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How is that any different from the state of maintenance/repair for roads in the Triangle? Sure it's not bad but I don't think it's going to get any better. And if we can't afford to resurface roads when they need to, how are we going to pay to implement all the technology that's needed to sustain efficient autonomous vehicle networks at every intersection/along every road?
The difference is you can't just do away with roads and highways and replace them with rail. Why dump tons of money into a mode of transportation developed in the 70's when we can embrace technology and put the money toward the roads and systems which we'll always need to have around regardless?
The difference is you can't just do away with roads and highways and replace them with rail. Why dump tons of money into a mode of transportation developed in the 70's when we can embrace technology and put the money toward the roads and systems which we'll always need to have around regardless?
I don't disagree with you but what's the solution if roads are insufficient as a long term transportation solution? If the technological solutions that have been promised don't end up coming and we don't make any changes, I'm not very optimistic about the state of transportation in this area.
I'd love to hear from a "choo choo" supporter just how, in an absolutely ideal world, a train system would work in the Triangle being that we're not a typical hub/spoke metro area. Then I'd like to hear realistically how that would happen from an economic and maintenance standpoint. How do we serve multiple major employment centers with rail, and how do we do it in a fashion that prevents it from becoming an absolute disaster like many other metro areas? The Boston public transit system is literally falling apart, it's been neglected for decades, and there's no money to fix it even in a metro area where residents pay 10-20k a year in taxes. How will that work in the Triangle?
What percentage of those living in the Triangle and working at RTP, Downtown Raleigh, and Downtown Durham, would take rail to work? I think people vastly over-estimate how many would, but I don't have hard facts on that.
Personally I'd rather see my money go toward infrastructure to support self-driving vehicles and buses. In my opinion putting money into rail in this era would be a gigantic waste of money.
I really had no idea about the adverseness to taxes here...until this past Thursday when the wife and I went to our daughter's school (started K this year) and sat through the PTA presentation to open the night....When the head of the PTA shared her slide on what the operating budget per student is at my daughter's school I literally burst out laughing (#10 state in terms of GDP in the country and you operate schools at $60/kid??!?! Wooof). Needless to say, what little good will I was willing to give the idea here probably wont last long...anyway I digress.
I tend to agree with you that most people here wouldn't want a light rail even though I think you could create one between say Durham and 540 at Capital and alleviate some traffic. You don't need the hub and spoke (look at Denver's light rail out to the DTC) to make it work; as long as you put terminals in accessible places to where people live.
To your point about the T; you are overlooking a massive aspect of it which would never fly here (or at least the modern version of here; maybe in the past it would have)....Unions. While I am personally not anti Union per say, the T and Taxi Unions in MA are waaaaaaaay too powerful.
I believe the last T contract that was bargained before we left, an employee could retire after 20 years of service (regardless of the age they started) and your pension is the average of your three highest earning years for the rest of your natural life, plus health insurance. So if you are some dude who was hired at 18 you could retire at 38; claim your pension and double dip for another 30 years, all on the state's dime.
Its the same reason why toll booth workers (who were making 70K a year) and requiring cops at job sites on details making $80/hr (instead of like most every other state, where a flag person make a bit above minimum wage), finally got replaced.
I'd love to hear how "self-driving" vehicles are going to solve the Triangle's traffic congestion problems without constructing more road capacity.
Yeah I don't get the argument either. At a certain point even if you have self driving vehicles you are going to hit a threshold where they reach capacity of the existing road network.
I don't disagree with you but what's the solution if roads are insufficient as a long term transportation solution? If the technological solutions that have been promised don't end up coming and we don't make any changes, I'm not very optimistic about the state of transportation in this area.
I think it makes sense to wait 10-20 years and see where we're at with autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles alone will help to reduce congestion. Maybe these extra lanes that are being added can be converted to dedicated lanes for autonomous buses.
It just seems crazy to develop brand new (but at the same time outdated), expensive infrastructure without seeing how technology affects commuting in the relatively near future. There is no denying that over time, less and less people will be working and commuting. Lets just chill and see what happens, and be thankful that we're not a place like Boston where public transit is broken, and they physically can't widen the highways.
I think it makes sense to wait 10-20 years and see where we're at with autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles alone will help to reduce congestion. Maybe these extra lanes that are being added can be converted to dedicated lanes for autonomous buses.
It just seems crazy to develop brand new (but at the same time outdated), expensive infrastructure without seeing how technology affects commuting in the relatively near future. There is no denying that over time, less and less people will be working and commuting. Lets just chill and see what happens, and be thankful that we're not a place like Boston where public transit is broken, and they physically can't widen the highways.
So what happens when autonomous vehicles don't pan out in 20 years and there's complete gridlock in the area and no feasible mass transit options? I mean we can play the "what if" with autonomous vehicles, but it's also fair to ask the reverse question in case it's not what we hoped it will be (being sold something and then it not panning out - it never happens!)
I think it makes sense to wait 10-20 years and see where we're at with autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles alone will help to reduce congestion. Maybe these extra lanes that are being added can be converted to dedicated lanes for autonomous buses.
In 20 years the Triangle will be choked on traffic if nothing is done.
So what happens when autonomous vehicles don't pan out in 20 years and there's complete gridlock in the area and no feasible mass transit options? I mean we can play the "what if" with autonomous vehicles, but it's also fair to ask the reverse question in case it's not what we hoped it will be (being sold something and then it not panning out - it never happens!)
That's fair, but at the rate technology moves, it seems unrealistic. Again, why spend tons of money on old technology?
Between automation, telecommuting, etc, there's just no way we'll see an increase in commuters. Yes we have to account for population increase, but we also need to account for all the people who will be automated out of jobs, and those working from home.
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