Re: Lost your home? Car? Everything? Thank a bicyclist and the California road diet.

cyclintom <cyclintom@yahoo.com> wrote:

On Sun Jan 12 10:00:23 2025 Roger Merriman  wrote:

Catrike Ryder <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:

On 11 Jan 2025 18:16:00 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
 

Catrike Ryder <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:

On 11 Jan 2025 08:01:36 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
 

Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

On 1/10/2025 4:38 PM, AMuzi wrote:

On 1/10/2025 3:31 PM, pothead wrote:

On 2025-01-10, Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

On 1/9/2025 9:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

 
 
... the other high speed rail projects didn't do much
better on controlling planning, construction and maintenance costs:
 
"Case Study V: California High-Speed Rail"
<https://uta.pressbooks.pub/oertgreentransport/chapter/chapter-7-
case-study-v-california-high-speed-rail/>
<https://uta.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/131/2022/09/Tbl3-
e1664395162274.png>
 
I haven't checked, but methinks that a large percentage of the time
and money are being used to fund endless litigation:
"High Speed Rail Litigation"
<https://www.planetizen.com/tag/high-speed-rail-litigation>

 
I'm wondering how other countries have done this. We rode the TGV in
France. It was very impressive. I've talked to folks who used Japan's
high speed rail and were very impressed.
 

 
I've rode the TGV and it was quite impressive. The rail system in Europe
is so far superior to the antiquated crap we have here in US it's not
even
in the same league.
 

I have no opinion but there are societal differences:
 
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/vehicles-per-capita-by-country/
 
which present a chicken-egg problem.

 
Interesting data. I see that France is really not far behind the U.S. in
cars-per-capita. I had wondered if they had far lower car ownership and
were thus more amenable to tax dollars going to rail, but that doesn't
seem to be the case.
 
Anyway, other countries are doing rail pretty well. It's sort of a shame
we can't. I'm pretty much forced to do a lot of freeway driving these
days. I'd prefer a choice.
 

It appears to be a political choice and and almost a worse service that you
have for the same reasons.
 
Roger Merriman

 
 
The desire some people in the USA have to be more like other countries
seems to have taken a political hit. There seems to still be a little
sense of individualism left in our culture, but I wonder how long it
will last.
 
--
C'est bon
Soloman
 

 
Considering that all of your towns were built by rail would seem that the
train is very American! That there has been a move to Car centric culture
for last 70 something years doesnt change that nor mean it couldnt change
back, as ever these arent fixed.
 
Roger Merriman

 
People used to ride horses and buggies for transporation, too. As for
me, I can tolerate being confined for a few short hours to an
uncomfortable seat amongst a couple hundred other uncomfortable
passengers on an airplane, but not locked up for a couple of days on a
train.
 

Plains are much more cramped and generally people in your space than trains
certainly intercity ones, plus one can wander to the buffet bar and so on.
 
A proper highspeed train of which America seems to have a massive 49.9 of
line that can handle the only just classified as Highspeed 150mph, the
Amtrak trains seem to average essentially fright speeds 50/60mph which in
the right situation is fine,.
 
I?ve taken the Caledonian sleeper to Fort William a few times, it?s around
that speeds but as you board the train in the Evening have a room and bed/s
and it arrives by the morning that works but even within UK which is quite
a bit smaller having intercity trains run so slow and uk Intercity trains
aren?t highspeed but they are double the speed I think they date from the
1970?s or thereabouts.
 
I don?t use intercity trains much as well while I live in a City I?m a hour
or so away from the intercity trains, at least ones I do use, and my
family/friends don?t live in cities so ends up with at least 2 trains to
and from the main line station plus probably a taxi or getting collected by
them.
 
A proper highspeed train absolutely could do intercity traffic and be
reasonable competitive vs air travel, lot less faff ie avoid airports!

 
 
 
 
I suspect that the reason that they are trying to go to faster and faster
aircraft isn't to get there faster but to get somewhere less
uncomfortable. Even first class is uncomfortable. I think the last flight
I went on I was wearing my VFW pin and they put me at the emergency exit
door so that I had some leg room.
 

Um passenger Planes haven’t got faster, but larger, trains have increased
their speeds, with more true high speed trains being sold and lines built.

Roger Merriman