2016 US Presidential Election Thread - VII

[BigMacPhisto]

Bay Area Rapid Transit is a commuter rail system that extends out to locations ranging from thirty minutes to almost an hour out of the city (where I live). The one underground rail in San Francisco's MUNI system utilizes most of the same stations as BART and sits on top of it under Market street.

MUNI is comprised of street cars, historic cable cars (which you can now only ride by paying a single ticket special price), an extensive train system that goes underground from West Portal through to the Embarcadero and overground through a lot of the rest of the city and, finally, the extremely slow and unreliable buses that make up the bulk of the network.

Beyond the city's small size (and weirdly twisting streets in some areas), it's the traffic that is the major issue. Despite an influx of hipsters in the past and carless techies now, the city has still attracted too many yuppies that want to drive, including morning commuters that spend two or more hours driving into the city (even though a lot of them could just ride BART instead). San Francisco's game plan for years now has been to do everything they can to make it miserable for these drivers, but it still hasn't stopped congestion from rising. Meanwhile, the highways outside of the city and San Jose continue to see some of the nation's worst commute times and they're only getting worse.

 

[Hewson]

I drive but had to throw the MBTA into the mix.

Their incompetency last winter added 20 minutes to my morning commute for 2 months because so many folks had to drive who normally took the train for that period of time coming from south of Boston.

MBTA’s February emails show problems went beyond snow


Despite loud protests, MBTA board OKs fare hikes | Local News - WCVB Home

MBTA official says service cuts still an option | WWLP.com

 

[Mack_Again]

In Osaka, only one line of the subway is making profits. and there are 7 or 8 lines total. see? Asian people aren't always productive or efficient.

 

[BVS]

I still don't see what's offensive in saying that Clinton has a lot of older women supporters that really want to see a woman in the white house or that a lot of black voters see Clinton as the third-term of an Obama Presidency (something of which there has been ample evidence to support and it's exactly why Clinton went through the trouble of mentioning the guy constantly in the South Carolina debate and the ones right before that). Whites in the South voted for the Republican nominee for President by a nearly 9-to-1 margin recently, but I don't think anybody will call me out on mentioning that.

Except that's not what you said, you accused both groups of not knowing the issues and blindly voting. Your implication was that the only people who knew the issues and were thinking were Sanders supporters.


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[Irvine511]

In Osaka, only one line of the subway is making profits. and there are 7 or 8 lines total. see? Asian people aren't always productive or efficient.

That is a stereotype. We're taught to tremble in awe at Japanese public transportation. Bullet trains and such.

I've never been. It's quite high on my list of places to go.

 

[Mack_Again]

That is a stereotype. We're taught to tremble in awe at Japanese public transportation. Bullet trains and such.

I've never been. It's quite high on my list of places to go.

yeah the fact that there is virtually no delay and all that is pretty impressive, I must say. But outside of Tokyo, the craziness of public transformation isn't all that extreme (there aren't insane crowds or swarm of people in train stations if you're not at Tokyo).

 

[Mack_Again]

Except that's not what you said, you accused both groups of not knowing the issues and blindly voting. Your implication was that the only people who knew the issues and were thinking were Sanders supporters.


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come on, BVS, this thread is about public transportation now, why are you talking about politics?

 

[PhilsFan]

SEPTA is fine. The design of its railways doesn't exactly match the way the population has settled in (my hometown of 105,000 has no train, for example), and it runs way too slow and too infrequently on its regional rails, but the downtown subways are pretty reliable and efficient.

Amtrak in Philly is the problem, safety-wise. Two significant incidents in a year. Things aren't going well.

 

[BVS]

come on, BVS, this thread is about public transportation now, why are you talking about politics?

I have a jet pack, I don't commute with the common people.


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[Mack_Again]

also, this happens in Japan: Japan tube drivers seek damages after bonuses trimmed in beard row | World news | The Guardian

still, I love subway in Osaka; no way I can hate my hometown

 

[Hewson]

That is a stereotype. We're taught to tremble in awe at Japanese public transportation. Bullet trains and such.

.

Japanese transit is not all that safe however:

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Bay Area Rapid Transit is a commuter rail system that extends out to locations ranging from thirty minutes to almost an hour out of the city (where I live). The one underground rail in San Francisco's MUNI system utilizes most of the same stations as BART and sits on top of it under Market street.

MUNI is comprised of street cars, historic cable cars (which you can now only ride by paying a single ticket special price), an extensive train system that goes underground from West Portal through to the Embarcadero and overground through a lot of the rest of the city and, finally, the extremely slow and unreliable buses that make up the bulk of the network.

