7 ms·

Completely agree. Also, in a way the future is already here, just take a look at Tokyo, the most populated metro area in the world with 38M people and the most

Completely agree. Also, in a way the future is already here, just take a look at Tokyo, the most populated metro area in the world with 38M people and the most advanced transportation systems in the world. The US should be trying to copy Japan and make an effort to benefit everyone, instead of creating expensive transportation alternatives that only very few will be able to take advantage of and won't solve any real problems except for those people. (I know, US <> Boeing)

puranjay 8y ago
But calling Tokyo just a "city" would be somewhat misleading. It functions quite like a mini state, with each of its wards being largely self contained and independent
- zemvpferreira 8y ago
  At the same time you'd never know that just by being in Tokyo for a while. Take public transportation: lines might change color and operator, but you use the same trains and cards to go from ward to ward, and coverage is pretty homogenous from one end to the other. That alone makes it feel like one cohesive city. Compare it to Lisbon (where I live): some five or six different systems to serve less than 2 million people. Disheveled, impossible to coordinate. Dense coverage in the city centre and sparse where people actually live, so masses of cars go into the centre every day. Gridlock and pollution everywhere. And the systems we have are considered good! I'll gladly join the chorus calling Tokyo the future. Can't come soon enough.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  But calling Tokyo just a "city" would be somewhat misleading. It functions quite like a mini state, with each of its wards being largely self contained and independent A classmate of mine who visited Amsterdam in the 80's described his experience like this: People seemed to hang out in different neighborhoods based on what "type" they appeared to be. The police might spot you being "out of place" and guide you back to where you were "supposed" to be. Essentially, they would do a friendly "deportation" of you to the right neighborhood. I think all cities have something like this going on, to one extent or another: subdivision into different sub-cities.
  - sterlind 8y ago
    maybe the future will be Diamond Age phyles..
adventured 8y ago
It makes no sense to copy the transportation systems of a 38m person city, when you're Boise, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Miami, etc. Other major cities like Dallas do not have the density to copy Tokyo such that it makes sense as a model and would be efficient. The only thing the US should copy Japan on is long distance high-speed rail. The rest can be taken care of by electric buses + a lot of dedicated bus lanes, modest light rail investment and NY fixing its subway. The US doesn't actually need a radical makeover. A large expansion of dedicated bus lanes would fix 3/4 of the problem in nearly all US cities and would be very cost effective. Autonomous electric buses can provide a high volume solution that matches with the modest population size of most US cities. Within 15-20 years the US is going to reach zero population growth (and the growth rate will be close to zero for much of that time). Shortly thereafter the US population will begin falling permanently. It doesn't need to explode its budgets building unnecessary transportation systems based on copying one of the world's most dense cities for absolutely no good reason.
- mLuby 8y ago
  Assuming zero immigration?
  - jessaustin 8y ago
    Immigration isn't a constant force of nature. It will never go to net zero, but who's to say that as opportunities improve elsewhere and fertility drops, immigration might not drop to replacement level?
- mcny 8y ago
  Sorry but this is not feasible in the US. Previously on HN https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16602151 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16602151 We can't get our mayor de Blasio to commit to prevent people from stopping on the bus lane in the city (NYC). For example, in Jamaica, I would guess there is a bus every two minutes each way (peak) at Sutphin Blvd Hillside Avenue intersection. It isn't a particularly busy intersection, just an example. Not just that there are cars parked in the bus lane, there are trucks unloading goods for the shops there, double parked. The state of NJ says it is unlawful to idle your car for over three minutes. I've never seen anyone follow this rule. We might as well get rid of laws without enforcement. Who are we kidding? Making a bus lane without enforcement is just wasting money to paint a lane. How do we enforce it? The only way I see viable is to allow bus drivers to write tickets to anyone blocking them (even for thirty seconds) in a bus lane (buses should definitely be equipped with multiple dash cams) and give the bus drivers the ticket money.

puranjay 8y ago

But calling Tokyo just a "city" would be somewhat misleading. It functions quite like a mini state, with each of its wards being largely self contained and independent

zemvpferreira 8y ago
At the same time you'd never know that just by being in Tokyo for a while. Take public transportation: lines might change color and operator, but you use the same trains and cards to go from ward to ward, and coverage is pretty homogenous from one end to the other. That alone makes it feel like one cohesive city. Compare it to Lisbon (where I live): some five or six different systems to serve less than 2 million people. Disheveled, impossible to coordinate. Dense coverage in the city centre and sparse where people actually live, so masses of cars go into the centre every day. Gridlock and pollution everywhere. And the systems we have are considered good! I'll gladly join the chorus calling Tokyo the future. Can't come soon enough.
stcredzero 8y ago
But calling Tokyo just a "city" would be somewhat misleading. It functions quite like a mini state, with each of its wards being largely self contained and independent A classmate of mine who visited Amsterdam in the 80's described his experience like this: People seemed to hang out in different neighborhoods based on what "type" they appeared to be. The police might spot you being "out of place" and guide you back to where you were "supposed" to be. Essentially, they would do a friendly "deportation" of you to the right neighborhood. I think all cities have something like this going on, to one extent or another: subdivision into different sub-cities.
- sterlind 8y ago
  maybe the future will be Diamond Age phyles..

adventured 8y ago

It makes no sense to copy the transportation systems of a 38m person city, when you're Boise, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Miami, etc. Other major cities like Dallas do not have the density to copy Tokyo such that it makes sense as a model and would be efficient. The only thing the US should copy Japan on is long distance high-speed rail. The rest can be taken care of by electric buses + a lot of dedicated bus lanes, modest light rail investment and NY fixing its subway. The US doesn't actually need a radical makeover. A large expansion of dedicated bus lanes would fix 3/4 of the problem in nearly all US cities and would be very cost effective. Autonomous electric buses can provide a high volume solution that matches with the modest population size of most US cities. Within 15-20 years the US is going to reach zero population growth (and the growth rate will be close to zero for much of that time). Shortly thereafter the US population will begin falling permanently. It doesn't need to explode its budgets building unnecessary transportation systems based on copying one of the world's most dense cities for absolutely no good reason.

mLuby 8y ago
Assuming zero immigration?
- jessaustin 8y ago
  Immigration isn't a constant force of nature. It will never go to net zero, but who's to say that as opportunities improve elsewhere and fertility drops, immigration might not drop to replacement level?
mcny 8y ago
Sorry but this is not feasible in the US. Previously on HN https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16602151 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16602151 We can't get our mayor de Blasio to commit to prevent people from stopping on the bus lane in the city (NYC). For example, in Jamaica, I would guess there is a bus every two minutes each way (peak) at Sutphin Blvd Hillside Avenue intersection. It isn't a particularly busy intersection, just an example. Not just that there are cars parked in the bus lane, there are trucks unloading goods for the shops there, double parked. The state of NJ says it is unlawful to idle your car for over three minutes. I've never seen anyone follow this rule. We might as well get rid of laws without enforcement. Who are we kidding? Making a bus lane without enforcement is just wasting money to paint a lane. How do we enforce it? The only way I see viable is to allow bus drivers to write tickets to anyone blocking them (even for thirty seconds) in a bus lane (buses should definitely be equipped with multiple dash cams) and give the bus drivers the ticket money.