Re: A Republican!!!!!! (was Re: OT: sponge burning!)
Roberto C. Sanchez wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 06, 2007 at 05:33:06PM -1000, Al Eridani wrote:
>> On 3/2/07, Roberto C. Sanchez <roberto@connexer.com> wrote:
>>
>> >if you compare motor vehicle traffic in those cities, you see that even
>> >the two *best* public transport cities in the US can't even make public
>> >transport work for a *majority* of their residents.
>>
>> First, can't you read? New York and Chicago are, according to some
>> absolute numbers, the *largest* public transportation systems; nothing
>> to do with the *best*.
>>
> Actually, I think you are the one who can't read. The NYC and Chicago
> public transit systems being the largest (both in absolute and per
> capita) makes them the most ubiquitous and able to server the largest
> number of travelers. Did you miss the entire ongoing discussion about
> public transportation?
I'm not quite sure where to find the numbers, but I seem to recall Portland,
Ore has a larger and more travelled transit system than Chicago and has
since a public corporation (TriMet) bought out all the failing private
rapid transit companies in the region (like Oregon Electric Railroad,
Portland Traction, etc).
> The number one requirement for any public transportation system is that
> it be ubiquitous and accessible.
Indeed. One thing that is an unfortunate stumbling block is the number of
relatively sparse neighborhoods that cropped up after the elimination of
most public transportation in favor of freeways.
> I don't know what it is you have against people who prefer to live in
> the suburbs and not in the city itself.
I don't have a problem with people who live in the suburbs if they're
willing to accept the fact that it's going to take a bit of time to get
anyplace regardless of your transportation options and are willing to pick
the best tool for the job.
>> The US mentality of the car being king is too entrenched to make it
>> disappear overnight.
>
> You know, I'd love to see cars go away. Why don't you give yours up?
> Personally, I like living out in the country. It is worth it to me to
> deal with the daily commute so that in my off time I can enjoy the
> scenery and being out in the country.
I like living in a region where it's nigh impossible to get a building
permit in rural areas for anything other than agribusiness. It's rather
selfish of people to think we should have to pay higher taxes to maintain
greater wear on rural roads, blight productive or scenic land and breathe
more air pollution just so someone can have a super-long commute to the
city instead of just taking a vacation.
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