/midpol/ - Politically (Mis)Informed

Well I can't say I'm too familiar with mass transportation due to living out in the boonies where everyone needs a vehicle and most buses are school buses. That being said though, from what experience I do have, I say the US train system is garbage and needs an overhaul someday and bus service needs amped the fuck up in midwestern cities both big and small like Kansas City where bus service is horrendous and unreliable.

I'd personally love for the US to be invested in high speed rail so I could get to my e-buddies faster, but we have a million other things that need to be fixed first, especially with all the debt we are in, and I think liberals are really silly for wanting to invest in this at this point in time.

>>20
yeah, the people calling for HSR in this country really have no clue how public transportation works. high speed rail is only useful if you have extensive local transportation networks for it to connect to, otherwise it has no advantages over flying or driving

>>22
well, that isn't quite true, it does have advantages over flying. but if you're going to have to rent a car in the city you ride to, then you might as well just drive

>>22
Another thing these people don't get is that Japan and other places with really good reail systems are reasonably smaller than the US. and often more bunched together. The US however, is spread the fuck out.

>>38
yes, but there are many regions with clusters of cities, and connecting those is viable (once local transit is properly developed)

Mass transport is a useful utility, much like public water and electricity. Some people need to go places but have no individual means to do so, and have money to spend on it.
And it's much more efficient than everyone using their own cars.

Once self-driving, electric mass transport buses become a thing, the system will also use less resources and have fewer accidents. But that's a ways off yet.

>>59
I fail to see how a reliable bus system would work in a rural area though, unless they had a really good request system up and going. Also take account people who live on gravel roads.

Though I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind there being a government funded "free" transport system with electric powered buses, assuming we'd have actual funding for that someday, and have good solar power tech for it.

I was referring more to urban, tightly packed areas where there are too many people per square mile to avoid traffic jams.
But long-range public transport (like planes) do have a very useful service as well, though they have to worry more about fuel costs over such long distances that you'll find in the U.S. They aren't normally publicly funded obviously, but still useful for people who go from city to city.

And another caveat is people who need specialized vehicles like trucks, or just need equipment in their cars that can't be carried on a bus or train. But these people are probably in the minority, I imagine.