Public Transportation

[RedCeltic]

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about how to make the United States oil independent. Thing is… the US is the third largest producer of oil yet the largest consumer of it… experts say, even if we produced as much as Saudi Arabia, even if we made all of Alaska into one big oil well… we still wouldn’t be able to satisfy the need for oil in America.

Experts have said that the only way for America to cut back on it’s dependency of forgien oil, is to cut back on it’s dependency on oil as a whole. While many democrats, and some republicans look to cars that don’t burn as much fuel as the solution, I believe that the answer lies more in promotion of public transportation.

I think it is quite shameful that it was easier to get from point A to point B via public transportation in 1902 than in 2002. The electric trolliecar is a thing of the past, yet 100 years ago was seen in most every city and town.

Well, I think the situation calls for a socialist answer to the problem… so this is something I think would help….

Extensive publicly owned mass transit systems in both urban and rural areas, at no or minimal cost to the users.
Government subsidized programs to expand safe routes for foot and bicycle paths.
The creation of fully-funded high-speed rail transportation systems between cities, with fares set low enough to be a viable alternative to the use of the automobile.
Pedestrian ways which exclude vehicles from the downtown area of cities and towns, accessible by mass transit.
An end to the expansion of the interstate highway system in conjunction with the reduction of combustion engine/auto based transport.

[Nickademus]

wow boy look at those numbers of posts. oy.

anyway. I agree. Mass transportation has to be effect and reliable however, or people are not going to use it. it is also important that it not be seen as transportation for the 'poor'. unfortunately there is (at least in canada) a stigma attached to public transportation that keeps many of the people who own cars from taking it. (i don't agree with the reasoning behind it but it is important to consider on this level). public transportation, howevever, is a very very good solution, until another source of energy (efficient and cheap) is found.

cheers

[Blackberry]

There is a very low chance of public transport being used by many people in the US because:

1. Capitalist socieities don't have anything that is publicly owned. :rolleyes:

2. If they implemented a PRIVATE transport system, it would be extremely stuffed up, because it would be intended for profit, and it wouldn't benefit the citizens one bit.

3. Oil in the US is VERY cheap compared to other countries, such as Australia for example.

[Moskitto]

Do not under any circumstances do what our government did to our public transport system.

It's privately owned and the buses and trains are always late, the trains have horrendous accident rates, they never go to the right places (Aylesbury is 11 miles away and you can't get a train there because all the train lines go from London outwards, There's 1 school bus every day, It goes to school at 8 and comes back at 4) And they're really expensive.

What does the government do?

Raise car tax and tell people to use Public transport without subsidising it. Yeah sure that helps if you have to use a car.

[poncho]

Again we can learn from CUBA.

In Cuba all government vehicles are required by law to pick-up people and drive them..To make the system more efficient on major street corners a uniformed government agent puts waiting people on a list, they than flag down government vehicles and put the people that are going in the same direction into that vehicle. This is FREE..... Tourists sometimes will stop and give waiting people rides, so much for aparteid cause the government agents are gratefull that you stop to give rides.

They also have rail and buses that are very inexpensive and lets not forget the horse buggies. Cuban transit effecient and in most cases clean.