas taxes (and registration fees - here in NM it is set by GVW since heavier vehicles damage the roads more) would be better able to cover the maintenance costs if the politicos weren't always playing the shell game with existing funds in order to fund new sexy projects like mass transit without having to raise taxes.
I have no problem with the existence of mass transit, and no problem with the taxpayer funding it in areas where it truly is an improvement over heavy traffic.
I do have a problem with people thinking they and they alone have the "smarter" solution to be applied to one and all. Experience has shown me that usually they are wrong in their thinking.
More roads - less congestion/more seats for people in buses and trains. Transit riders benefit from roads. Took BART yesterday. No seats. Imagine what it'd look like without roads, it'd be a mad house.
Each new road ends up "solving" congestion a few months then fills up completely. When the road is the only option, building more road space hits a wall pretty quickly. Land is pretty limited.
BART needs to do a few things to improve, but I take the bus instead of BART during the commute since it is closer and less crowded. The time is comparable even without dedicated bridge lanes.
Providing options is fine, a policy of intentional coercion of taxpayers is not - and that is what I was responding to.
What do you call a national network of highways (which the majority of the jobs, residences, and social opportunities in the USA depend on) that non-drivers must pay for with their taxes but are legally banned from using? That's worse than coercion.
There is not a degree of public transit that could be given to me that would want me to give up my car. Nothing is more convenient than having your own vehicle. Public transit should be for emergencies, not for everyday use in America. Of course, cities like New York and DC are exceptions to this, but that is not the American norm.
There is not a degree of public transit that could be given to me that would want me to give up my car. Nothing is more convenient than having your own vehicle. Public transit should be for emergencies, not for everyday use in America. Of course, cities like New York and DC are exceptions to this, but that is not the American norm.
I disagree. I think the reverse is true. Well-designed, reliable public transit is perfect for everyday travel, while cars are better for emergencies.
Or you can lower the cost of driving by redirecting federal and local money to where it's actually needed...
Transit gobbles up 20% of the money and only serves 2% of the passengers.
....
You are right, and it is both federal and state budgets that are misallocated. Many billions are spent on politically correct projects and then the bureaucrats cry they don't have enough gas tax to improve and repair the roadways.
Commerce, police, fire, and many public service functions require the road infrastructure... we need to get our priorities straight.
This may not be possible for you, but I can walk/ride my bike to a grocery store, and I often do. My family owns a car, but for the most part we do not find it terribly difficult to get around well enough to meet the majority of our daily needs using public transportation, and we live in the Denver suburbs.
Public transit is not great for emergencies, because its scope is limited. Think back to Hurricane Katrina. In a widespread natural disaster, cars were the best option. For getting to and from work, however, public transit can work very well. My husband did it for several years when he worked in the city. He got in some exercise walking or biking over to the train station (on inclement days, he took the shuttle that drives right by our house), hopped on the light rail, and then listened in on a conference call/answered his e-mail/worked on a report during his 30 minute ride. On the other end, it was a pleasant five-minute walk to his downtown office building.
Look, I understand that public transit doesn't always work this way, and in some cities the options are downright awful, but it's been really great for us. We love it!
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,957,550 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by CravingMountains
What about for grocery shopping? Or freezing weather?
I've lived in SF, Chicago and now in Boston and rarely use my car. Don't need it for grocery shopping (or I bike or walk) and cold weather happens, so what? It's been a long cold winter and I take the T to work every day, you put on a hat and gloves and there you are.
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