Gas Prices

[GeauxLSU]

Imagine being able to walk out your door and in less that 200 yards be able to go to a clean and safe station where the train comes every 3-5 minutes and will get you to within 200 yards of any point in the city. Pretty badass.

 

[Laufen]

It is pretty badass, and you don't have to worry about parking, or how much you drink, or traffic to/from your destination.

Those were the main things for me. I hate finding parking, especially downtown and I hate paying for parking. No lines of cars at the school with parents dropping kids off, the kids took themselves. Thursday night bar night was easy. Hop on, ride 5 stops and get dumped off at my favorite bar and get back home for about $4 round trip.

 

[NY63]

I don't claim to have all of the answers. MARTA has failure built in. Unfortunately the solution probably lies in this conundrum. The system won't be successful unless many more people use it. Many more people won't use it unless it reaches to many more areas, and is much cleaner, safer, timely, and more efficient. It won't reach to many more areas, be much cleaner, safer, timely, and more efficient unless more people use it.

So, you'd have to dump a bunch of money into it in the hopes that people will get over the old MARTA stereotype and give a good public transit system a shot.

I do understand though, until you've lived somewhere where it's available it is difficult to fathom how incredible it really is. Imagine being able to walk out your door and in less that 200 yards be able to go to a clean and safe station where the train comes every 3-5 minutes and will get you to within 200 yards of any point in the city. Pretty badass.

Newsflash!

Now that is a signature line.

 

[chucklenut]

Why do you suppose that is? I get what you are driving at here and I also get what the others are saying. In the comment above you admit our idea of mass transit sucks, so what makes you think we would do any better with light rail? The American people are different than our European cousins in many ways but I suspect you know that already. The reason light rail will not work in America is people do not want it, the rest of the reasons do not matter. We do not want it,we like our cars and traffic. We like pretending we are free. Some cities had light rail and it failed with the rise of the Automobile. Light rail for transportation was not profitable and that is why we have very little of it and what we do have is run by Government and it sucks.

could you imagine the eminent domain battles that would go down? forget the cost benefit being in the toilet and any attempt would lead to massive debt, but where are they gonna run these rail systems through exactly

 

[Gigabyte71]

It is indeed relative. Hopefully 'affordable' is not relative. Can you define that?

It is relative, but it should be something that just about anyone can afford to ride on. Right now, with wear/tear on the car and gas, I figure it costs be about $10 to get to the grocery store. That same ride shouldn't exceed $3. Plus I don't have to deal with the jackasses who think the speed limit is 35, when it is 55 and have to follow them the entire distance.

 

[GeauxLSU]

could you imagine the eminent domain battles that would go down? forget the cost benefit being in the toilet and any attempt would lead to massive debt, but where are they gonna run these rail systems through exactly

The government with almost zero exception wins those battles when it comes to rail. You know... "for the common good" and all....

 

[Laufen]

Why do you suppose that is? I get what you are driving at here and I also get what the others are saying. In the comment above you admit our idea of mass transit sucks, so what makes you think we would do any better with light rail? The American people are different than our European cousins in many ways but I suspect you know that already. The reason light rail will not work in America is people do not want it, the rest of the reasons do not matter. We do not want it,we like our cars and traffic. We like pretending we are free. Some cities had light rail and it failed with the rise of the Automobile. Light rail for transportation was not profitable and that is why we have very little of it and what we do have is run by Government and it sucks.

You are partially right. Americans have a dislike for public transit because of the reputation we have built with ****ty mass transit systems. The funny thing is, Americans that have lived places with good systems all seem to change their outlook when they experience a system that is run more efficiently...even on here.

 

[chucklenut]

The government with almost zero exception wins those battles when it comes to rail. You know... "for the common good" and all....

ya, me and my family know all about that bull

 

[NY63]

I don't claim to have all of the answers. MARTA has failure built in. Unfortunately the solution probably lies in this conundrum. The system won't be successful unless many more people use it. Many more people won't use it unless it reaches to many more areas, and is much cleaner, safer, timely, and more efficient. It won't reach to many more areas, be much cleaner, safer, timely, and more efficient unless more people use it.

So, you'd have to dump a bunch of money into it in the hopes that people will get over the old MARTA stereotype and give a good public transit system a shot.

I do understand though, until you've lived somewhere where it's available it is difficult to fathom how incredible it really is. Imagine being able to walk out your door and in less that 200 yards be able to go to a clean and safe station where the train comes every 3-5 minutes and will get you to within 200 yards of any point in the city. Pretty badass.

Pretty bad-ass? Pretty lame-ass.

What is this love affair progressives have with mass transit?

Give me a good old-fashioned American V8. And no car-pooling either.

 

[GeauxLSU]

It is relative, but it should be something that just about anyone can afford to ride on. Right now, with wear/tear on the car and gas, I figure it costs be about $10 to get to the grocery store. That same ride shouldn't exceed $3. Plus I don't have to deal with the jackasses who think the speed limit is 35, when it is 55 and have to follow them the entire distance.

So you also define 'affordable' and 'cost' as just the fare price? You, I assume, realize there is not a single rail system in the United States (and apparently only two in the entire world) that aren't subsidized.
So my question is, given the FACT that it is not profitable ANYWHERE in the United States and they are all publicly subsidized are you in favor of even more rail here?