Why would it? most people have never experienced good transit, just transit for those who after a few dwi’s can’t get their friends to drive them anymore. Transit money feels like throwing good money after bad. most republicans honestly embrace this
meanwhile the democrats see transit as getting other people (poor, or at least someone else) off the road so they don’t care if a proposal that wouldn’t work for them becauseemost can’t imangine using it anyway. They alse see getting these someone else’s off the road as green which they hope is enough to solve global warming without having to make changes themself
Democrats also see transit money as a way to bring on jobs or art - either way the more they spend on small segments the better. it never occurs to them that cheap projecs can do more and since transit is about the network that would inthe long run result in transit they would use.
the above is a generalization. there are excaptions on both sides (though more democrats) who care about transit. this probably includes everyone reading this. How do we change the majority is the question. you will probahly cry when you admit the truth of the above.
I mean, light rail seems to be pretty effective in Portland, the problems it does have don’t really seem to be efficiency related.
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/23/portland-max-stabbing-crime-trimet-death-oregon-bus-lawsuit/
- Snow and ice makes the tracks and switches fail all the time. If it’s snowing, stay home.
- Hot weather makes the overhead power lines expand causing trains to have to slow down. If it’s near or over 100°, stay home.
Thanks for the reply. TIL about the Portland’s LRT. After watching a video about it [1], my impression about the LRT is that it seems like one of the best LRT in North America.
The crime part is really unfortunate though, and I doubt there is anything the LRT can do about it as it’s not their fault, rather, it’s probably a systematic problem, cmiiw.
But hadn‘t the city paid for those tunnels? How on earth does Elon own them?
The problem it can’t solve is that rich people might have to interact with mere humans. The car in a tube seats four and locks, so there’s zero chance you’ll have to sit next to a minority.
I wonder if rail would be more appealing to them if the coaches were designed as multiple isolated cells that seated 4-6, rather than straight-through corridors that permit mingling. (I’ve seen some old designs like that, in German narrow-gauge form)
i continue to weep for the death of Per Albin Hansson, the old social democrat leader who was so steadfast in riding the tram home to his apartment that he’s known for his death happening immediately after stepping off the tram (heart attack) when he could have chosen to be driven home by another politician.
The problem it can’t solve is that rich people might have to interact with mere humans.
I can relate. We, in Indonesia, have a problem where politicians, whose never even ride a train before, gets to decide the policies about public transport, and those who gets the consequenece is low-middle class who uses public transport. There was a meme from a year ago where a tone-deaf politician says the overcrowded trains in Jakarta doesn’t exist even though it overcrowding is clearly a problem in regional line (KRL) due to lack of trains.
I wonder if rail would be more appealing to them if the coaches were designed as multiple isolated cells that seated 4-6, rather than straight-through corridors that permit mingling.
Assuming we’re talking about short distance trains, absolutely no, lol. It’s just space inefficient. I will understand if it is a long distance trains, and it is a thing.
Short-distance city trains used to have multiple compartments too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Door_(train) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_(train)
I assumed the parent commenter meant this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartment_coach
But if the commenter meant cross-seat trains like this:
then yeah it exists
Musk is not “people in the US”, and most of those have no say in what “gets built”, so rephrase your blame, fellow crab in the bucket.
Yeah, should have rephrased that. AFAIK Elon is a South African, not even US citizen right?
I’m not even from USA to be clear, but my limited image of USA is that it lacks efforts of building public transport, especially compared to other developed countries. Heck, compared to developing countries even.
One of the example, US seems like a perfect place to build a high-speed rail network. Yet, CAHSR seems to keep getting delayed. In comparison Morocco has a HSR. Even Indonesia has one opened last year.
You’re gonna love the history rabbit hole re: the automotive industry lobbying and all but singlehandedly squashing rail expansion (see: highways), NGL. 👨🏽🍳
I think we should stop saying “lobbying” and start saying “corruption” or “bribing” isntead