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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by andrewjonathon [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal Question: How many of you would do your Christmas shopping using trolley/commuter rail systems? Kind of a hassle to carry extra baggage on such systems, isn't it? Auto - 1 Train - 0 Or you are in transit between home and work when you get a call on your cell from your elderly mother, who needs some maintenance ASAP for her AC. If you're driving your own vehicle, you simply take the next exit and head to the rescue. If you're stuck on the trolley, well, you're stuck.... Auto - 2 Train - 0 Or you're a soccer mom, taking one kid to practice, one to dance recital, and one to the doctor for a checkup........Need I say more? Auto - 3 Train - 0 Or you are in transit when you spot an armoire at a yard sale that you know your wife will just love. Again, if you're in your SUV, you stop and pick it up. If you're on commuter rail.......... Auto - 4 Train - 0 Okay, you all get the picture. There is an inherent flaw in mass transit systems for urban transportation, and that is the inability to make spontaneous and practical travel decisions on the fly. And that is part of the reason the US has such a higher standard of living than Europe, freedom to change course in midstream (and to do so multiple times) is part and parcel of our higher standard of living. [/quote] Dave, I don't disagree with the scenarios you layout. However, when I decide how to get to work each day I don't typically factor in my mother having an emergency with her AC. Here is a few things that do affect my transportation choice for getting to and from work. 1) The traffic getting to work is extremely thick. I'd sure like to use the car pool lane. Since I don' t have a neighbor driving to same location I'm headed lets see what are my options. Oh, yeah the commuter bus travels in the HOV lane. I could drive 4 miles to the park n ride and catch the direct bus or I could sit in start/stop traffic for an hour and half. Transit 1 Auto 0 [/quote] Well, we can parse this a little more for the fun of it....... Of course, you still have to get from your home to the train station, from the train station to your place of work, and vis versa. Unless you live within walking distance of the train station.... Auto 1 Train 0 [quote]QUOTE: 2) Its Friday afternoon and the freeway is jammed including the HOV lanes (especially right before a holiday). Lets see is there anyway I can avoid those obscene traffic jams and still get home at the regular time instead of an hour late? I could take the train to a park n' ride stop 9 miles from my home. The train isn't affected by extra Friday or holiday traffic. Transit 2 Auto 0 [/quote] Again, if you have to drive to the station..... Auto 2 Train 0 [quote]QUOTE: 3) Paying $200 a month for parking downtown seems excessive. Travelling 35 miles in traffic uses a lot of gas as well (to the tune of about $150 a month at $2.35/gallon) It sure would be nice to only pay $65/month instead of $350 by car for transportation to work. (Note: This is the cost of employer subsidized transit pass. However, even if I paid the full cost of $135 per month it would still be far cheaper than driving.) Transit 3 Auto 0 [/quote] Hold on a minute! Most places of work have their own parking lots. And you still are paying for gas to get from home to the train station, and having to take a gas using taxi to get from the downtown station to your place of work (and vis versa). Since your vehicle does the direct route while the car to train to taxi / taxi to train to car route is usually not direct, you may actually be using more fuel using transit than your own vehicle. Auto 3 Train 0 [quote]QUOTE: 4) It sure would be nice to get an extra hour of sleep in the morning. Of course sleeping and driving don't seem to go together too well. How could I get some extra sleep without going to bed earlier? Hmm... Transit 4 Auto 0 [/quote] Sleeping in a transit compartment with all the inherent riff raff that typically use transit? Not a good idea if you want to hang on to your wallet! Auto 4 Train 0 [quote]QUOTE: 5) It is pretty busy around the house. It sure would be nice to find some extra time for reading. But how can I squeeze it in? Hmm, perhaps on the afternoon commute home (if I'm not driving that is). Transit 5 Auto 0 [/quote] Ever heard of books on tape? Ever heard of reading the paper at breakfast like most people do? And with all the extra time you save going direct via your own vehicle rather than the convaluted route most transit requires..... Auto 5 Transit 0 Then of course there's all those germs migrating through the transit car.... Auto 6 Transit 0 Did I mention the B.O. problem from the riff raff and the flower people? Auto 7 Transit 0 Ever try listening to Rush or sportstalk radio on the trolley? Auto 8 Transit 0 Ever try singing along with your favorite alternative rock station on the trolley? Auto 9 Transit 0 And if you need to talk on your handsfree cell phone....... Auto 10 Transit 0 [quote]QUOTE: One note, I don't generally plan my commute around an emergency happening at home. In the unlikely event an emergency did occur, I could quickly catch a cab ride home which would get me there just as quickly as if I was driving my car. The cost of the cab would easily be covered by the savings I get from using transit. [/quote] So your wife never calls to have you pick up some grocery item, et al? Are you going to use a cab to get to and from the grocery store? [quote]QUOTE: By the way, the difference between the standard of living in Europe and the USA is in the eye of the beholder. If you are an American and measure standard of living in terms of the square feet in your house or the number of cars in your garage then America is the place to be. However, if you value free time, vacations, etc then Europe stacks up pretty well. Standard of living varies greatly by country. For example, it doesn't matter what measure you are using Norway compares favorably with anyone. [/quote] Standard of living is measured by personal freedoms, not by how many toys you have. Using personal freedom as the measuring stick, I'll still pick the USA over any European country anytime. Hmmm, more personal income AND more personal freedom......[8D]
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