Beyond the city's small size (and weirdly twisting streets in some areas), it's the traffic that is the major issue. Despite an influx of hipsters in the past and carless techies now, the city has still attracted too many yuppies that want to drive, including morning commuters that spend two or more hours driving into the city (even though a lot of them could just ride BART instead). San Francisco's game plan for years now has been to do everything they can to make it miserable for these drivers, but it still hasn't stopped congestion from rising. Meanwhile, the highways outside of the city and San Jose continue to see some of the nation's worst commute times and they're only getting worse.

Okay so it's BART that's mad expensive (and still slow as fuck), and MUNI that was absolutely disgusting.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Amtrak in Philly is the problem, safety-wise. Two significant incidents in a year. Things aren't going well.

I'm not so sure that that's quite true. If anything, is sheer coincidence and just bad luck of the draw. Your chances of being in an Amtrak accident aren't any higher.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The MTA opened up its first new station in 30 years about 5 months ago. It's leaking already.

The second Avenue subway was supplied to open last year. It's not. It was first brought up in the 1920s.

 

[Mack_Again]

Japanese transit is not all that safe however:

well I'm from Osaka so I should be immune to this

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I grew up waiting until I was 16 to borrow the car.

I still don't live in a mass transit capable location.

Mass transit in my town consists of taking a city bus that runs from 6 am to 6 pm. Either that, or you can take a cab, and pay $7 to travel within city limits.

I am so sick of this election already. The American system has got to be changed so you don't have presidential elections lasting 18-24 months. It's ridiculous.

No argument with this whatsoever.

 

[Mack_Again]

No argument with this whatsoever.

I shouldn't ben the only one who thinks primary election for presidential candidate should be national as well (or at least all the states will do election simultaneously).

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think we just proved that infrastructure needs to be addressed

 

[Mack_Again]

I think we just proved that infrastructure needs to be addressed

and the fact that Canada deserves better public transportation system.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Mass transit in my town consists of taking a city bus that runs from 6 am to 6 pm. Either that, or you can take a cab, and pay $7 to travel within city limits.

We don't have busses, and a cab would have to travel probably 5x further to get to you as it would to take you to your destination. Probably costs $40 to go 3 miles.

Thankful for the creation of uber.

 

[deep]

well I grew up riding this thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Municipal_Subway


does that count?

I rode that quite a few times.

 

[Irvine511]

Thankful for the creation of uber.

Seriously. It's life changing. Especially in a city like LA or Phoenix. Life as a designated driver is no life at all.

 

[Hewson]

The MTA opened up its first new station in 30 years about 5 months ago. It's leaking already.

The second Avenue subway was supplied to open last year. It's not. It was first brought up in the 1920s.

We gots one of thems too...

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...t-will-plug/30XFBumI51NWb5y8o2xy7M/story.html

 

[Hollow Island]

and the fact that Canada deserves better public transportation system.

Thankfully this government recognizes that. Half of public transit spending will go to Ontario, with most if that going to the TTC. It's amazing how much minor increases in service improve the quality of life. Too bad so many people in Toronto are complete idiots and want good transit for free, or support projects that make no sense. Then there are politicians who refuse to start a development that was touted as necessary decades ago...sigh.

 

[Hollow Island]

Anyway, TTC must be pretty good because I never learned how to drive. And I've never lived closer than a 30 minute walk to the subway. I bike everywhere though.

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[DaveC]

Anyway, TTC must be pretty good because I never learned how to drive. And I've never lived closer than a 30 minute walk to the subway. I bike everywhere though.

Thankfully it's getting to be a nice city to bike in. Lots of new bike lanes. When I had my bike last summer (before it got stolen ) I gloriously never had to take the TTC anywhere.

If you only have to deal with it once every few weeks it's tolerable...commuting on the King streetcar every day though is a whole other story.

 

[anitram]

...commuting on the King streetcar every day though is a whole other story.

I used to live by King/Bathurst (2 blocks west) and most mornings could walk faster to my office at King/Bay than the streetcar would take me. Usually because 4-5 would pass me by totally full before I even got on.

TTC is brutal.

 

[digitize]

What the hell is this "public transit" of which y'all speak?

Signed,
Texas


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[anitram]

It's kind of funny when the rest of the world criticizes North America for our suburban car-dependent lifestyle. Well, that's easy to do when you live in a place that's small, with bike lanes and excellent rail service. We're basically imprisoned here because as you can see here, even the biggest cities have mass public transit issues, which is to say nothing of smaller and mid-sized towns.

 

[digitize]

It's kind of funny when the rest of the world criticizes North America for our suburban car-dependent lifestyle. Well, that's easy to do when you live in a place that's small, with bike lanes and excellent rail service. We're basically imprisoned here because as you can see here, even the biggest cities have mass public transit issues, which is to say nothing of smaller and mid-sized towns.

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