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> Hence why the NYC mayor is so intent on funding worthless streetcars and ferries I'm assuming you're using the "worthless" adjective only for the streetcars
by eric_h 8y ago
> Hence why the NYC mayor is so intent on funding worthless streetcars and ferries
I'm assuming you're using the "worthless" adjective only for the streetcars - I use the NYC Ferry regularly (a stop opened near my apt last year) and it's way better than the subway. I have to walk a bit further on the other side, but it's still way more comfortable.
- deminature 8y agoStreetcars aren't even necessarily worthless. They're called trams in Australia and Sydney has recently rolled out a network after seeing how heavily utilized they are in Melbourne, and how convenient they are for short-distance travel. Pretty much everyone who works in the city has a tram trip somewhere in their commute. Provided the tracks run past places people need to go, there's no reason they need to be worthless.
- umichguy 8y agoMelbourne trams are awesome! Sure, they're not everywhere or go everywhere but for near the city center and some main routes they make so much sense.
- icebraining 8y agoSame in Brussels. And in Lisbon they're also touristic attractions: http://www.lisbonstopover.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/lx-3.jpg http://www.lisbonstopover.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/lx-...
- bradleyjg 8y agoIt may be useful for you but in the grand scheme all the new ferries cover only a trivial percentage of the total number of daily trips.
- CydeWeys 8y agoAnd the ferries are heavily subsidized and very expensive to operate, and they pollute quite heavily. They don't compare remotely favorably to the subway along any axis except start-up cost (it's cheaper to buy a boat and build some piers than to build a subway tunnel).
- ricardoreis 8y agoexcept start-up cost Which is, well, hugely significant when you think about it.
- CydeWeys 8y agoCities should have a planning timeframe for infrastructure improvements with a horizon longer than a couple years.
- ricardoreis 8y agoWell, yeah. And they should probably be having discussions based on something beside snarky retorts and popcorn-throwing too, I guess. But I guess those discussions will need to happen elsewhere.
- bradleyjg 8y agoEven if you could afford to run enough ferries to make a dent, which you can’t, they simply don’t have the bandwidth. Some people tried to make the math work for the L shutdown and even if you had a line of ferries just following each other as close as safely possible it wouldn’t be nearly enough. Subways are incredibly efficient at moving large numbers of people.
- eugmill 8y agoI use it as well but it moves far fewer people at a much higher running cost. I love the ferry but it's not a viable replacement.
- ricardoreis 8y agoNo one would consider suggesting it as a "replacement" for surface transport. However, it is a valuable augment to the surface system. The point is that it helps "connect the dots" (providing more options for people to get from A to B) - hence making the system more effective as a whole.